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Say one thing about the Arizona football team: Despite being mired near the bottom of the Pac-10 with a 2-5 record, the Wildcats might lead the league in health.

The Grim Reaper of Sprained Ankles and Torn Knees has rarely tapped the UA on the back this season. That cannot be said for the top five teams in the conference, all of which are suffering through major injuries this week.

With the season more than halfway over, and with the USC monolith no lock to win the Pac-10, here is a look at the five most important body parts:

1. Pat Cowan's right knee.

The UCLA backup QB suffered a partially torn ligament and did not practice until Tuesday. With starter Ben Olson out with a left knee injury, Cowan is the Bruins' last line before dipping into a pool of quarterbacks that includes a recruited walk-on (McLeod Bethel-Thompson), a wide receiver (Osaar Rasshan) and a freshman the team hopes to redshirt (Chris Forcier).

UCLA coach Karl Dorrell spent last week analyzing the Gang of Three, but said Cowan should start Saturday.

"He was capable of practicing last week, but we wanted to rest him and give him more time to strengthen his leg," Dorrell said. "In the meantime this past bye week, we utilized all these other guys."

2. John David Booty's right middle finger.

The USC quarterback suffered a break against Stanford, forcing the Trojans to give Mark Sanchez his first college start Saturday against the Wildcats.

Booty practiced Tuesday, and coach Pete Carroll said he is improving. Booty tried to cushion his finger by throwing with a receivers' glove Tuesday.

"It's looking a little bit better every day," Carroll said.

The Trojans' injury woes are becoming biblical. Linebacker Rey Maualuga likely will not play against Notre Dame on Saturday. He injured his hip against the UA. And center Matt Spanos' finger injuries seem to be worse than initially reported.

"He actually got stepped on in the Stanford game," Carroll said, "and almost lost his finger."

3. Nate Longshore's right ankle.

The Cal quarterback sprained it Sept. 29 against Oregon and did not play Saturday, despite having a bye week to rest. He practiced Tuesday.

In his place, freshman Kevin Riley completed 20 of 34 passes but committed a major gaffe, scrambling in the final seconds and letting the clock run out. Had he thrown it away, Cal would have lined up for a game-tying field goal against Oregon State.

"He's doing fine," coach Jeff Tedford said of Riley. "He understands he got caught in a situation that we wish he had done differently. … You live and learn."

4. Ryan Torain's left foot.

The ASU back was injured with about 10 minutes left in the first half Saturday and diagnosed with a severe foot sprain.

But coach Dennis Erickson said Tuesday he was slated to have an MRI late Tuesday. Results should be known today.

The Sun Devils have Saturday off.

Despite missing what amounts to a game-and-a-half this season, the bruising running back is fifth in the conference with 553 rushing yards.

5. Cameron Colvin's right ankle and Jeremiah Johnson's right knee.

The injuries to two of Oregon's weapons is not really a question mark, but what the team will do now is.

Colvin, a wide receiver, broke his ankle, effectively ending his college career. Johnson, a running back, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He is done for the year.

The losses are huge blows to the Ducks, who earlier lost wide receiver Brian Paysinger for the season.

Coach Mike Bellotti called sophomore Andre Crenshaw "the heir apparent" to Johnson, who had served as a hybrid between a running back and wide receiver.

"He's not as explosive as Jeremiah," Bellotti said. "But he's probably the best back we have in terms of reading cut-back and reading blocking schemes."

● The UA football team took it easy at practice for the second straight day. The Wildcats worked out in shoulder pads, helmets and shorts, and mostly avoided full contact.

UA coach Mike Stoops said he hopes the light schedule will keep his players fresh through a long season. The UA does not have a bye until after Week 10 game against UCLA.