Garth Gerhart is quickly getting his chance to make up for lost time.
The sophomore ofafensive lineman made his first start of the season last week at right guard, and this week, with senior Thomas Altieri sidelined by injury, Gerhart has been thrust into the center position, where he was projected to start the season heading into fall camp.
A nagging turf-toe injury, though, kept Gerhart off the lineup during the first half of the season, making him anxious, he said, to contribute to his team as much as he could down the stretch.
“I’m excited to get out there and do my best and see what I can do again,” Gerhart said.
Having to sit out the first half the season left Gerhart frustrated given that he was making such marked improvements during spring and fall camp.
“It’s frustrating because people would say, ‘It’s just your toe; why can’t you practice because of your toe?’” the sophomore said. “But when you have an injured toe, it affects everything, especially for linemen because we use the inside of our feet.”
Scouts’ honor
Despite a setback last week, in which it surrendered 473 yards to Stanford, the ASU defense has been one of the nation’s stingiest this season.
On average, the team is yielding 280 yards per contest, which is top in the Pac-10 and 11th nationally.
Some of unit’s rise to prominence this season can be attributed to the improved competition the Sun Devils are seeing on the other side of the ball during practice every day.
Now in his third season, ASU coach Dennis Erickson and his staff have developed the kind of depth on the scout team that can provide a quality mimicking of the week’s opponent to the first- and second-team players.
This year, the scout team features sophomore Steven Threet at quarterback.
The former Michigan signal-caller, who started eight games for the Wolverines in 2008, is currently sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer rules, but that doesn’t keep him from using his skills to test the defense.
“You’ve got a guy [in Threet] who day in and day out brings good work ethic and rubs off on other guys,” senior linebacker Mike Nixon said.
“We get a lot better feel for what a team is going to run with a quarterback who is making accurate passes.”
The scout team also includes Aaron Pflugrad, a transfer from Oregon who spent two seasons on the field in Eugene for the Ducks.
Erickson said the experience of those players helps keep the defense on its toes throughout the week.
“I think having guys like [Threet] and Aaron Pflugrad who have played on the big arena, it’s good to have them on the scout team.”
Injury notes
Junior wide receiver Kerry Taylor (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday.
Senior running back Dimitri Nance was held out of practice as a precaution, Erickson said, but he will ready for Saturday’s Homecoming game against Cal.
Sophomore Oliver Aaron is moving from linebacker to safety.
Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu.
