Countdown to Gem State showdown
U of O travels to Idaho for first time in 43 years

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 10:43 AM PDT

Associated Press FILE PHOTO Members of the University of Oregon defense swarm a Boise State University running back in this Associated Press file photo taken last year. The Broncos and Ducks will square off at 8 p.m. Thursday for the first of two college football games of the 2009 season.

PORTLAND (AP) — Oregon’s college football season opens Thursday against Boise State.

The teams have met just once before, with the Broncos topping the Ducks 37-32 at Autzen Stadium last season. Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli made his first career start in that game, but left early because of a concussion.

Oregon’s last visit to the Gem State was in 1966, when it beat the University of Idaho by three touchdowns.

Student tickets go quickly for Oregon-Boise State

BOISE (AP) — It didn’t take long for student tickets to Thursday’s Oregon-Boise State game to sell out.

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Students slept in line starting early Monday morning for tickets that went on sale at 10 a.m.

Boise State officials said the 5,000 student tickets were sold out in 80 minutes. Hundreds of students were turned away empty handed.

Each student with an ID was able to get one free ticket and buy one $32 guest ticket. Each student was allowed to collect tickets for a total of three student ID holders.

No. 14 Boise State takes on No. 16 Oregon in a game that’s expected to set an attendance record because Bronco Stadium recently added 1,500 bleacher seats.

Thursday’s game marks the first time a ranked opponent has visited Boise State during the regular season.

USC’s Wright to miss season after not making grade

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California cornerback Shareece Wright has been declared academically ineligible and will be forced to sit out the upcoming season.

Coach Pete Carroll made the announcement after practice Monday, saying on the school’s Web site, ‘‘Shareece didn’t get it done. He didn’t get the GPA he needed to get.’’

Wright was a projected starter for the No. 4 Trojans. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Josh Pinkard, a first-string cornerback last season who had been slotted as a starting safety this season. Pinkard’s move opens up a starting role for safety Will Harris.

Wright will be allowed to practice with the team this fall, but won’t be eligible to play in a game until next season. He is a redshirt junior who sat out last year with a neck injury.

Lopina to start at QB for WSU

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Kevin Lopina will start at quarterback for Washington State this Saturday in the season opener against Stanford. But Marshall Lobbestael will also take snaps, perhaps as early as the third series of the game.

The players have been locked in a battle for the starting job since fall camp began, and neither has built a strong enough case to lay full-time claim to the job, coach Paul Wulff said.

But someone has to take the first WSU snap of the game, and Wulff said after practice on Sunday that would be Lopina.

‘‘He’ll play at least a couple series and then we’ll rotate Marshall in there,’’ Wulff told The Spokesman-Review. ‘‘We’re going to give those guys an opportunity to prove it in a game and so you’ll see both guys get the opportunity to play.’’

Both players started games in last year’s 2-11 campaign, and both struggled with injuries.

Lopina, a junior, appeared in nine games, completing 56.9 percent of his passes for 841 yards with no touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Lopina, from Pleasanton, Calif., started his career at Kansas State as a redshirt, then had to sit out a season before becoming eligible last year.

Lobbestael, a sophomore, played in five games, completing 51.5 percent of his passes for 571 yards, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He is from Oak Harbor.

Both have played strong in fall camp, with Lopina looking a bit sharper. In the team’s first scrimmage, he completed all six of his pass attempts for 94 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Tatman. Lobbestael completed 4 of 7 passes for 32 yards.

In the final scrimmage on Friday, Lopina completed 9-of-11 for 123 yards, with a seven-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Gino Simone. Lobbestael completed 7-of-13 for 88 yards.

The Cougars open the season against Stanford on Saturday in Martin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game will be televised by FSN Northwest.

Top 25 Schedule

All Times EDT

(Subject to change)

Thursday, Sept. 3

No. 19 Utah vs. Utah State, 9 p.m.

No. 14 Boise State vs. No. 16 Oregon, 10:15 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 5

No. 1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern, 7 p.m.

No. 2 Texas vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 20 BYU at Arlington, Texas, 7 p.m.

No. 4 Southern Cal vs. San Jose State, 3:30 p.m.

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech at Atlanta, 8 p.m.

No. 6 Ohio State vs. Navy, Noon.

No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 13 Georgia, 3:30 p.m.

No. 9 Penn State vs. Akron, Noon.

No. 11 LSU at Washington, 10:30 p.m.

No. 12 California vs. Maryland, 10 p.m.

No. 15 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State, 1 p.m.

No. 21 North Carolina vs. The Citadel, 6 p.m.

No. 22 Iowa vs. Northern Iowa, 12:05 p.m.

No. 23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada, 3:30 p.m.

No. 24 Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m.

No. 25 Kansas vs. Northern Colorado, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 6

No. 8 Mississippi at Memphis, 3:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 7

No. 18 Florida State vs. Miami, 8 p.m.