Lost in the luster of senior linebacker Mike Nixon’s three interceptions and freshman linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s bone-rattling sack in his ASU debut in the Sun Devils’ first game against Idaho State were the contributions of sophomore linebacker Brandon Magee.

Magee started the game at middle linebacker and finished with four tackles, including two tackles for a loss, a sack and an interception.

The sack and the interception were each the first of Magee’s collegiate career.

The sophomore, one of a trio of talented linebackers from Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., has been a strong presence on the field in practice and has earned the praise of coach Dennis Erickson.

“Some guys have natural instincts,” Erickson said. “He’s got natural instincts to play that position. He knows where the ball is, he’s got great speed and he’ll hit you.”

Those sound like the traits of a great linebacker.

Another trait Magee has is humility. When asked about his performance in the last game, he immediately credited defensive coordinator Craig Bray and teammate Nixon.

“[Regarding] the interception, Coach Bray just taught us the play,” Magee said. “I just follow what Nixon does. Everybody looks up to each other, so that’s the only reason I played well; I got coached well.”

Despite holding the ISU offense to 37 yards last game, Magee said the defense isn’t pleased with itself just yet.

“We’re not pleased to the point where we got to stop playing hard,” Magee said. “We’ve got to keep going, and we’re going to get better than that.”

Part of the athleticism Erickson described is evident in the fact that Magee was also a member of the ASU baseball team last year, playing in 13 games. The Tampa Bay Rays also drafted Magee out of high school in the 29th round.

As for where his baseball career stands now?

“Only God knows … and [ASU baseball coach Pat] Murphy,” said Magee, chuckling. “I try to go over there and hit and work on some fielding, so we’ll see.”

Injury Updates

Sophomore center Garth Gerhart did not practice on Tuesday and is “very questionable,” Erickson said. Gerhart was initially the Sun Devils’ starting center on the preseason depth chart but has yet to see the field due to injury.

Sophomore defensive tackle Lawrence Guy did practice and has made significant improvement in his recovery from a bicep injury.

“He was better today than he was last week,” Erickson said. “His biceps are better, so I look for him to play. I don’t think he’s quite 100 percent, but he’s pretty close.”

Glance at ULM defense

Louisiana Monroe plays a 3-3-5 defense, something Erickson said his team hasn’t seen much of before. However, the scout team has employed it this week in practice and the offense looked solid on Tuesday, utilizing short passes to take advantage of the space underneath allowed by a 3-3-5 setup.

“It’s a little different, its something you’ve got to get used to,” Erickson said. “We saw a little bit of it Thursday and we saw a little bit of it Sunday and we saw more of it today.”

Reach the reporter at kyle.glaser@asu.edu.