Earlier in the second quarter, sophomore spur linebacker Viliami "Laiu" Moeakiola left with a right-arm injury. He watched the second half with the arm in a sling. ***
Moeakiola left in the second quarter. Through the season's opening weeks, he had been ASU's most consistent defensive player. Graham and co-defensive coordinator Keith Patterson thought enough of his performance and leadership to promote Moeakiola to team captain last week.
Without Moeakiola, the Sun Devils at times had four true freshmen on the field: defensive tackle Tashon Smallwood, weak-side linebacker D.J. Calhoun, cornerback Armand Perry and Christian Sam, who replaced Moeakiola at spur.