Pinegar injured; Grady to start

By Eddie Hughes

For the second straight season, the Fresno State football team has lost its starting quarterback to injury.

Sophomore Paul Pinegar, the incumbent starter, will not start at Tennessee Saturday, a media relations official confirmed. Starting in Pinegar’s place will be senior Jeff Grady.

Pinegar injured his right pectoral muscle during fall camp about one-and-a-half weeks ago. According to the media relations official, coaches originally expected Pinegar to be healthy enough to play in the season opener. The official also confirmed that Grady will start against the Volunteers.

In the Bulldogs’ second and third scrimmages of fall camp, Grady took the majority of snaps with the first-team offense while Pinegar was on the sideline wearing a headset.

Last season, the roles of the two quarterbacks were reversed. Grady was the incoming starter as the replacement to former No. 1 NFL draft pick David Carr.

In the 2002 season opener at Wisconsin, Grady injured his hip and missed the next two games before returning against Oregon State Sept. 21. Grady sustained another hip injury in that game and lost the starting spot to Pinegar.

Pinegar won Western Athletic Conference Fresh-man of the Year honors last season, passing for 2,929 yards and 20 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

Grady completed 36 passes for 453 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions last season.

He’ll have the help of a wide receiver corps that boasts an All-American in senior Bernard Berrian and All-WAC senior Marque Davis.

Kickoff time for Saturday’s opener at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. is noon PST. The game will be televised on ESPN2.