ASU DE Vasquez injures ankle, may miss opener

See a slideshow of ASU's scrimmage.

Read Blogging with the Devils

The initial prognosis for Vasquez, a transfer from Arizona Western College in Yuma, was three to four weeks of inactivity. That would make the junior likely unavailable for the season-opening contest against San Jose State on Sept. 1.

However, after the afternoon practice on Monday, Vasquez and ASU coach Dennis Erickson expressed confidence his return would happen sooner.

“It’s not that serious,” Vasquez said. “I’m hoping to be back in a week and a half. It feels good right now, and I’ve been icing and taking care of it. I have every intention of being back for the first game.”

High ankle sprains can be serious. Last year, Rudy Burgess suffered one on a kickoff return at Washington in October. He did not play again until the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve — seeing limited action on special teams — then had surgery that caused him to miss the start of spring drills.

“It impacts everything we do (on the defensive line),” Erickson said. “We have to sit down and talk about our options. …

“It’s unfortunate. Luis got hurt in a fumble drill. There was no contact at all.”

Vasquez’s injury further depletes the defensive end position; Eric Tanner (knee), Tranell Morant (knee) and Wes Evans (leg) have been sidelined. Tackle Saia Falahola is expected to miss at least the first two games with a torn left triceps muscle.

The immediate replacement at left end, Kellen Mills, has just returned from an ankle injury. As a result, James Brooks, a 6-foot-4, 271-pound true freshman who has been impressive in recent workouts, including Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, is less likely to redshirt.

“We have some depth problems, there is no question about that,” Erickson said. “We’re going to let James Brooks fly and see what happens.”

On Saturday, Brooks batted down a pass and had a tackle for a loss on consecutive plays. He also showed good athleticism in chasing Rudy Carpenter to the sidelines on a scramble by the quarterback.

“If I get in there and give the starting quarterback pressure against the first-string line, that’s only going to boost my confidence,” Brooks said.

Junior-college transfer Paul Unga, who can line up at end or tackle, also is an option.

Vasquez is the most recent Sun Devil to suffer an ankle sprain during preseason drills.

Wide receiver Brandon Smith was injured during practice in Tempe. Mills, running back Dimitri Nance, linebacker Ryan McFoy and safety Jeremy Payton are among those hurt at Camp Tontozona.

“We’ve had lots of ankle sprains up here, for whatever reason,” Erickson said. “More than any place I’ve ever been.”