Finkenberg to undergo knee surgery
Arizona State is dealing with another significant injury to a key player after a school spokesman said starting sophomore left tackle Evan Finkenberg would have surgery Wednesday to repair a knee injury suffered Saturday against Oregon State.
Finkenberg didn't leave the game, but a torn meniscus was found this week according to a team source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to privacy laws.
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Such injuries typically require a 4-to-6 week recovery time, with sophomore defensive end Junior Onyeali rehabilitating a similar injury after surgery two weeks ago. ASU isn't putting a timetable on Finkenberg's return.
Dating to spring football, more than a dozen players expected to be starters or important reserves, have been injured and missed one or more games as a result.
In addition to Onyeali, the list of serious injuries includes senior cornerback Omar Bolden, senior receiver T.J. Simpson, senior linebacker Brandon Magee, sophomore running back Deantre Lewis, senior offensive lineman Aderious Simmons, senior offensive linemen Adam Tello, junior receiver J.J. Holliday, redshirt freshman cornerback Devan Spann, redshirt freshman defensive tackle Joita Te'i and freshman safety Ezekiel Bishop, all of whom have already missed all or most of the season.
Finkenberg may not be the only offensive line starter out this weekend against Utah, as senior center Garth Gerhart is very questionable after suffering an ankle sprain early in the Sun Devils' win over Oregon State Saturday.
Gerhart would be replaced by sophomore Kody Koebensky if he can't play, and at tackle, the Sun Devils have several options depending on the availability of Simmons, who hasn't played since suffering an ankle sprain in the team's season opener.
If Simmons is available, he could play right tackle with senior Dan Knapp moving to left tackle. If Simmons doesn't play, ASU could bump redshirt freshman Jamil Douglas to the starting left tackle spot, or move Knapp to left tackle and move up redshirt freshman Tyler Sulka to right tackle.