Posted: Thursday, September 4, 2008 12:00 am
The Associated Press
EUGENE - Oregon's opener left the Ducks exploring their options at quarterback.
Starter Justin Roper went out with a minor concussion during the victory over Washington on Saturday, giving both backup Jeremiah Masoli and true freshman Chris Harper some playing time.
Coach Mike Bellotti said Tuesday that Roper was going to have more tests and it was uncertain when he might practice again, although the trainers were confident he would be ready for Saturday's game against Utah State.
Bellotti said Roper, if ready, Masoli and Harper would likely all get a chance to play. Roper was named the starter after Nate Costa injured his knee. Then Roper got hurt.
Against Washington, at least, the combination of Masoli and Harper worked well.
Masoli hadn't even worked out with the team until late into fall practice because of a wrist injury. And Harper never threw a pass in the game against the Huskies, he just ran plays.
Bellotti said would not rule out using all three this season.
However, he conceded that having a true starter was ideal.
The player representative that offensive tackle Fenuki Tupou said improperly gave him money and paid for a meal has denied the claims in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Tupou will return to the team this Saturday after serving a one-game suspension for receiving improper benefits from the representative of a professional sport management firm.
According to a release issued by Oregon athletics department, Tupou reportedly met with a representative of LMM Sports Management, based in Arizona, at a Eugene restaurant in July. The representative paid for the $10 meal, and also allegedly passed Tupou five $20 bills in a handshake.
The representative, Tim Norling, said that although he did meet with Tupou, it was in June, not July.
He said he did not intentionally pay for the player's meal, and certainly did not pass him $100.