Oregon’s Droughns Out for Season

USC will face a hurting Oregon team Saturday in Eugene.

The Ducks not only lost to UCLA in overtime Saturday, they found out Sunday they have lost star tailback Reuben Droughns for the season.

Droughns broke a bone in his right ankle--officially a fractured lower fibula--and suffered ligament damage when he was hurt during the UCLA game and will require surgery.

A junior from Anaheim High, Droughns had been leading the Pacific 10 Conference in rushing and had three 200-yard games this season. He had 172 yards against the Bruins but lost three fumbles--including one late in the 41-38 loss.

With freshman backup Herman Ho-Ching from Long Beach Poly out until November because of a strained knee ligament and another tailback, Kevin Parker, out after spraining his ankle against UCLA, the Ducks will turn to junior Derien Latimer.

Among the other options is Jerry Brown, a relative of USC’s 1979 Heisman Trophy winner Charles White. A junior, Brown hasn’t played since 1996 because of injuries but is ready to return.

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Add another possibility to theories on why USC quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst became ill in the first half Saturday, turning the rest of the game over to freshman Carson Palmer: Van Raaphorst received a flu shot earlier in the week and wasn’t the only player who did who was ill, a USC spokesman said.

Van Raaphorst also took a hit in the Washington State game that seemed to contribute to his nausea during USC’s 42-14 victory.

Coach Paul Hackett wants to believe there is some other explanation than chronic nerves for Van Raaphorst’s condition on game days.

Van Raaphorst has been ill for three out of seven games.

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USC’s charter from Spokane landed in Los Angeles at 5 a.m. Sunday morning, and the team postponed its usual early afternoon meetings until later in the day.