With conference play upon us, the first Big 12 Availability Reports have arrived.
A total of 21 players were featured between Arizona State and Kansas’s injury lists, 12 for the Sun Devils and nine for the Jayhawks.
Here’s a breakdown of the Devils’ (and Jayhawks’) current injuries, ahead of the Union Jack Classic.
Arizona State
OUT
S Maurice Williams
DB Jalen Williams
OL Marques Uini
OL Wade Helton
OL Brent Helton
WR Harry Hassmann
PROBABLE
TE AJ Ia
DE Albert Smith III
DB Antoine Belgrave-Shorter
OL Tana Alo-Tupuola
OL Luke Baklenko
Summary:
Initial thoughts are centered around TE AJ Ia and WR Omarion Miller, two big names in terms of potential offensive production for the Sun Devils.
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound build of Ia can be a posing threat, hauling in two catches and a touchdown against Morgan State in the season opener.
For Miller, the standout receiver from Colorado and preseason favorite to break out for ASU, he is looking for a bounce back performance after a quiet day against Texas A&M.
Time will tell if these lingering issues end up hurting the amount of weapons QB Cutter Boley has at his disposal, or at least, the impact of said weapons.
Flipping the page past the headlines of skill position ailments, a deeper issue may emerge for the Sun Devils: depth at offensive line.
OL Tana Alo-Tupuola and Luke Baklenko both enter the availability list as probable, two names that have started every game so far for ASU.
This injury report comes off the heels of OL Wade Helton suffering a lower leg injury against Texas A&M, exiting the game on crutches. Kenny Dillingham told the media in London that the injury will cause Helton to miss a few weeks, but not be season ending.
Offensive line woes were at the forefront of ASU’s second half collapse in College Station, allowing pressure to get to QB Cutter Boley, as the defensive line tipped his pass up in the air and the Aggies came down with it for a 55-yard pick six. A miscue that ended up as the nail in the coffin for the Devils.
If ASU loses any more starters in the trenches, concerns will be raised on how this offensive unit will perform this Saturday.
Kansas
OUT
RB Kory Amachree
QB Jaylen Mason
RB Justin Thurman
DT Grady Seyfert
DT Tre’von McAlpine
DOUBTFUL
QB Cole Ballard
QUESTIONABLE
WR Cam Pickett
LB Bam Crouch
TE Carson Bruhn
Summary
A little bit of everything for the Jayhawks on their first Big 12 injury report of the year.
The main subject remains LB Bam Crouch, a transfer from Boston College that looked to have an immediate impact for the Kansas defense. That impact was felt against Long Island in the season opener, recording two tackles and a sack early in the game.
It was also early in the game that Crouch went down with a shoulder injury. He missed the Missouri matchup and remains questionable for Week 3. A defensive unit that allowed 38 points last week could most definitely use the senior talent back in the fold.
On the offensive side of the ball, WR Cam Pickett and TE Carson Bruhn join Crouch under the “questionable” label. Similar to ASU’s situation with Ia and Miller, both Pickett and Bruhn have helped the offense early on.
Two quarterbacks also find themselves on the KU injury list: Cole Ballard and Jaylen Mason.
Ballard is the most noteworthy of the two, coming in as Kansas’s QB2. The redshirt junior was injured late in the Missouri game on a trick play. Whlie the injury doesn’t appear to be season-ending, it will likely keep him out of the contest in England.
With two quarterbacks most likely down, this leaves the backup role to junior Chase Jenkins, who was the QB3 behind Ballard and starter Isaiah Marshall entering the year.
Arizona State and Kansas are set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. London time; 9:00 a.m. MST in Arizona, on Saturday, September 19, on FS1.
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