Senior Kevin Lopina will start at quarterback when Washington State plays No. 20 Oregon State on Saturday.
Coach Paul Wulff also said Thursday that starting linebacker Jason Stripling will be suspended indefinitely after his arrest in Pullman for suspicion of assault last Sunday. Wulff had earlier announced that Stripling would sit out only the first quarter of the OSU game.
Lopina was the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season, but was injured in the second game. He did not return to action until last weekend’s game against UCLA, when he entered in the second quarter in relief of Marshall Lobbestael and led the Cougars to their only touchdown.
Lobbestael had thrown interceptions to end WSU’s first three possessions.
During his period of inactivity, Lopina stayed sharp by volunteering to quarterback the WSU scout team, which mimics the play of upcoming opponents.
On Saturday, the Cougars will also be without the services of defensive tackle Toby Turpin, who has been suspended for the final two games for violating team rules. The junior had started six games this season and had 28 tackles with two sacks. The team did not specify which rules Turpin had violated.
The Cougars were already thin at defensive line after Dan Spitz suffered a concussion against UCLA and Jesse Feagin has missed the past three games with a broken hand. Feagin might be able to play.
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