Prior to their matchup with Oregon, the Sun Devils have suffered a tremendous setback, as Kenny Dillingham has regretfully declared that…
Coach Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State football has put his team’s injury situation this season in that way.
An appropriater comparison, though, might be a snowball turning into an avalanche.
Depth is a problem for Dillingham’s Sun Devils because they have lost a number of quarterbacks this season for extended periods of time, including true freshman Jayden Rashada for a major chunk of the season, redshirt sophomore Drew Pyne’s inconsistent play, and now redshirt junior Trenton Bourguet’s lower leg injury from last week. Never mind the M.A.S.H. unit backing the offensive line and the hamstring injury sustained by DeCarlos Brooks.
There are no musculoskeletal problems. During his weekly press conference on Monday, Dillingham stated, “We’re getting really elbows pop out of their joints.” “Well, we’re having serious issues. Although regrettable, this is the reality.
“Guys are fighting through things and playing more than they should.” Thus, it’s regrettable. I told the guys today, and I said, “Nobody cares.” All year long.
most recent injury updates for Arizona State Bourguet’s condition is also unknown for Saturday. Dillingham declined to comment specifically, only saying that he is day-to-day. “As the week goes on, we’ll find out,” he stated. However, he wouldn’t play if we were to play today.
— Redshirt junior defensive lineman Prince Dobrah’s status for Saturday’s game against UCLA is unknown as he is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday.
Michael Matus, a graduate student, has less favorable news. During Saturday’s defeat to Utah, he sustained an ACL tear.
With regard to his defensive end, Dillingham remarked, “The kid is the embodiment of Sun Devil football.” “Saturday night after the game, he texted the guys something really amazing. Not only is he a talented player, but he is also an amazing person. He will have success in life.
Dillingham acknowledged that Matus’s injury from last season was not the same knee.
Dillingham was careful to acknowledge Sean Na’a. The true freshman moved from guard to left tackle for the first time in his career on Saturday against Utah.
That child is someone who should make everyone proud, Dillingham said. “On the plane to Utah, in a hostile environment, facing one of the best, if not the top three defensive ends in the country, he is moved to left tackle, and the dude battled and never gave up.” He was unwavering.
Na’a’s transfer to left tackle follows Isaia Glass’s exit from the team.
Utah Retrospective: In Salt Lake City, ASU suffered a 55-3 defeat to No. 18 Utah.
The Sun Devils were without one of their best running backs, a significant portion of their offensive line, and their starting quarterback early in the first quarter of the game, suggesting that injuries may have finally caught up to them.
“I feel like we would struggle if that happened, so I didn’t prepare well enough for (quarterback) Trenton (Bourguet) going down so early in the game and that scenario,” Dillingham said. “So, the question is, how much time do you spend preparing for a difficult situation as opposed to, like, let’s go win this football game, guns blazing?”
“Thus, rather than just kind of throwing one together on the sideline, I should have probably just kind of had a better plan there going forward. I could have done a better job of preparing and putting together a plan for (running back Cam Skattebo) and some other guys back there to try to move the ball.”
Despite the injuries, Dillingham acknowledges that asking his team to travel to Salt Lake City and defeat the Utes was a challenging assignment.
Dillingham stated, “That is a we lost that game in March, we lost that game in April.” “You don’t win that game during your prep week. I said, “That’s my fault because I didn’t do a good enough job the last nine or ten months putting us in position to win a football game like that.” This is because the games are purely culture-based, effort-based, and program-based; I haven’t done a good enough job in the last nine months to get us to that point to compete against that kind of team.
“Let’s get back to being a team. Utah demonstrated this two weeks ago when they had an unsatisfactory outcome and responded by playing their best game of the season. That’s what effective teams and cultures accomplish. It is now our responsibility to bounce back this week with our best performance of the year, flush it, and play both the offensive and defense that we displayed against Washington State and Washington.
UCLA outlook
The Sun Devils will play No. 19 UCLA at the Rose Bowl as they continue their road trip.
Given that the Bruins have one of the best defenses in the country, it will be a tough test for their already severely diminished offense.
Dillingham remarked, “I think this is the best defensive front I’ve faced in two years.” After looking back over the past two years, I believe that this front seven is possibly the most talented and disruptive group I have seen in my time here. They’re incredibly gifted and skilled, and that’s not a slight against Utah. Despite the sound of (Utah), this UCLA team is incredibly talented.
UCLA boasts the 56th-best passing defense in the country, allowing 223.9 yards per game, and the second-best rushing defense in the country, giving up just 70.4 yards per game. That ranks 13th in the nation for overall defense.
The line of scrimmage, according to Dillingham, was a focal point that was achieved on Saturday.
“For this reason, the highest paid players in the NFL are quarterbacks, offensive linemen, and defensive ends,” he stated. “Winning is most closely correlated with that. You will win a lot of football games if you are unable to run the ball, protect the quarterback, influence the quarterback, or, on the other hand, if you are able to do any of these things. So we’ve definitely got to be unique and creative with how we utilize guys.”
