Even when a team wins, there is always a bit of a downside to a hard hitting game like Saturday night's, and it comes with the trainer's report. Fortunately, the news might not be too bad for Oregon St. on the injury front.

Outside linebacker Keith Pankey sprained his ankle, and though coach Mike Riley said he doesn't know the severity yet, or what Pankey's status will be for Stanford, at least Pankey hasn't been ruled out for the year, a possibility feared when he had to be helped off the field, when Pankey couldn't put any weight on his foot.

Left tackle Michael Philipp also sprained his ankle.

"They will do X-rays, and we probably won't know until Tuesday,'' Riley said.

Riley was also concerned about quarterback Ryan Katz, who took a shot to the helmet in the game, but explained that trainer Barney Graff came to him right away and said Katz was alright.

Riley said that fullback Will Darkins and middle linebacker Tony Wilson, who both had to leave the game after hits to the head, should both be back for Stanford. One of the bright spots on a bright night was the performance of Clayton York as a blocker, as the sophomore from Redmond saw the most minutes of his career, taking over from Darkins early in the game.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com