SPOKANE — One reason freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel will be starting against No. 16 Oregon on Saturday is that he is more mobile than previous starter Marshall Lobbestael, who is still hobbled by injuries he suffered last season.

Washington State has suffered major injuries to its offensive line this season, and the patched together unit is not able to keep defenders off the quarterback.

Thus, Tuel’s mobility and feel for escape routes is a major plus.

“Jeff isn’t fazed by the rush,” coach Paul Wulff said of the true freshman, who a year ago was dodging defenders at a high school in Fresno, Calif. “He can find a way to get away and make a play with his feet.”

Lobbestael was taken out in the second quarter against Southern Cal last weekend in part because he was taking a pounding.

“It isn’t fair to Marshall,” Wulff said, adding that he wouldn’t want to see his own son in such a situation. “He is not fully recovered.”

While freshmen starting quarterbacks are a trend in the Pac-10 this season, Wulff noted that none of the others are as raw as Tuel, who didn’t show up on the Pullman campus until fall drills started in August. The other freshman starters either are redshirts or enrolled in school last winter and went through spring drills.

Washington State (1-3, 0-2 Pac-10) plays Oregon (3-1, 1-0) Saturday evening.

In a series that dates to 1901, WSU trails Oregon 38-41-7. The two teams are almost identical when playing in Eugene, with the Ducks holding a slight 17-16-4 advantage.

Tuel to Simone

True freshmen Tuel and receiver Gino Simone immediately made a strong connection. Simone, from Sammamish, caught eight passes for 83 yards against the Trojans. All those receptions came after Tuel entered the game midway through the second quarter. The eight receptions were the most by a Cougar since Brandon Gibson caught 10 passes for 103 yards against Oregon in 2008. Simone entered the game with four catches for 24 yards on the season.

Red alert

WSU leads the Pac-10 in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score just 58.8 percent of the time they enter. Opponents have entered WSU’s red zone 17 times, coming away with seven touchdowns (41.2 percent) and three field goals. The Cougars have created four turnovers inside their 20, the most by any conference school.

Tardy

The season-ending injury to running back James Montgomery cleared a path for Dwight Tardy to become the only player to lead WSU in rushing for four straight seasons. So far this season Tardy has rushed for 161 yards, an average of 40.2 yards per game, second to Montgomery’s 55.7 ypg. Tardy has 1,984 career rushing yards, moving past Tali Ena (1,888) into ninth place on WSU’s all-time list.

Injuries

The offensive line is missing guard/tackle Steven Ayers with an ankle sprain, guards Zack Williams, ankle sprain, and B.J. Guerra, knee, and guard-center Andrew Roxas, who is redshirting because of viral hepatitis. Defensive tackle starter Josh Luapo is out for the season with a knee injury. Defensive end Kevin Kooyman, out with a knee injury since Sept. 5, might be able to play.

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