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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cougars’ Derting injured

PULLMAN — Middle linebacker Will Derting, a preseason All-American on many lists, suffered a dislocated left wrist during Sunday’s scrimmage and will miss at least two weeks.

“A little bone came loose, and they had to push it back in,” head coach Bill Doba said following the Cougars’ practice on Monday morning.

Washington State announced Monday night that Derting will wear a cast for two weeks, then be re-evaluated. Derting underwent X-rays and a CAT scan Monday, but hasn’t yet been fitted for the cast because of swelling. Trainer Bill Drake said the cast could go on as soon as today.

His injury comes one day after a long list of others sustained injuries during Saturday’s practice. But Derting, the lone returning starter in the Cougars’ front seven, is the player Doba identified first when asked whom he could least afford to lose this year.

A wrist dislocation requires surgery in many instances, and the recovery can take months. But Derting has opted to pass on an operation for now, probably delaying the surgery until after the season’s conclusion. According to Doba, Derting intends to play even if the next two weeks provide little relief. (In that case, doctors would likely apply another cast in which the junior could play.)

Derting’s injury in a way is a result of the changes necessitated by the new personnel in the linebacking corps this year. Derting moved from the outside to the middle this season, and the Cougars are both thin and inexperienced at linebacker in general. As a result, they have been giving their starters more reps than an older group would see.

“We’re a young football team, so we have no choice but to go ahead and hit them,” linebacker coach Leon Burtnett said. “If we were a veteran team like we were the year before, it probably wouldn’t be nearly as big a problem because the guys had to play.

“Maybe they wouldn’t need as much time scrimmaging. … Even Will, because he’s changed positions to the middle. If Will had been playing the same position, Will probably wouldn’t even have been in there when that happened to him.”

As it currently stands, Derting will have sophomore Scott Davis on one side and senior Pat Bennett on the other.

But Bennett remains in a tangle with another sophomore, Steve Dildine, for playing time. Other than those four, Brian Hall is the only Cougars linebacker expected to see the field.

But still, there’s no doubt that Derting is the one who makes this group go.

“He’s more the guy who can clean up a lot of stuff,” Bennett said. “Having him in the middle really helps. He’s that playmaker and we’re just not up to that level that he is. We do our best.”

Notes

Safety Hamza Abdullah, Derting’s co-captain on defense, received bad news when ligament damage was found in his left thumb. He was scheduled to have surgery Monday night. While the injury could cause him to miss up to 6-8 weeks, Abdullah is expected to play with a cast so he can rejoin the lineup sooner. “We’ll know better after the stitches are out,” Doba said, “but they’ll probably just club it and he’ll play. (Former cornerback Marcus) Trufant had a banner year with one hand. It’ll be the same thing.” Sophomore Eric Frampton, coming off of offseason shoulder surgery, is his primary backup.

Defensive tackle Steve Cook, held out for two days after suffering an apparent stinger, should return to practice today, but will be monitored closely. … Running back Jerome Harrison and offensive lineman Andy Roof, newcomers late to camp because of paperwork, missed the morning practice but then took the field in pads for the first time in the evening session. They were permitted to participate in only one session because of NCAA rules mandating five days of practice without a two-a-day.