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Carpenter will play despite sprained thumb
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ASU\'s Shaun Lauvao cannot push California\'s Matthew Malele off of ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter during a sack in the first quarter of game action at Sun Devil Stadium Saturday night.
Jennifer Grimes, Tribune
Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter gave the Sun Devil faithful something to worry about Monday when he addressed the media at his weekly news conference wearing a black brace on his sprained right thumb.
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ASU coach Dennis Erickson said he expected Carpenter to be able to play Saturday against Oregon but wasn’t sure how much Carpenter would be able to throw this week in practice.
Carpenter later said there’s some question as to how much the thumb will limit him this week.
The injury occurred on a botched handoff between Carpenter and tailback Keegan Herring in the win over California. X-rays were taken and the injury was diagnosed as a sprained thumb.
With 1,949 passing yards and the nation’s 10th-best passing efficiency at 155.62, Carpenter was named one of 15 semifinalists for the 2007 Davey O’Brien Award given to the nation’s top quarterback.
The field will be narrowed to three finalists with the winner being announced on Dec. 6 during the “College Football Awards Show” on ESPN.
OREGON WEAPONS
In Eugene, Ore., on Saturday, the Sun Devils have a date with two of the conference’s most explosive players.
“(Oregon) has two players in (quarterback) Dennis Dixon and (running back) Jonathan Stewart that need to be looked at as Heisman hopefuls if they continue to win,” Erickson said.
The duo leads a high-powered Ducks offense that has amassed double the amount of points their opponents have scored.
Erickson said Dixon and Stewart have a bigger impact on a team than any he has seen in a long time, especially when they run options.
Dixon joins Carpenter as an O’Brien Award semifinalist and is ranked 14th in the nation in total offense. Stewart became the Pac-10’s first 1,000-yard rusher this season in the Ducks’ 24-17 victory over USC last weekend when he ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
“(Stewart’s) as good a running back as there is in college football,” Erickson said.
“You’d better make sure he’s got your attention.”
NATIONAL COVERAGE
The Sun Devils’ Nov. 10 game at UCLA has been picked up by ABC and will be televised in the Valley at 1:30 p.m. by Ch. 15.
This Saturday’s game between ASU and Oregon will be televised nationally on ESPN and both in the Valley and in Oregon on Fox Sports Net.
ESPN will also distribute to markets not covered by FSN and will produce “ESPN College GameDay” from Eugene.
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