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LJ Martin and Evan Johnson Officially Ruled Out for BYU Against ASU
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- LJ Martin and Evan Johnson Officially Ruled Out for BYU Against ASU
LJ Martin against Colorado State | BYU Photo
BYU stars LJ Martin and Evan Johnson have officially been ruled out for Saturday's game against Arizona State, per the initial availability report. The hope is that Martin will be back for next week's game against Utah. Right guard Trevin Ostler was also ruled out after suffering what appeared to be a serious injury against UCF. Ostler was starting at right guard while Kyle Sfarcioc recovered from an injury.
Speaking of Sfarcioc, he is "probable" against ASU, so it's more likely than not that he will return to the lineup. Same with BYU running back Preston Rex who only had 5 carries against the Knights. If Rex got banged up against UCF, it would explain why he only got five carries after a breakout performance against Notre Dame one week earlier.
BYU isn't the only team facing injury concerns going into this game. Starting offensive lineman Tana Alo-Tupuola was ruled out for the Sun Devils. The most notable Sun Devils on the injury report are "questionable" going into this game, headlined by quarterback Mikey Keene and starting safety Lyrik Rawls.
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ASU Faces Quarterback Health Concerns
ASU hasn't found consistent production from the quarterback position this season. The Sun Devils benched starter Cutter Boley after he threw two interceptions in only 10 attempts against Texas Tech. ASU turned to veteran Mikey Keene who gave ASU a spark against the Red Raiders. He threw for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns in that game, although the game was out of reach by the time he was moving the ASU offense.
Keene got the starting nod against Kansas State and threw for 160 yards before leaving the game with an injury. Keene is questionable against BYU, the designation reserved for players with a 50% chance to play.
If Keene can't go, ASU will turn to true freshman QB Jake Fette. Fette came in against Kansas State and threw for 45 yards. Fette, a former blue-chip recruit, has only attempted eight passes in his career. He came in against Morgan State and got off to a shaky start. He threw only two passes and both of them were turnover worthy.
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Against Kansas State, he managed to lead ASU to a win over Kansas State. Should he start against BYU, it would be his first career start.
Regardless of who plays quarterback on Saturday, the Cougars should have a chance to get after the quarterback. Neither Keene nore Fette have been able to consistently escape pressure this season. Fette has been sacked twice in 11 dropbacks and Keene has been sacked five times in the last two games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/byu as LJ Martin and Evan Johnson Officially Ruled Out for BYU Against ASU .
