Quiet Eve Of Full Pads For Beavers

It was a relatively uneventful day on and off the field for Oregon St. in day 4 of camp, on the eve of tomorrow afternoon's first session with full pads.

Safety Lance Mitchell, who took Wednesday off to rest his groin and hamstring, returned, but defensive lineman Michael Doctor sat out the day, suffering the effects of cramps from dehydration after Wednesday.

Also, WR Mitch Singler sat out with back spasms, and CB Ryan Handford couldn't see well enough to practice after having his eyes dilated for an exam.

DT Castro Masaniai had a session in the judge's chambers at the Benton County Courthouse this morning, and the legal decision has been made. But for some reason the plea and sentencing won't be announced until tomorrow morning, in court, meaning it will be another day before coach Mike Riley announces his decision on Masaniai's status as well.

There was also no word on the severity of the injury to freshman CB Larry Scott, as the MRI on his injured knee expected last night or this morning was not done.

There was a bit of good news, as Riley learned that WR Micah Hatfield's broken thumb is not as bad as was feared, and will not require surgery. Hatfield is now expected to miss only four weeks, and not the minimum of at least six as originally feared. That means Hatfield will return to full capacity right around the time of the Wisconsin game, which probably really means the bye week will be when he is back running drills instead of just working on conditioning.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com