[Quack Attack]

Tuesday at Oregon State ... Riley says Catchings' injury "a blow, no doubt about it''



Posted by Paul Buker, The Oregonian August 18, 2009 12:38PM

Categories: Football

TUESDAY, Valley Center ... we sat down and totaled up the no. of OSU players either hurt, out, or sick as Week 2 of camp hits its second day, and the number is a staggering 20 - and 12 of those players are on the pre-camp two-deep. "My goal was to get these guys healthy into the first game (Sept. 5 vs. Portland State) and I'm failing,'' said Beavers' coach Mike Riley, before Tuesday's workout.

We spoke briefly with junior WR Darrell Catchings, who learned Monday that he was out for the year with a broken bone in his hand/wrist. .. Catchings said the operation will be Wednesday. "I'm a little nervous, but I think it will be alright,'' he said. And the reaction when medical personnel told him he couldn't play this year? "It was tough. It was emotional. But there's not much I can do about it. It's football.
''
Catchings said he thinks it was the scaphoid bone that suffered the break.
There was no discussion of Catchings playing with a cast, seeing as how his position is WR and he sort of needs his hands.

Riley said "it's a blow, there's no doubt about it...'' Riley also said, "here's the silver lining. He's got a redshirt year. .. I was talking with Darrell and telling him, 'maybe if we get in a bowl game you can play' and then I thought, 'wait a minute, you haven't redshirted!' "

Catchings, who has accepted this cruel blow in amazing fashion, said that fact made him feel a little better. "That kind of turned stuff around for me,'' he said. "I'm gonna work on re-habbing it and getting it better and being ready for next year.'' And yes, Catchings said he is prepared to become true freshman WR Markus Wheaton's best friend. "Gonna tutor him, and get him ready,'' said Catchings.

Riley pointed out, talking about his WR depth, that young Wheaton is not being handed the No. 1 spot at 'X' receiver, rather being given a golden opportunity to try and win it. ... Riley said more experienced players such as Damola Adeniji and Geno Munoz are also going to be big factors.