The ASU offensive line suffered two crushing blows earlier this season with the losses of senior right tackle Andrew Carnahan and senior left guard Stephen Berg to torn anterior cruciate ligaments.
But for offensive line coach Brent Myers, coping with player injuries is nothing new.
He lost Grayling Love and Zach Krula to season-ending injuries in 2005 and was left without Brandon Rodd in 2004 after he tore his ACL.
"I've gotten used to the fact that you lose players," Myers said. "It's unfortunate, but it's the nature of the beast."
Though injuries have been notoriously numerous in past years, Myers said there is little that can be done about many of them.
The ACL injuries that sidelined Carnahan, Berg and Rodd all came on what Myers described as "freak leg plants." Love sprained his ankle on a bull rush, and Krula broke his ankle when three defensive linemen landed on the back of his leg.
"It's not a lack of discipline or training or anything of that nature," Myers said. "All five of them were freak situations and typically [lineman injuries] are."
ASU's latest losses of Carnahan and Berg especially hurt, as the unit lost most of its experience between the two players.
Carnahan had started all 37 of his games for the Sun Devils before he got hurt, while Berg had started 31.
"Those are two solid, solid football players," Myers said. "They're great leaders and the kids love them. When you lose two kids like that there's no question there's a dent."
Yet the show has gone on anyway.
Before Carnahan was lost, ASU was averaging 160 yards per game on the ground, and allowed just one sack in each game.
Six games later, the team still averages 160 yards rushing and is giving up just three sacks a game, all against better competition.
In its first game without both Carnahan and Berg last week, the line paved the way for 196 yards in a 47-14 rout of Washington State.
Myers said sophomore right guard Paul Fanaika has been an integral part in holding the line together.
"I think Paul Fanaika has played very well," Myers said. "He stepped up and played the Cal game when Steve Berg was out with a concussion and played awesome."
ASU's offensive line will face arguably its toughest test of the season Saturday against the speedy UCLA defensive end duo of Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis.
Hickman and Davis are first (11.5) and second (10.5) respectively in the Pac-10 for total sacks, and rank second and fourth in the category nationally.
"Those guys are just flat out good pass-rushers to start with," coach Dirk Koetter said. "The problem is UCLA has so many different blitz packages and they'll come at you from a lot of different angles, so they make it difficult for you to double their ends."
Burgess progress slow
Progress for junior wide receiver Rudy Burgess' high ankle sprain is moving slowly, Koetter said Wednesday.
"He's making pretty consistent progress, but I think with these ankle sprain deals, you reach a point when it starts going a lot slower," he said.
Burgess suffered the ankle sprain on a kickoff return at Washington on Oct. 28.
Koetter said Burgess has undergone treatment techniques but had not yet heard the results.
Reach the reporter at steven.bohner@asu.edu
