ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins’ injury is not long-term

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State entered Saturday’s game against USC riding high.

While those first four wins weren’t quite enough to push them into the top-25, they were knocking on the door. Better yet, Manny Wilkins was showing promise in his first year as the program’s starting quarterback.

Then the game happened. They lost by 21 points and Wilkins had to be helped off the field, an unnecessary reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in college football.

Head coach Todd Graham had encouraging news regarding Wilkins’ injury status at his weekly press conference on Monday.

“The x-rays and all that stuff came back good,” Graham said. “So that was a positive.”

That could be the understatement of the season for ASU. Wilkins entered the 2016 campaign with essentially no experience as a college quarterback, but he’s been making plays. Wilkins has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,233 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions this season while rushing for another 254 yards and four scores.

And while he’s not challenging for the Heisman, he’s certainly a major catalyst for the Sun Devils’ strong start.

It’s tough to assess what ASU has in freshman Brady White after just 13 passing attempts following Wilkins’ departure, particularly since those attempts came after he was thrown into the fire in the middle of the game against a hungry Trojans team.

That said, the Sun Devils would obviously prefer a healthy Wilkins back and calling the signals as soon as possible. The timetable for that happening is still up in the air as the ASU readies for the UCLA Bruins this week.

“I don’t know. I don’t know yet,” Graham said. “The good thing is that it’s not going to be for an extended period of time. We’ll see. He’s out of his boot and all that stuff. So we’ll see. The good news is it wasn’t anything significant.”

Considering the scene on Saturday night, that’s probably about the best news Arizona State fans could have hoped for. With the meat of the Pac-12 schedule coming up, the Sun Devils have three more games after the contest with the Bruins before they finally get a bye week in early November. And those matchups will pit them against Colorado, Washington State and Oregon — three of the more potent offenses in the conference.

For as bad as they’ve been in recent years, the Buffaloes have been impressive so far in 2016. And their 43.2 points per game are good for 16th in the nation. Meanwhile, the Cougars started off slow but just put up 51 in Eugene, Ore., against a stunned Ducks team.

They’re now averaging 44.3 points per game – good for 11th overall. And while Oregon hasn’t looked like the powerhouse we’re used to seeing, they still boast an explosive offense as well, posting 40 points per game.

In other words, the Sun Devils are going to need to score to keep up with the opposition in the coming month. And that starts with the quarterback.

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