An injury that really hurts
October 18th, 2007, 9:47 am · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
Ryan Torain
During the summer, Arizona State running back Ryan Torain told me that he had no hesitancy about discussing his football future.
“I don’t see anything wrong with thinking about the future at all,” Torain, who figured to be a first- or second-round NFL draft selection, said then. “I’m so excited about what lies ahead after the season.
“I’m ready to go after it and see what happens.”
That’s what makes, as a daily observer of the Sun Devils, Torain’s college career-ending Lisfranc sprain so hard to swallow. He has likely descended to a late-round pick or undrafted free-agent signee, losing a lot of money in the process.
Lisfranc injuries can be extremely difficult to come back from. Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook is an example of a successful rehabilitation, while others have found the injury to be a career-ender. As ASU coach Dennis Erickson said on Wednesday, what kind of rehab awaits Torain cannot be determined until after his surgery on Friday.
My College GameDay column in Saturday’s Tribune will be devoted to a midseason report, divided into several categories. One of them will be the play of the year to this point, and think California’s DeSean Jackson on a sick punt return against Tennessee.
That would be the best play in a game. The two best plays in practice — maybe the two best plays, period — I have seen this season were by Torain.
The first was at Camp Tontozona, on a quick cut that athletic ASU safety Josh Barrett, the team’s defensive player of the year last season, nearly screwed himself into the ground in a futile effort to adjust to. The second was a long, awe-inspiring touchdown run during a preseason practice in Tempe in which Torain carried cornerback Travis Smith for several yards before the defender fell off, his mouthpiece flying out.
Hopefully, we will be able to marvel at Torain’s talent again soon.
How will the Sun Devils deal with the loss of Torain? It is easy to point to the play of reserves Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance and suggest that ASU will be fine, but much of their success this season has been in the second-half, against worn-down defenses.
Wearing down an defense is as much about long drives as it is about physicality. The Sun Devils are third in the nation in average time of possession (34:02), which is partly a product of Torain’s ability to sustain marches with first-down runs between the tackles.
An inability to do that consistently was a problem for ASU in 2005, when it had Herring and an experienced offensive line. Running outside has been Herring’s forte, but will that work reliably enough against such schools as California, Oregon and Southern California? Nance, 20 pounds heavier, has the build and skills to do the dirty work inside, but can he do it against a fresh defense earlier in a game?
Where does sophomore Jarrell Woods, who has yet to play this year due to an ankle sprain, fit in? Does Erickson remove the redshirt from junior Shaun DeWitty, who is the biggest running back — listed at 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds, he is an inch taller and four pounds heavier than Torain — on the team?
Over the next five contests, the Sun Devils will have to address those questions — against the best and most athletic opposing defenses they will face this season.
