Gazette-Times Reporter

There’s little concern coming from the Oregon State football team about the star running back being hurt and his status for Saturday’s game at USC in question.

Coach Mike Riley is calm about it because he has been here before.

Senior Yvenson Bernard sprained his left shoulder last weekend against Stanford. He’s not expected to practice until today, and that’s a maybe.

“There’s not a lot of pain, but it’s not good enough to take any hits right now,” Bernard said. “Game time is Saturday, so I can’t give you an honest evaluation now. I’m hopeful. I want to be out there. I’m not one of those guys who get a little ding and I’m complaining and crying.”

Bernard is the Beavers’ workhorse, carrying the ball 184 times for 814 yards and leading them in receptions with 32 for 153 yards. He has combined for 11 touchdowns.

Facing the 13th-ranked Trojans without him complicates the game plan and the inner workings of the offense.

Bernard can handle pain. He played through right-shoulder stingers, a minor knee injury and the usual aches and pains from 785 career carries.

“We’ve been here with Yve a lot, so it’s just a matter of how good he starts to feel,” Riley said. “I really don’t want to put him at any risk. If he does play, he’ll have extra (protective) stuff. It’s all about the pain, not further injury. If there’s a chance, he’ll go (on the trip).”

Bernard couldn’t play in last year’s USC game because of an ankle injury. He sat out practice the week of the game, tried to warm up on game day and knew it wasn’t going to work.

The irony of what’s going on this year hasn’t escaped him.

“It is kind of crazy,” Bernard said. “The ankle was worse because that’s what you need to run around. I can probably manage the shoulder.”

Bernard’s durability and production turned the 5-foot-9, 202-pound back into an NFL prospect, according to draft tracking Web sites.

That’s why Riley may hold him out this week. He’s looking out for his player’s future.

“You have those concerns, but you can’t set foot out there if you are going to worry about your future,” Bernard said. “It’s just not the right thing to do for the team and yourself.”

The season has been productive in Bernard’s mind, and he is his own worst critic. There was a slow start, but his success improved with the team’s performance.

Bernard’s individual goals have been coming true. It’s not specific numbers, but his development as an overall running back.

“My blocking has improved,” Bernard said. “I’ve learned all the different blitzing schemes and I’ve been able to catch the ball out of the backfield. Those are the two things I’m trying to put more emphasis on. Everybody can run the ball. There are a lot of good running backs out there. The only way to separate myself from all those guys is doing all the little things, the extra things.”

Tailback Rodgers?

During last weekend’s game wide receiver James Rodgers lined up at tailback on some plays, and carried the ball once from that position.

Expect to see that more, and it has nothing to do with Bernard begin questionable for Saturday’s game.

The Beavers installed plays out of that formation last week. Since they worked there will be more. However, Rodgers is not converting full-time to running back, at least not this season.

“You’ll see more of that,” Riley said. “That was the best way to run that flip play we ran. He could be a running back if we just handed him the ball, but he would have trouble getting down the blocking in the middle of the season.”

Perry update

Offensive guard Jeremy Perry hoped to return from a season-opening broken leg last week, but couldn’t. And it doesn’t look promising for this week.

This would be the eighth game missed for the fourth-year junior. There’s no option for a medical redshirt because he’s already used his redshirt year his first season.

“It’s going to be a little slower than we anticipated,” Riley said. “We’ll play it day-to-day. I don’t anticipate him playing this week. He’s not particularly comfortable with his leg.”

Schuening update

Offensive guard Roy Schuening feels better, after having walking pneumonia last week. He played most of last game, but was tired throughout.

“I really admire what he did, and he had a pretty good game,” Riley said. “He’ll be better this week.”