Washington quarterback Keith Price may not be ready for Saturday’s game against Oregon State (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) after an injury to his throwing shoulder sidelined him for the second half of last week’s 41-31 loss to UCLA.
UW coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that Price won’t test his range of motion until practice Thursday after MRI tests taken Saturday discovered inflammation, but no structural problem.
“He’s going to have to show me Thursday that he’s able to make the throws that he’s capable of making,” Sarkisian said. “We’re going to allow that shoulder some time to get some of the inflammation out of there, so that he feels good on Thursday to go out and throw. And if he’s capable of doing that, we’ll play him.”
Per Sarkisian, Price was feeling better Monday than since Saturday and some of the swelling had subsided. However, the redshirt senior’s timetable for a return is still unknown.
“I’m not going to put him on the field if he’s not healthy enough to play,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian said Price told him the injury occurred when he took a pair of big hits during the final two plays of the first half, though he wasn’t sure which forced him out of the game. Redshirt freshman backup Cyler Miles played his first meaningful action as a Husky in the second half, going 15 of 22 for 149 yards, two touchdowns and two fourth-quarter interceptions.
In 2013, Price has 2,662 passing yards, a 64.8 completion percentage (201 of 310), 19 passing touchdowns and four interceptions. Miles will make his first career start against the Beavers if Price can’t play.
Hatchie questionable, too
Left tackle Micah Hatchie was forced to leave the UCLA loss with a leg injury and may not play this week.
Said Sarkisian of the junior:
“He’s still pretty sore. He got leg-whipped there in his lower leg in a goal-line scenario. I think it was the play before Austin (Seferian-Jenkins) caught his touchdown pass. Micah had been playing really good football for us. He had been playing really good for the last month-and-a-half of the season.
“Hopefully we get him back sooner rather than later.”