Some Assorted Notes

A few notes to pass along courtesy of the Arizona Republic and the East Valley Tribune with my analysis:

-Nate Kimbrough finally got a stroke of luck in his oft-injured career. Doctors said today the eye injury he sustained when he got hit in the face with a weight plate will in fact not require surgery. He'll be back on the field practicing with an eye shield on. It's quite a relief for ASU and for Kimbrough; he suffered enough with his apparent bleeding from the eye...that sounds about as pleasant as taking an HBP from Cat Osterman.

-As reported earlier, Keegan Herring and Shaun DeWitty are still both nursing injuries (shoulder and hamstring, respectively). A bit unsettling that both of them missed practice. I already said my piece about Herring earlier today, but losing DeWitty for any period of time will hurt because of his pass blocking ability. He's also earned the extra reps; that kid worked his tail off throughout this offseason.

-He wouldn't have gotten any significant playing time but still an unpleasant story nonetheless: junior reserve defensive end Eric Tanner has left the team because the knee he had surgically repaired last year is not recovering well enough for him to get back on the field. Tanner, a Mesa Skyline graduate, was buried on the depth chart behind Dexter Davis, converted linebacker Jamarr Robinson and Zach Brown, but was the kind of kid that you rooted for because he was really working hard on at least getting back onto the practice field.

-Keep an eye on WR Mike Jones...no matter how slight, a concussion is a concussion, and he's a player on this team that you cannot afford to lose for even a snap.

-ASU gets some extra depth on the offensive line as redshirt freshman Matt Hustad returns to the practice field after battling America's most annoying disease: mono. Hustad is officially listed behind Paul Fanaika at right guard but is a very versatile lineman who can play every position on the line. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some reps at center with Thomas Altieri out with a concussion and Garth Gerhart trying to find his legs as a freshman himself.

-One more game time has been set for this season: the Devils match-up with the Oregon State Beavers on November 1 in Corvallis has been set for 7:15 PM and will be televised.

-The Sun Devils have a two-a-day scheduled for tomorrow morning and will move into the Dennis Dome for their afternoon session. Thursday and Friday feature full pads morning practices before Saturday's "traditional scrimmage" at Camp Tontozona. Sunday will be the Devils first off day since August 3.