Palmer Hurting, but Says He Will Play

Carson Palmer practiced sparingly Tuesday, bothered by a shoulder he bruised in the Arizona game.

The sophomore quarterback suffered the injury while being sacked in the second quarter. The shoulder felt a little weak during the game, he said, and has since worsened.

“It’s just been sore,” he said “It’s been tough to throw.”

Palmer tested his arm early in practice, then stuck to short passes and handoffs the rest of the day. Reserve quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst took most of the snaps.

“He’s all right,” Coach Paul Hackett said of Palmer. “We just took it nice and slow.”

Palmer concurred, saying he expected to practice today. “It’s not that big a deal,” he said.

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Assessing the other injured Trojans, Hackett was most concerned about center Eric Denmon, who sprained an ankle against Arizona, and defensive lineman Bobby DeMars, who injured his knee in practice.

Safety Ifeanyi Ohalete (ankle), cornerback Kris Richard (knee) and receiver Kareem Kelly (thigh) missed practice but Hackett was hopeful they will play against Oregon on Saturday.

Tight end Antoine Harris (neck) returned to practice Tuesday.