UCLA Football Injury Report: Bruins Will Be Facing Severely Depleted Arizona Club
College football is among the best sports in the country. Teams prepare to give their all for the coming months, and fans are as passionate as can be. However, like every other sport, injuries play a significant role, and even though that isn't the case with the Bruins (thank goodness), that is the case for their Week 11 opponent, the Arizona State Sun Devils.
ASU will enter its game against the Bruins on the road as not only the more injury-depleted team, but possibly the most injury-depleted team in the country. The 6-3 Bruins will look to take advantage of their hobbled opponent tonight at the Rose Bowl. Take a look at exactly how many injuries the Sun Devils are dealing with, as unpacked by Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.
Arizona State’s injury situation might be among the worst in the country.
The Sun Devils are expected to be down 14 players this week, including 11 starters. Five offensive linemen are likely to miss the game as well as quarterbacks Drew Pyne and Jaden Rashada. A sixth offensive lineman is questionable and a seventh recently announced his intention to sit out the rest of the season and transfer.
Third-string quarterback Trenton Bourguet departed Arizona State’s 55-3 loss to Utah last weekend with an injury, though he did return to practice this week. If Bourguet is unable to play, the team would probably go with fourth-stringer Jacob Conover.
Injuries can derail any program, but when you add the fact that you're already at a disadvantage talent-wise, it makes it far worse. The Sun Devils sit at 2-7 and 1-5 in conference play. At this point, they are playing for pride while players who wouldn't get a shot to shine otherwise are doing so.
The young players are adapting and doing their best to stay competitive. The Bruins will make sure not to give these young Sun Devils any life, as a win in these next two games could do something for UCLA's Pac-12 title hopes.
Take care of business, come out of this game injury-free, and prepare for next week's high matchup against your biggest rival.
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