The injuries just keep coming for the Sun Devil’s defense.
ASU has already lost cornerback Omar Bolden, linebacker Brandon Magee and cornerback Devan Spann for the season, and will now be without sophomore defensive end Junior Onyeali for at least six weeks.
“He’s having surgery Thursday for a meniscus tear,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “The issue is where (the tear) is when they get in there. That's what they're dealing with right now. For sure, it's going to be six weeks and depending on where it's at, it could be a season-ending injury for him."
Although Erickson acknowledges injuries are part of the game and happen to every team in the conference and country, replacing Onyeali will be a difficult task, one that will involve the entire team.
"Everybody has to make up for that,” Erickson said. “Not just the defensive ends, the whole defense, the offense, everybody. You got to rally around injuries, and you have to do it as a team.”
Although sophomore running back Deantre Lewis’ return is still questionable, the tailback participated in Tuesday’s practice, and continues to make promising strides.
“Deantre’s out there,” Erickson said. “He is getting better all the time. First time he’s really done stuff out there and I thought he did pretty good, (but) he’s a ways away.”
Erickson also noted that sophomore wide receiver J.J. Holiday is nearing a return, and could have played against Illinois if necessary.
Sun Devils brace for USC passing attack
The Sun Devils have had relative success defending the pass in their first three games, but they have yet to face a passing attack like USC’s.
Missouri and Illinois both featured dual-threat quarterback who relied on their legs as well as their arms.
However, the Trojans’ Matt Barkley is a pocket passer with limited mobility.
“We (have) just got to play great defense and have great coverage,” defensive coordinator Craig Bray said. “They maximum protect. They don’t let (junior quarterback Matt Barkley) get hit so coverage will be an issue. Pressure probably won’t be an issue.”
Saturday’s 17-14 loss to Illinois was certainly disappointing to the Sun Devils, but the team is taking the loss in stride as they realize it had no impact on their overall team goals.
“This is just one loss and it was a loss to a Big Ten opponent,” junior quarterback Brock Osweiler said. “It means absolutely nothing to the grand scheme of our team goals and that’s winning the Pac-12 South and the Pac-12 Championship.”
While winning every game is obviously the goal, Osweiler said rebounding from this loss will be a bit easier since none of the goals were compromised.
Barkley, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the top quarterbacks in the conference. It would definitely be easy for Osweiler to look across the field and try to step up his game to impress the people who will be watching his counterpart.
However, Osweiler is focused on his team and his offense and will not worry about Barkley and the Trojan’s offense.
“I really don’t pay attention to that stuff,” Osweiler said. “I don’t get too caught up in quarterback matchups. I’m just focused on our offense and the defense we are playing this week.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
