With four games left in the season, the ASU football team is dependent on one player for the team to have success, and his status is unknown coming into the Sun Devils' game at Oregon.
It's redshirt sophomore quarterback Manny Wilkins.
Yes, it's obvious to say that a team is reliant it's starting quarterback. But in the Sun Devils' case, Wilkins is so vital to their offense, and when he's been off the field the team has looked completely different.
That's why ASU absolutely cannot play Wilkins unless he is 100 percent healthy, and considering the fact that he could not finish out the first quarter against Washington State, he probably won't be by Saturday afternoon.
Wilkins is just too imperative to the Sun Devils' success this season. He's been electric running the ball and he has not made many mistakes through the air.
In terms of passing the ball, Wilkins has looked noticeably better than the rest of ASU's quarterbacks, and without him on the field, the Sun Devil offense has been very limited.
The redshirt sophomore's absence has also hurt ASU's rushing attack. When Wilkins was on the field, the threat of him faking the option and taking off to run kept the defense honest.
But without him, the opposing defense has been able to crowd the box and mostly contain running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage.
There have been four games this season where Wilkins played all four quarters and was not hobbled with injuries. In those four contests, the ASU offense looked virtually unstoppable, averaging 48.75 points per game and just over 507 yards a game.
Those are fantastic numbers, and they certainly have not continued with Wilkins sidelined or playing hurt.
Simply put, Wilkins has been the best quarterback on the team and being worse without him for one game is worth the security of having him be healthy for the rest of the year.
So it might, just might, be a smart idea to keep him off the field against Oregon.
And it's not the normal Oregon juggernaut that ASU will face in Eugene this Saturday. The Sun Devils can win their game against the Ducks without Wilkins, so rushing him back could be pointless.
Oregon has been terrible this year as shown by their abysmal 2-5 record, mainly because they have not been able to stop a nosebleed on defense (although they statistically haven't been as bad as ASU).
The point is ASU should be able to move the ball on Oregon, even if they have to rely on the "Sparky" formation, which was successful at times against WSU, and freshman fourth-stringer Dillon Sterling-Cole as quarterback.
Go head, Kalen!@FootballASU goes up 14-3 on the Cougs in Tempe.
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) October 23, 2016
Watch: https://t.co/YfMNDWtSGW https://t.co/VV2tPdwFuT
By no means is this an easy win for ASU, but Oregon is not what it used to be, so the Sun Devils have a chance without Wilkins.
The Sun Devils have to look at the long run. Besides Oregon, ASU has three more regular season games, so they should live to fight another day and keep him out.
If Wilkins does stay out, then he would likely return to the field when the Sun Devils host the 17th-ranked Utah Utes. This game takes place on Thurs., Nov. 10, which means that the team has a bye between the Oregon game and the matchup with Utah, giving Wilkins a long window of time to rest and come back strong for his last home game of the season.
By doing this, Graham would not be waiving the white flag on the season. Wilkins would probably miss one game, rest for a weekend and then come back for the final stretch.
If Wilkins does play, he could certainly perform well and ASU could win. Or, Wilkins could be rushed out and worsen his injury, which could cause him to miss even more games.
At this point in the season is a win against Oregon really worth Wilkins' long term health?
I don't think so.
I think ASU should see how it goes with Sterling-Cole against the Ducks so Wilkins is available for future games, one of them being the all-important Territorial Cup.
Reach the reporter at mpharri7@asu.edu or follow @Harris_Mark7 on Twitter.
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