Beavers lose Rodgers for season

Oregon State coach Mike Riley says there's no way to minimize what the loss of senior flanker James Rodgers means to the 24th-ranked Beavers.

"It's too shallow to say it's part of football," Riley said Tuesday. "He's the heart and soul of the team."

Rodgers, a team captain, will need surgery to repair his injured left knee and miss the rest of the season. The surgery will be scheduled in about two weeks after the swelling goes down.

On Tuesday, Riley said that the loss was just starting to sink in for the team. He had already asked Rodgers to look at film and help with the plan for Oregon State's game Saturday at Washington.

"I don't want to gloss over it and say, 'We can do this,' because this loss of James Rodgers is a terrible thing. Not only because of his production, but because of who he is, and simply how much fun it is to have him out there working every day," Riley said. "He's probably one of, if not the most, conscientious players I've been around in 35 years of football. That's why I know that he'll rehab better than anyone in history, and he will be back out there playing, and he'll do well again."

Known to some as J-Rod, Rodgers was hurt in the second quarter of Oregon State's 29-27 victory over Arizona when he was taken down by Wildcat safety Adam Hall. The exact nature of the injury was not released by the Beavers.

"He's good," younger brother Jacquizz Rodgers said. "He's at home right now just chillin' and trying to stay positive."

James Rodgers, who seems to do a little bit of everything, first grabbed attention last season as part of Oregon State's gimmicky yet effective fly sweep. Before his injury, he had the second-most career all-purpose yards among active players this season with 5,784.

James Rodgers ranked sixth in the nation with an average of 176.75 all-purpose yards this season. He was averaging 18.33 yards on punt returns and 28.67 yards on kickoff returns.

Overall, he had 16 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns as well as 38 yards rushing. He returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown against Boise State.

"James Rodgers had a ton of roles on this team, so the trickle-down effect hurts depth in a lot of spots," Riley said. "You've got a first-line receiver and basically one of our top runners, and then you talk about our No. 1 kickoff returner and our No. 1 punt returner."

The Beavers popped back into the AP's Top 25 this week after their victory over the previously undefeated Wildcats. Oregon State (3-2, 2-0 Pac-10) had a rocky start with a tough schedule, but has won its last two games - including the upset of then-No. 9 Arizona.

The Beavers will have to turn to receivers Markus Wheaton, Jordan Bishop and Aaron Nichols in James Rodgers' absence. Wheaton caught seven passes for 113 yards against the Wildcats, including an 48-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Katz.

According to Oregon State, James Rodgers is eligible for a medical hardship year because he has played just four games this season. He also missed the Beavers' Oct. 2 game against Arizona State with a concussion.

James Rodgers, who never took a redshirt year, would have to enroll in additional classes at Oregon State or enroll in graduate school to play.

Jacquizz Rodgers said he believes his brother will decide to return.

"The worst part, he told me, is people feeling sorry for him," Quizz said. "You can't do nothing about it. You've just got to move on from there."

James Rodgers took to Twitter on Sunday night, after an MRI but before the announcement that he was done.

He quoted Martin Luther King Jr.: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."