One after one, ASU football players began lining up at the trainer's table during the Sun Devils' home opener against Cal Poly Saturday.
Head coach Todd Graham worsened the fans' fears postgame, saying he had "four or five guys" on crutches.
It's not the first hit ASU has taken this season.
First, former linebacker Davon Durant was arrested before the beginning of spring camp and was dismissed from the program. Then, running backs coach Bo Graham resigned two weeks before the season opener.
The Sun Devils lost sophomore running back Kalen Ballage just a day before their season opener against Texas A&M with mononucleosis, and Graham said there is still no timetable for his return.
On Saturday, "a lot of ankles" were rolled by Cal Poly's cut blocking scheme.
The cut block, a staple of the triple-option attack, is something that Graham hopes ends soon.
"I think when we talk about the safety of our players, they should make it illegal to cut within the line of scrimmage," Graham said. "We talk about taking care of kids, and you've got guys taking on somebody and somebody's cutting their knees, that shouldn't be...really. You want to get into safety, and I know there's a big focus on that, that's something that they should make illegal."
Among the injured: redshirt junior running back De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes, junior defensive tackle Ami Latu and sophomore safety Armand Perry, who was in a boot and on crutches during Monday's practice.
Graham said he's not sure where those players are at injury-wise, and will find out more later.
It's tough to win games with a depleted roster and unexpected change, as evidenced by a poor showing in the team's 35-21 win over an FCS foe.
"What's been very disruptive for us is we lose Kalen (Ballage) the day before the first game, now we got Gump has an issue," Graham said. "You start having...those are guys that are key players in what we're trying to accomplish. (Senior center) Nick Kelly didn't practice last week all week, we had (redshirt junior left tackle) Evan (Goodman) didn't practice all week last week, and you've got to practice."
Graham reiterated the need to move forward during his weekly press conference Monday.
"It goes down in the column as a win, and no one will ever talk about it after this week," Graham said. "Obviously a very difficult scheme to play. Going back and looking at the film, we just missed some opportunities.
"We don't have to have wake-up calls every week, we don't have to have any of that stuff. It's going, and going to work. I don't think our guys were taking them lightly."
Related Links:
Report Card: Grading ASU football's performance against Cal Poly
Three things to know from ASU vs. Cal Poly
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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