Watching Ryan Torain at the ASU football team's practice Thursday, it was hard to tell the senior had received some of the worst news of his life just one day earlier.
He was laughing and joking with his teammates, just like it was any other practice.
But the boot on his left leg and the crutches he was using to move around the field were a painful reminder that ASU's star running back was done for the season.
Torain suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot during second quarter of ASU's 44-20 win over Washington Saturday.
He is scheduled for surgery on Friday and full rehabilitation could take anywhere from four to six months.
Still, Torain said he has to keep on smiling and staying positive to boost both his, and the team's morale.
"I just have to stay positive for myself and just help the team," he said. "I still am a huge part of this team and I want to be around the team.
"That's why I'm here at practice and I want to go to the meetings. I want to be around the guys and have a good time."
Torain added he knows it will be hard to watch his teammates play while he's sitting on the sidelines, but he has already come to grips with that idea.
"It sucks," Torain said about sitting out. "We were having a great season. I wish I could be out there helping us, making big plays. But now I just have to be there in a mental aspect."
He described the pain he felt when the injury occurred as an instantaneous, sharp pain. Then he said he couldn't walk.
"It just felt like my foot gave out," Torain said, adding the pain is now in the middle of his foot.
Replacing Torain in the Sun Devil backfield will be junior Keegan Herring and sophomore Dimitri Nance. Torain is confident they will be able to fill his shoes.
"D' Nance and Keegan will step up huge and this is going to be a fun season to finish out and watch," he said.
Herring and Nance had big games after Torain left the game. Both had touchdown runs of more than 50 yards.
Torain's football future was expected to last far beyond ASU.
Before the season began, Mel Kiper, ESPN's NFL draft guru, projected Torain as the No. 2 senior running back in the nation.
But with a lengthy recovery ahead, Torain's draft status could be in question.
Reach the report at: samuel.good@asu.edu.
