Some quick news to pass along ahead of this weekend's Oregon-Washington matchup. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker, who has been hobbled by injuries all year, will not play against the No. 1 Oregon Ducks at Autzen this weekend. Locker has been favoring his ribs over the last three weeks and was diagnosed with a fractured rib this morning. The timetable for his return is unknown.
KJR's Curtis Crabtree tweeted the news this morning.
Steve Sarkisian said that Jake Locker will not play against Oregon this week due to his rib injuries. #Huskies
Curtis Crabtree
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The Seattle PI's Todd Dybas was more blunt and added details on the injury.
Locker will not play against Oregon b/c of rib fracture.
Todd Dybas
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We don't know how long Locker has had the injury or if it occurred in last weekend's loss to Stanford at Husky Stadium. Locker has been clearly favoring his ribs, wearing extra padding and a heavy flak jacket in the last few games. He's been taking plenty of shots from offenses teeing off on the Husky offensive line.
Without Locker, the Huskies will start redshirt freshman Keith Price. Price has only seen limited action with Locker firmly entrenched as the started over the last four years. True freshman Nick Montana will be the backup for the Huskies against Oregon.
We'll keep you updated on Locker's status as more becomes available.