EL PASO, Texas -- Oregon State's top two offensive players -- the Rodgers brothers -- are out for the Sun Bowl against Pitt because of shoulder injuries earlier this week, so the Beavers were looking for something to pick up their spirits.

That lift came yesterday when they were told that backup tailback Jeremy Francis would be returning to the team and suiting up to play Wednesday against the Panthers at Sun Bowl Stadium.

Francis joined the team yesterday and practiced with them for the first time since the regular season.

And that isn't just because Francis will be filling an important role given that the Beavers' depth at tailback has thinned with the news that starter, Jacquizz Rodgers, has been scratched from the game.

It is because Francis' reason for leaving the team after their previous game was that he wanted -- actually needed -- to take care of his mother, Marilyn Scott, who had open-heart surgery and wasn't able to take care of herself.

"When coach [Mike] Riley told the team that [Francis] was coming back, there were cheers," said Ryan McCants, who will start at tailback in the Sun Bowl and will split carries with Francis.

"Knowing what he has gone through, the sacrifices he's made, it is special for all of us to have him here. We are all pulling for him; it is like something for us to rally around him. He is one of us; he's our friend, and we want to be here and support him like he would support any us."

Francis, a 5-foot-11, 218-pound junior from Winter Park, Fla., said the decision to leave school was an easy one -- he knew his mother needed him to be there and it was the right thing to do.

The decision to come back wasn't so easy because he wasn't certain she was well enough to be without him for a week.

"When I left, I felt like I wouldn't be coming back," Francis said, with tears running down his cheeks as he talked about his mother's condition. "But, when Coach called me and asked me if I could come and play because the team needed me, I thought about it and talked to my mom, and she told me to go.

"She said I'd regret it if I didn't come back and play this game, and she's probably right.

"But I needed to be there to help because it is just my little brother at the house and so I'm kind of the man of the house, and, if I wasn't there, she wouldn't really have anyone to take care of her.'

Francis said that he will return home after the Sun Bowl and then take the winter semester (Oregon State's academic calendar is in trimesters) off before returning to school in March and preparing for his senior season.

He said his mother is slowly recovering and that he is going to check in with her every night while he is in El Paso. He's hopeful that she'll make a full recovery so he can return to school and not feel guilty about leaving her nearly alone in Florida.

Beyond the inspiration Francis has given the Beavers, his role in the offense is obviously going to be important.

Rodgers missed the final game of the regular season with a shoulder injury but coaches were hopeful he would be able to play.

His older brother, James, is one of the team's top receivers, but he was lost for the Sun Bowl when his shoulder was separated in the Beavers' season finale against Oregon.

Together, the two combined for 84 percent of the team's rushing yards (148 yards per game), 50.1 percent of the team's total offense (222 yards per game) and 289 all-purpose yards per game (James also returned kicks).

They also combined for 22 of the team's 50 touchdowns -- a fact that Riley can't stress enough when he talks about the impact of losing them.

But Riley also said the Beavers will find a way like they always seem to when they lose a few players to injury, and he said that Francis will be a big part of the solution to his problem.

"Jeremy showed up and practiced very well, he looked very fresh and he really did what we needed him to do," Riley said. "That really solidifies our backup [tailback] situation because we were really struggling there, and Jeremy is also very good on third down, so it is really nice to have him back here.

"That's like 400 yards of all-purpose yards were losing, but it is exciting and a great opportunity for some of the other guys to step up and that's how we're looking at it."

• Game: Pitt (9-3) vs. Oregon State (8-4).

• When: 2 p.m. Wednesday.

• Where: El Paso, Texas.

• TV: KDKA.