Injury May Send Beck To Sidelines

Junior nose tackle Wil Beck of the University of Idaho broke a bone in his hand during practice this week, leaving his status uncertain for Saturday’s game against Montana.

The injury also leaves Beck facing a tricky decision: Play and risk further damage that could end his season, or sit out for a short time to begin the healing process.

“If you set it for a week, it can calcify and then you can cast it, so there’s less of a chance for the fracture to displace,” coach Tom Cable said. “If (Beck plays and) it moves the wrong way, then it has to be fixed and he’d be out for the year.”

Cable said he’ll let Beck and his family determine if the Central Valley High grad plays this weekend.

Beck broke the same hand in his freshman year, but it was a different bone, Cable said. Despite the broken hand, Beck played on, finishing with 32 tackles and earning honorable mention All-Big West Conference honors. He was second-team All-Big West last season.

“You can’t tell a kid, one way or the other,” Cable said. “It’d be different if the doctor had said, `Hey, he shouldn’t play.”’

If Beck plays, he would wear club-like protective padding on his hand, Cable said.

“I suppose it’ll go down to a game-time decision unless he has some strong feelings,” Cable said. If Beck doesn’t play, he might be replaced by Brian Howard, a freshman from Kent, Wash., who played a couple of downs against Washington last week. Other candidates are Jason Hines, a 244-pound sophomore, and 260-pound redshirt freshman Matt Rutgers.

Hunter cleared

Wide receiver Eric Hunter is eligible to play after finally receiving proof of his two-year degree from East Los Angeles Junior College.

Hunter missed 11 practices waiting for the paperwork. The 6-foot-5 receiver could play against Montana, but “he’s got some work to do,” Cable said.

Injury update

Defensive tackle Mike Jones, who suffered a slight knee injury against Washington, will play Saturday.

Cornerback Dennis Gibbs (hamstring) is doubtful. His probable replacement is junior Duval Seamster.

Dan White, a freshman defensive lineman from Boise, was cleared to practice this week. He missed the Washington game while recovering from a concussion.