WSU’s Tuel out this week, perhaps for season

PULLMAN – Quarterback Jeff Tuel’s will miss this week and his season may be over after suffering an acute compartment syndrome injury in his right calf last Saturday in Washington State’s loss to Oregon State. “With five weeks left in the year I wouldn’t expect this to cause him to miss the next five games, but it definitely could be this week and next week,” Washington State coach Paul Wulff said in his press conference Tuesday. “At this point his body needs to heal.” Tuel suffered a bruised calf early in the first half and also re-aggravated the area around his left clavicle fracture, an injury that sidelined him for more than a month earlier in the season. The calf bruise was treated on the way back from Seattle as well as during the day Sunday, when Tuel underwent a CAT scan on his clavicle. The clavicle is sore, but not fractured, director of athletic training Bill Drake said after practice Tuesday. Late Sunday night, Tuel felt pain in the calf and checked into Pullman Regional Hospital. The calf was drained of blood, no surgery was necessary and Tuel is expected to recover fully. Two years ago, running back James Montgomery suffered the same injury and it progressed to the point he needed surgery, losing a foot-long section of muscle. In Tuel’s absence, Marshall Lobbestael will make his seventh start of the season. The fifth-year senior is still sixth in the conference in passing efficiency and seventh in passing yards.