THROWN FOR A LOSS

The words are basically the same, only the scenery and faces change.

A week ago, it was Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti telling tall tales in the Northwest, brushing aside concerns about quarterback Dennis Dixon’s knee.

“Dennis is going to be fine,” Bellotti said even as tests were being conducted that would show Dixon was anything but fine after suffering a torn knee ligament against Arizona State on Nov. 3.

This week, there’s a desert wind blowing from Arizona State.

Sun Devils’ Coach Dennis Erickson, asked about the injured thumb on quarterback Rudy Carpenter’s throwing hand, said, “He’s fine.”

But although Carpenter has practiced this week, his condition won’t be confirmed until the Sun Devils play host to USC on Thursday.

The power of positive thinking is being severely tested by coaches in the Pacific 10 Conference, where injuries to quarterbacks have caused detours on the road to the Rose Bowl and put up roadblocks to the national title game.

“Man, I don’t think I have ever seen a [conference race] affected by so many injuries to quarterbacks,” Oregon State Coach Mike Riley said. “The injury factor at that position is so big and how you handle that is a major factor in how your team does. It has been an unusual year.”

Just follow the bouncing X-ray to see how unusual.

Oregon will take the field against UCLA on Saturday without Dixon, making the Ducks the seventh Pac-10 team to play at least one game without its starting quarterback. Of course, you can ratchet that number up a notch if Carpenter can’t go against the Trojans on Thursday.

Oregon was ranked No. 2 and had national title hopes before Dixon’s left knee buckled and he tumbled to the turf untouched against Arizona on Thursday. He’d been injured in the Ducks’ previous game, nearly two weeks earlier, but was hopeful of getting by using a knee brace. When he fell, Oregon’s Rose Bowl hopes also took a dive, putting Arizona State in the conference driver’s seat.

How long the Sun Devils can hold that position, though, depends heavily on how well Carpenter can grip a football.

“The problem is, if you lose your No. 1 guy, your whole offensive philosophy is not prepared for the drop off,” said Steve Clarkson, a private quarterbacks coach who has tutored several top college and professional players.

“Quarterback is such a difficult position to fill that it’s an oddity to find more than one guy who possess the same skills, especially when you have someone special like a Dixon. You end up with a guy 180 degrees different.”

For example, Clarkson added, “It’s hard to duplicate what a Tim Tebow does [for Florida].”

That has been proven across the country as conference races, national title aspirations and even Heisman Trophy dreams have been altered.

Dixon was a Heisman candidate, and so was Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, who because of a concussion sat out most of the team’s 28-26 victory over lowly Nevada on Friday. The win was a nail-biter that didn’t help Hawaii’s efforts to move up the Bowl Championship Series standings.

A concussion also sidelined Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford during a loss to Texas Tech on Saturday that removed the Sooners from national-title talk.

Long before, a thigh bruise had knocked West Virginia’s Pat White out of the South Florida game, the Mountaineers’ only loss this season. Also, Chad Henne’s shoulder problems were a root cause for Michigan’s meandering season and Florida struggled while Tebow nursed a sore shoulder.

“You notice throughout the country, when a quarterback goes down and you don’t have a lot depth or a lot of experience in your depth, those injuries have a greater affect than at [other positions],” California Coach Jeff Tedford said.

In the Pac-10, long a quarterback-driven conference, those injuries have done damage.

Tedford’s Cal team was sailing along after beating Oregon Sept. 29. But quarterback Nate Longshore suffered a sprained ankle in that game and sat out the next game, on Oct. 13, when his team was a victory away from being No. 1 in the nation.

That victory never came. The Golden Bears lost to Oregon State when the clock ran out after backup quarterback Kevin Riley chose to scramble instead of ditching the ball to allow for what might have been a score-tying field goal.

USC, preseason favorites to win the national title, has lost twice in conference play -- against Stanford, when starter John David Booty played with a broken finger; and against Oregon, when a late rally faltered because backup Mark Sanchez had a pass intercepted.

UCLA opened 4-0 in conference play, then lost not only starter Ben Olson but also backup Patrick Cowan in falling to 4-3.

“Teams don’t develop backups,” Clarkson said. “As a coach I’d never practice a backup, figuring we’d lose anyway if had to play a backup.”

Said USC Coach Pete Carroll: “You have limited reps and you have to get your starter ready. We never had played a backup quarterback in seven years we’ve been here and now we’ve had to go through that.”

Indeed, when starter Booty suffered a broken finger on his throwing hand against Stanford, Carroll resisted using Sanchez, the backup, a move the coach admits cost the Trojans. Booty had four passes intercepted in the second half.

“It was not the right decision to stay with him,” Carroll said. “He didn’t want to come out. The doctors felt he could play. My experience with the Patriots worked against me. [Quarterback] Drew Bledsoe had a similar deal with a cracked bone. He finished and was the hero.”

Instead, Stanford’s backup was the hero. Tavita Pritchard, thrust into a starting role because T.C. Ostrander had suffered a seizure earlier in the week, threw a late touchdown pass that helped the Cardinal beat the then-No. 2 Trojans.

Pritchard’s success in his first start -- his performance was solid though not spectacular, but at least he won -- was an exception to the norm.

“There’s a learning curve you have to live through when you start a new guy,” Carroll said. “It takes time to get comfortable with the players around you and the tempo. It’s an unbelievable challenge.”

The challenge is more difficult as offensive philosophies shift. With more teams going to spread-formation-like offenses, the demand for mobile quarterbacks is on the rise. Having one with the necessary skills can be a blessing. However, finding two such players seems nearly impossible.

Oregon, for example, looks different with Brady Leaf at quarterback than with Dixon, who was as much of a threat running the ball as he was throwing.

The consequence of losing a No. 1 quarterback “depends on the quarterback,” Oregon’s Bellotti said. “Dennis was performing better than any other quarterback in the nation.”

Said Clarkson: “Oregon was on a roll and should have been in position to compete for the national title. Then Dennis goes down and now they almost have to make up an offense as they go.”

Arizona State players hope to avoid that fate. Carpenter injured his thumb on a handoff against California on Oct. 27. He re-injured it against UCLA when he hit his hand on a helmet.

Since then, the rumor mill has ranged from Carpenter having a broken thumb to a severe hangnail.

“The swelling went down and he practiced yesterday and will practice today,” Erickson said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. “He’ll be ready to go.”

So was Dixon last week -- for one quarter.

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chris.foster@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Out of commission

Pac-10 starting quarterbacks who have been injured and number of games they’ve missed:

Ben Olson, UCLA (concussion, knee; 5 games): Some day Olson might play an entire season. Some day.

Nate Longshore, California (ankle; 1 game): Longshore, like Bears’ season, can only limp along.

John David Booty, USC (finger; 3 games): First starting QB to be sidelined during Pete Carroll era.

T.C. Ostrander, Stanford (seizure; 4 games): Sat out greatest upset of all time, probably doesn’t mind.

Sean Canfield, Oregon State (shoulder; 1 game): Canfield sits last week and Oregon State wins.

Jake Locker, Washington (neck; 1 game): Huskies not taking any chances with freshman phenom.

Dennis Dixon, Oregon (knee; season over): Has anyone ever limped to podium for Heisman?

-- Chris Foster