Thompson Hurt Getting in Spirit

Arizona State has its first bowl-season injury, and it happened before the Sun Devils reached their Citrus College practice field.

Pat Thompson, eight-game starter at right guard, went down at the team’s Pasadena hotel Wednesday night. He was carrying two bags of gifts given to the players at dinner when he slipped on a staircase, fell and bruised his left knee. Thompson, a 300-pound senior, spent Thursday’s practice on the sideline pedaling a stationary bike.

Otherwise, the Sun Devils made it through their first workout unscathed.

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Numbers don’t lie: On the 1994 Arizona State team that went 3-8, only 19 freshmen played.

On this year’s 11-0 team, every freshman was redshirted except backup tailback J.R. Redmond, who entered school at midyear last year and participated in spring football.