Arizona State running back Keegan Herring is one of just 16 Sun Devil running backs with more than 2,000 career rushing yards to his name, and he hopes he will be able to add to that total in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27. But as of right now, Herring is more hopeful than hungry, as the junior is still not practicing as he nurses an injury to his left ankle he sustained on Dec. 1 against Arizona.
After Oregon fell to Arizona a week ago, USC's stock rocketed upwards in the suddenly close Pac-10 conference race. If the Trojans can pull out a win over Arizona State on Thanksgiving night, at Arizona State, they put themselves in perfect position to finish in a tie for the top spot in the Pac-10. Both teams are coming off a bye with two formerly banged-up quarterbacks ready to prove that their injuries have healed. USC's John David Booty should start his second straight game after missing three weeks with a broken finger, while Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw last weekend for the first time in nearly two weeks, having spent time allowing his injured thumb to heal.
Continue reading "USC vs. Arizona State: Banged-Up QBs Back In Action" »
Arizona State appeared to be in good shape Saturday afternoon. The Sun Devils held off UCLA, 24-20, to secure a 9-1 record and avoided what some predicted would be an inevitable drop-off after the previous week's loss to Oregon. But the Sun Devils may be in worse shape as they are letting on, as quarterback Rudy Carpenter's thumb is still not 100 percent healthy, and the Sun Devils don't want anyone under center but the guy that brought them this far.
Arizona State can attribute some of last week's basting at the hands of Oregon to the semi-MIA status of linebackers Morris Wooten and Gerald Munns, who were both on the injured list last week. Wooten's thumb and Munns' knee are not tweaked seriously enough to keep them out of this week's game at UCLA, which is good news for the Sun Devils' rotation. Mike Nixon can now go back to filling in at all three linebacker positions, instead of starting, and Arizona State can go back to its winning ways.
Continue reading "Arizona State: Devils Took The Linebackers" »
All eyes will be on Eugene, Oregon this weekend when Arizona State squares off against Oregon in one of the most meaningful BCS barometers to date. But in the meantime, all eyes are on Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter's right thumb, as the junior has been unable to throw so far this week because of swelling in his sprained thumb.
After topping Washington on Saturday, Arizona State improves to 7-0 for the first time in a decade and 4-0 in the Pac-10, all alone in first place in the coveted conference. Not so all alone are the banged up members of the Sun Devils roster, as the team is missing a bunch of key offensive contributors due to injury. Topping the list is running back Ryan Torain, who left Saturday's game in the first quarter with a sprained left foot which, according to head coach Dennis Erickson, is "serious."
Arizona State got plenty of good news this week. Aside from a 4-0 record after a 44-32 come-from-behind win over Oregon State last Saturday, a No. 23 ranking in the AP poll and plenty of national respect, the Sun Devils should have a bunch of players back up to speed in the coming weeks, just in time to tackle the meat of the Pac-10 schedule. Safety Josh Barrett, tight end Brent Miller and defensive tackle Saia Falahola are all on the express road to recovery.
There was plenty of bad news released on the injury front following week one's games, but coaches at Auburn, Arizona State and Kansas State are all breathing sighs of relief as they find out that their players will be ready to go this Saturday. Each team had a player get roughed up in their season opener, but Auburn linebacker Tray Blackmon, Arizona State running back Keegan Herring and Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman should all take the field with little damage for week two.
