Thumb injury slows Carpenter

Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter was unable to throw in practice because of swelling in his sprained right thumb.

But Coach Dennis Erickson said Carpenter is almost certain to play Saturday when the sixth-ranked Sun Devils visit No. 4 Oregon.

Carpenter took snaps and handed off but didn’t throw Tuesday, his first practice since he sprained the thumb handing off to tailback Keegan Herring in a 31-20 victory over California last Saturday.

“He couldn’t throw,” Erickson said. “His thumb swelled up. It bothers him a little bit.”

Erickson reacted with disbelief when asked if there was any chance Carpenter would sit out against the Ducks.

“He’ll play,” Erickson said. “I would be shocked if he didn’t come out throwing by Thursday, but I’m not a doctor.”

Florida State backup quarterback Xavier Lee apologized for violating the team’s class attendance rules and receiving a two-game suspension.

“I made a mistake not holding up my responsibilities as far as going to classes like I should have,” Lee said. “I want to apologize to my teammates and coaches and let them know I plan on doing whatever it takes to make this situation right.”

Tulane sent video to Conference USA as part of a formal complaint after officials declined to stop the clock on a late-game reception along the sidelines in the Green Wave’s 28-27 loss to Memphis last Saturday. Coach Bob Toledo said Green Wave tight end Gabe Ratcliff clearly was able to get out of bounds after making a first-down catch at midfield with 17 seconds to go.

“We see very clearly in our video he catches the ball; he’s going out of bounds,” Toledo said.

Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, who has a sprained left ankle and a sprained tendon behind his left knee, practiced, but his status for the Hurricanes’ game Saturday against North Carolina State remains unclear. . . . Kentucky safety Marcus McClinton will miss the final three games of the regular season because of a fractured shoulder blade.