Cougars catch a break

PULLMAN -- The Oregon State Beavers are doing what they can to help Washington State's potent passing attack, and the Cougars might need all the help they can get if Jed Collins is on crutches instead of the field.

Three Oregon State defensive backs will sit out the first half Saturday at WSU after being ejected for fighting in the second half last week against Washington. The suspensions are mandatory in the NCAA.

Cougars coach Bill Doba said Monday that Collins might be idled because of a sprained left ankle suffered Saturday against Stanford. Collins leads Pac-10 tight ends and ranks fifth nationally with 52 catches.

"He probably won't practice until Thursday, if then," Doba said. "It's not a high ankle sprain, he just rolled it. We'll know more in a couple days."

The rugged, sure-handed Collins is a valuable target for Alex Brink, who is second in Pac-10 and ranks 10th nationally with 310.5 passing yards per game. Brink also relies heavily on Pac-10 receiving leader Brandon Gibson, who ranks eighth nationally with 100.9 receiving yards per game.

The pass-oriented Cougars (4-6, 2-5 Pac-10) figure to attack by air even more than usual. Oregon State (6-4, 4-3) must play one half without starting cornerback Brandon Hughes and reserves Bryan Payton and James Dockery, and the Beavers lead the nation with 62.1 rushing yards allowed per game.

"We've got a tough game," Doba said. "Oregon State is really a very physical team."

Oregon State coach Mike Riley said he expects starting quarterback Sean Canfield to miss a second consecutive game with a shoulder injury. Lyle Moevao passed for just 109 yards against Washington, but star tailback Yvenson Bernard ran for 149 yards.

"Canfield throws the ball really well," Doba said. "Obviously, we'd rather see the other guy."

The Beavers became bowl eligible with their sixth win Saturday. The eighth-place Cougars hope to do the same by closing the regular season with wins over fourth-place OSU and last-place Washington (3-7, 1-6).

EXTRA POINT: Brink is one of 10 finalists for the Awards and Recognition Association's annual sportsmanship award for football players at schools in the NCAA's former Division I-A and Division I-AA classes.

APPLE CUP

FSN announced Monday it will carry the Apple Cup. The 100th meeting between the Huskies and Cougars will be Nov. 24 at Husky Stadium. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.