Sun Devils Running on Empty without Ryan Torain
Arizona State was 7-0 when senior running back Ryan Torain suffered a season-ending foot fracture midway through last year. Here’s a quick look at what’s happened in the Sun Devils’ backfield since.
- We miss you, Ryan! (East Valley Tribune)
Arizona State was 7-0 when senior running back Ryan Torain suffered a season-ending foot fracture midway through last year. In 14 games since losing Torain, ASU has suffered nine losses and enjoyed just five wins—all but one within the friendly confines of Sun Devil Stadium.
Meanwhile, the offense has been plagued by underwhelming performance from the offensive line, questionable play-calling from offensive coordinator Rich Olson, and a revolving door at tailback.
In the 13 months since Torain’s injury, here’s what we’ve seen in the ASU backfield.
- We hyped Keegan Herring as an underrated all-time great Sun Devil before injuries kept him out of the starting lineup all season.
- A broken hand led Dimitri Nance to lose a fumble in four consecutive games, put a second fumble on the ground and drop a number of passes.
- And Dennis Erickson got us all excited about Ryan Bass only to shelf him against Oregon State due to a lingering hamstring injury.
The lack of running game impacts a team in a variety of ways. For example, the Sun Devils have reached the red zone – the area within 20 yards of the end zone – 28 times but have scored touchdowns on just 12 of those visits. (ASU settled for field goals in four of five red zone trips in its two-point loss to Oregon State.)
And so now it comes down to Shaun DeWitty, a Coloradoan who also has been slowed by injuries throughout his career. The 6-foot-2 217-pound junior pounded his way to 110 yards on 16 carries in his second career start against Oregon State.
He’s already been named the starter for this week’s game, so it’s up to him to help the Sun Devils avert the longest losing streak in program history. We guess it’s a good thing we’re playing winless Washington.
What’s Your Take, Sun Devils?
Rich Olson? A young offensive line? Inconsistent running backs? Who’s to blame for ASU’s lackluster ground game this season?
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At some point you’ve got to look at the training and conditioning techniques. There are way too many of these irritating injuries.