Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
First, Oregon fans, knock on wood.
With Justin Roper returning to practice Monday, Oregon, though not exactly chipper after losing 44-10 at USC over the weekend, is getting healthier at quarterback.
During the upset loss to Boise State, the Ducks were down to their No. 5 quarterback.
Roper, who started the season as No. 2 on the depth chart, partially tore the MCL in his left knee at Purdue on Sept. 13, and then got sick (it turns out it wasn't mono). He's lost some weight but he's back, running the No. 2 offense as of now, and ready to compete with Jeremiah Masoli for the starting job, starting Saturday against UCLA.
Here's what Roper had to say after practice.
The Ducks, however, still aren't completely healthy -- running back LeGarrette Blount (hip), cornerback Walter Thurmond (groin), offensive tackle Fenuki Tupou (knee) and linebacker Spencer Paysinger (hamstring) sat out practice.
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Ted Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
