PULLMAN — Reviewing game film didn't help Washington State coach Paul Wulff gain any new insight on Oregon State's 44-21 victory over the Cougars at CenturyLink Field on Saturday night.

The WSU defense had its chances but let them slip through its fingers.

The Beavers made all the plays they needed to make.

And Jeff Tuel wasn't available.

Whether the junior quarterback will be anytime soon is to be determined.

Tuel started, was 11 of 13 for 127 yards and had a hand in two touchdowns before taking a series of tremendous hits just before halftime. He didn't return, suffering from pain in his left clavicle, site of a fracture that cost him the first five games of the season.

"He's sore," Wulff said Sunday night. "We don't know exactly how it is, but we do know it's aggravated and it's sore. They have X-rayed it, nothing was (broken) on the X-ray at this point."

Tuel, who fractured the bone Sept. 3 and was cleared for contact Oct. 12, will consult with the medical staff and more tests will be taken, Wulff said. A final determination will have to wait for the test results.

But the season marches on, with No. 7 Oregon on tap in Eugene this Saturday. Fifth-year senior Marshall Lobbestael would be the starter in Tuel's absence.

"Maybe that's why Marshall got to play early, because he was going to be needed for this football team throughout the year," Wulff said. "I believe Marshall is mentally ready to go and we'll move forward with (him). He can do a lot of really good things."

Lobbestael took over for Tuel for the season's first five games, saw late action against Stanford and went into Saturday night having passed for 1,634 yards, with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions on a 65.4 completion percentage.

Facing extreme pressure from the Beavers in the second half, he was 10 of 20 for 105 yards with an interception.

None of that mattered, however, as the Beavers scored eight of the first nine times they had the ball.

Having lost three consecutive games, the Cougars (3-4 overall, 1-3 in Pac-12 play) are in danger of an eighth consecutive nonwinning season.

Losing to the Beavers, 1-5 coming in, didn't help.

"We've got to keep finding ways to grow," Wulff said when asked how his team could bounce back from such a tough defeat. "That's how it is, just taking the present moment, and trying to address what we need to do to take a step forward each week."