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Sun Devils show grit and resolve in tough loss to Washington State

Oct 22, 2016, 11:49 PM | Updated: Oct 23, 2016, 11:04 am

Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins (5) runs as Washington State defensive lineman Nnamdi Oguay...

Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins (5) runs as Washington State defensive lineman Nnamdi Oguayo (30) pursues during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP Photo/Matt York)

TEMPE, Ariz. — Injuries are a part of football, but this is getting a little ridiculous.

Todd Graham’s Arizona State Sun Devils came into Saturday’s Homecoming game against Washington State already shorthanded. A few other key players couldn’t finish in a 37-32 loss to the Cougars in front of 50,582 fans.

Quarterback Manny Wilkins, who was obviously not close to full strength a week ago in a loss at Colorado, looked pretty good early for ASU (5-3, 2-3), even though his participation was a “game-time decision.”

Wilkins led the Sun Devils on an 11-play, 59-yard touchdown drive, capped off by his own 3-yard touchdown run. That was the good news. The bad news was Wilkins left the game with a stinger after a sack by Washington State’s Shalom Luani on Arizona State’s second possession. He wouldn’t return.

“He took a hit and it wasn’t safe for him to go back in,” Graham said.

That led to an “all hands on deck” type of approach for the rest of the game, and it nearly worked. True freshman Dillon Sterling-Cole saw his most extensive college action and struggled for the most part, completing only 7-of-16 passes for 86 yards.

ASU used their “Sparky” formation — with either Kalen Ballage or Demario Richard taking direct snaps — on 20 of their 59 offensive plays. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey reached deep into his bag of tricks. True freshman Jack Smith completed a 40-yard pass to Tim White on an end-around. Wide receiver Frederick Gammage threw a pass for a two-point conversion to tight end Kody Kohl.

Even with all the trickery, ASU fell short, unable to overcome a growing injury list. Graham basically chalked the rash of injuries to it just being one of those years.

“Is it frustrating? Yeah, it’s frustrating, but it seems like they come about every seven years, you have a year that you have so many players hurt,” Graham said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the amount of injuries we’ve had at quarterback. That’s part of it — we’re not the only ones that deal with it, especially at this time of the year.

“But that has been difficult.”

Prior to this season, Graham’s tenure has really only featured one quarterback injury. In 2014, starter Taylor Kelly went down with a foot injury in a Week 3 win over Colorado. He missed three games, but backup Mike Bercovici filled in admirably, guiding the Devils to two wins, including an unforgettable last-second win at USC in which he threw for 510 yards.

Injuries haven’t only come on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Salamo Fiso left the game with a leg injury in the second half. He exited the field after the loss on crutches with his left knee heavily wrapped. Free safety Armand Perry couldn’t play — he suffered a turf toe injury last week.

Through all the injuries, however, the Sun Devils showed real grit and resolve in a loss for the first time this season. Their first defeat, 41-20 at USC on Oct. 1, was ugly and ASU failed to put up much of a fight in any phase of the game. It was a similar story last week when Colorado ran wild for 315 yards on the ground and the Sun Devils managed only seven first downs and 199 yards of offense.

Challenges, including a Washington State team that pushed its conference record to 4-0, were everywhere Saturday night. And ASU nearly found a way to overcome all of them.

That’s a pretty good sign.

“I’m really proud of our football team, and proud of the character they showed and the heart that they showed,” Graham said.

Admittedly, you can find similar, if not identical, comments after many ASU games. Sometimes such comments ring hollow.

Saturday, in defeat, they resonated.

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Sun Devils show grit and resolve in tough loss to Washington State