OSU staff exploring possibility tailback could play Saturday

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Gazette-Times Reporter

Yvenson Bernard’s shoulder injury is not as bad as expected, but more tests must be done to know for sure.

The standout senior tailback for the Oregon State football team hurt his left shoulder in the first half of Saturday’s 23-6 Pacific-10 Conference victory over Stanford.

His arm was in a sling by halftime and he was in severe pain on the sidelines. This is different from his right-shoulder stinger problems of the past.

Bernard will have an MRI today for a better look at the injury, but he hopes to play Saturday at Southern California, coach Mike Riley said Sunday night.

“Yve and the trainer won’t know for sure until they get the MRI back, but they are exploring the possibility of him playing,” Riley said. “I say it’s questionable right now.”

Bernard was injured on a 19-yard run that put the ball on Stanford’s 2-yard line when he was spun around and hit hard by Pat Maynor.

Despite the pain, Bernard stayed in the game for one more play and ran in for a touchdown.

“Nobody knew he got hurt but him,” Riley said. “He was hurting on the sidelines. I’m glad he didn’t get hit on that next play.”

Once the severity of the injury is determined, Bernard and the medical staff will decide if he can play with help of extra padding.

Bernard is the Beavers’ workhorse with 185 carries for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has 32 receptions for 153 yards and a score.

“We’ll do what the medical team suggests,” Riley said. “I would want to make a decision on the safe side. He’ll do whatever he can to play. I’ll go the other way. I don’t want him to be at any other risk for the rest of the year or the rest of his career. He still has a lot of football left.”

Seniors Matt Sieverson and Clinton Polk will share the carries if Bernard can’t play.

Sieverson is playing running back this year for the first time in college. Polk was the backup last season, but has played catch-up this year after missing training camp and the first two games due to academic issues.

“It won’t change what goes on for the offensive line,” center Kyle DeVan said. “Whoever is out there, the offensive line is not going to let down. We are going to go full charge ahead.”

Sieverson and Polk have combined on 48 carries for 200 yards and a TD. Sieverson is a pounding back, while Polk has game-breaking ability with a 5.9-yard average.

Polk’s first carry of the season was a 37-yard TD run. He had 248 yards and a score last year.

His big game was filling in for Bernard last season in the upset of USC. Bernard was out with an injury, and Polk rushed for 100 yards.

“Clinton can step in there anytime,” DeVan said. “He can change the game. He’s a different style of runner than Yve is. It changes the way they game plan. They have to adjust to all three styles of running backs.”

While the offense will try to maintain its recent success despite this setback, the defense moved up the national rankings with the latest performance.

The rush defense is once again the top-ranked unit in the country, allowing 54.5 yards a game. Total defense is 13th at 299.9 yards a game, second in the Pac-10 to USC, this Saturday’s opponent.

OSU is the best at getting to the quarterback with 4 1/4 sacks a game. That also helps the overall tackles for a loss at 8 1/2 a game, eighth in the country and best in the conference.

“We all just came out and performed in all phases of the game,” defensive end Dorian Smith said of Saturday’s win. “We can continue that, and it’s all about finishing. That’s what coach Riley preaches, and that’s what we plan on doing.”