Gerald Munns is Out for the Season
With Keegan Herring and Morris Wooten back in the fold, we thought the Sun Devils would finally face an opponent at full strength for the first time this season. We were wrong.
( Photo by the amazing Robert Kline)
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When Arizona State repeatedly failed to prevent UNLV from rolling down the field in that painful fourth quarter a few weeks ago, we couldn’t help but think that injured middle linebacker Gerald Munns would have filled the gap.
We couldn’t have been the only ones thinking it. Not after Munns shook off a broken pinkie to record seven tackles (including one without a helmet), a deflection and an interception to lead ASU in its win over Stanford.
Unfortunately, the physical Munns will not be filling any more gaps for the Sun Devils. It was revealed yesterday that the player we identified as one bad motha, well, you know, will miss the remainder of the season to deal with personal issues.
Quoth defensive captain Troy Nolan in the Arizona Republic: “Gerald is a huge loss, because he’s such a great player. We just got to fill the shoes with other players. Teams lose star players all the time. The backups have to be ready to step up.”
Fortunately, linebacker is one of ASU’s deepest positions.
Morris Wooten, a senior who spent much of last season as the starter, will step into Munns’ spot in the lineup. Wooten will be flanked by veterans Mike Nixon and Travis Goethel. True freshmen Brandon Magee and Shelly Lyons will provide depth.
Like Munns, the 6-foot-1 245-pound Wooten offers intensity and a physical presence at the point of attack. The man Dennis Erickon referred to as “an Energizer bunny” recorded a team-high eight tackles against Georgia and the Bulldogs’ power running game.
Wooten wasn’t available to fill the gap in the fourth quarter against UNLV as he was serving a four-game suspension dating back to last fall. Let’s hope he’s ready to fill the gap now.
Enjoy this article? Buy us a beer for just $4. (Credit Card / Paypal)New to Echo from the Buttes? Don’t miss:
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[...] With the the football recruiting Class of 2009 signing on the dotted line, it’s been a hectic week. So hectic it’d be easy to miss the Arizona Republic reporting linebacker Gerald Munns is returning to the team. Here’s what we said when Munns left the team midway through last season. [...]