Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt 'should be back' vs. Oklahoma State
Arizona State football fans got good news on Monday: redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt has been cleared to play.
After taking a shot to the ribs in Arizona State's 27-19 win over Utah on Oct. 11, Leavitt missed the Sun Devils next game at Cincinnati, a 24-14 loss. He has now had over two weeks to heal and appears ready to go heading into Saturday's Big 12 road game at Oklahoma State.
"Sam should be back, but it's still 60-40, 70-30 that he'll play this week," Arizona State coach Kenny Dilingham said on Monday. "It's one of those, we've got to see him practice and stuff like that. But he's cleared to play. He wants to play. He's excited about playing. He's been putting in a lot of work to play. He's been cleared for three weeks. For us, we're protectinng Sam and his competitivenes from Sam and his competitiveness."
Rib injuries are tricky. The time frame for recovery can range from two to six weeks, depending on if they're bruised or cracked, and the severity of it. Leavitt took the hit to his ribs on a quarterback scramble. It's a safe bet he'll stay in the pocket more - and run less - when he returns.
With Leavitt as the starter, the Sun Devils raced out to a 5-1 start and averaged 32.2 points per game. In six games he has passed for 1,166 yards and 8 touchdowns and rushed for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Arizona State started the week as 1.5-point favorites against Oklahoma State. After the news about Leavitt broke, the point spread increased to ASU by 2.5 points.
The Sun Devils are still alive in the race for a spot in the Big 12 championship game. They will need to win all five remaining games to have a chance - and that starts with having Leavitt back behind center.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.