Pac-12 Pre-Season Injury Report: Each Team Dealing with At Least One Setback

With the recent changes in injury reporting, fans are becoming more and more left in the dark about players' injuries going into games, but not yet completely in the dark. There could be some more injuries that pop up in game week, and there are of course other injuries that have afflicted players all around the conference, but right now these are the ones that are looming most large just a few days away from the start of the season for each team. Some are big pieces of news that changed the course of things during the spring and off-season, and some are fall camp injuries that are more day-to-day.

Arizona

Austin Hill Jr. WR - Torn ACL - Will miss season

Hill was quietly the most productive receiver after Marqise Lee returning to the conference in 2013, but tore an ACL in spring practice and will miss the entire 2013 season.

Impact - Hill's absence leaves the Wildcats without a receiver that had more than 300 yards receiving in 2012, an especially harsh blow considering that the Wildcats will also be breaking in a new quarterback who will desperately need open targets. The loss of Hill as a deep threat will also allow teams to blitz the Wildcats' new quarterback with less fear of getting beat long.

Arizona State

Marcus Ball Fr. S - Shoulder - 3-5 weeks

The 6'3 205 true freshman from Ohio looked like he was going to make an instant impact during fall camp and probably start until a shoulder injury surgery took him down for at least a few weeks.

Impact - Ball's absence prompted Todd Graham to move senior cornerback Robert Nelson over to safety to fill Ball's void next to Alden Darby. Though Nelson is more experienced than Ball, he has never played safety for the Sun Devils. The good news is that he will have an extra week to prepare, with the Sun Devils having a bye week before their September 5 opener against Sacramento State.

Cal

Avery Sebastion Jr. S - Concussion - Return pending

Sebastian hoped to grow into a full-time starter at safety for the Bears but suffered a concussion early in camp, and though he is reportedly recovering well and returning soon, his exactly return date is yet to be determined.

Impact - The Bears were already inexperienced in the defensive backfield with Sebastion, and until he can return, redshirt freshman Damariay Drew will be filling his spot.

Key starting linebackers Nick Forbes and Khairi Fortt are also banged up, but signs point to them being ready for the Bears' opener against Northwestern.

Colorado

Jordan Webb Jr. QB - Torn ACL - Out for season

Webb was expected to be right in the thick of it for the wide open competition for the Buff starting quarterback position, but tore an ACL in spring practice and then got in a fight during the off-season that has led to a legal case.

Impact - Webb was expected to be the biggest competitor to Connor Wood, who it looks will likely end up winning the job, in the spring and fall to be named Mike McIntyre's starting quarterback. Now without Webb, the Buffs had an easier choice with Wood, and will not have an experienced player like Webb to jump in should Wood go down with an injury or be ineffective during the season.

Oregon

Thomas Tyner Fr. RB - Ankle - Return uncertain

Duck fans couldn't wait to catch a glimpse of the track star in green and yellow, but he went down with an ankle injury very early in camp and was carted off the field. The Ducks have been very quiet on the severity of the injury, so the timetable for his availability is unclear at this point.

Impact - Hard to gauge right now because no one has ever seen the true freshman play college football, but Tyner was regarded as one of the best backs in the Class of 2013, and his legitimate Olympic sprinter speed was expected to add another devastating weapon to Oregon's already deadly offense. If the injury is significant, then the Ducks may be without another home run hitter in their backfield to accompany De'Anthony Thomas and Byron Marshall.

Oregon State

D.J. Alexander Jr. LB - Knee - 3-4 weeks

The returning starter hurt his right knee tackling running back Storm Woods in practice and is expected to be week-to-week during the beginning of the season.

Impact - Junior Jabral Johnson has been stepping in for Alexander, and though the Beaver staff has confidence in him, Alexander might be the Beavers' best linebacker, so they will be hurting a bit, especially in run defense until they can get him back.

Stanford

Josh Nunes Sr. QB - Chest tear - Career

The former starter had to retire from football after a freak weight lifting accident that resulted in a complete tear of one of his pectoral muscles.

Impact - The Cardinals are very much headed in the direction of sophomore Kevin Hogan, who grabbed Nunes' starting spot in 2012 and took the Cardinal offense to another level, but not having Nunes means that they will be without a strong back-up in case Hogan goes down with an injury.

UCLA

Anthony Barr Sr. LB - Concussion - Uncertain

The All-American candidate took a hard blow to the head recently in practice and had to sit out for a bit with what may have been a concussion.

Impact - The Bruins were predictably very mum about Barr's injury, but all signs point to it just being a minor bang up, and Barr should be ready to go for UCLA's opener against Nevada. Still, head injuries can be the types of things that can linger, and it's likely that Barr will at least be monitored very closely early in the season.

USC

Marqise Lee Jr. WR - Shoulder - Uncertain

The other LA-based All-American candidate went out of practice with what was described as a bone bruise in his shoulder recently and immediately scared every USC football fan everywhere.

Impact - Lee seems to be fully healthy after the ding to his shoulder, but it will assuredly be watched closely as Lee missing any time at all could be disastrous to the Trojans.

Utah

Stevie Tu'ikolovatu Fr. DT - Foot - Out for season

The redshirt freshman was right in the thick of the race to replace Star Lotulelei and Dave Kruger at defensive tackle but suffered a foot injury that will sideline him for 2013.

Impact - The Utes still have three other defensive tackles who were fighting with Tu'ikolovatu for the starting spot, but will miss the rising freshman who very well may have grabbed the role had he stayed healthy.

Washington

Austin Seferian-Jenkins Jr. TE - Broken finger - Uncertain

The star's status for the Huskies' opener against Boise State was already uncertain due to a DUI arrest during spring, but now it is even cloudier after Seferian-Jenkins suffered a broken pinkie in fall camp.

Impact - Tough to determine, given that Steve Sarkisian had already been vague about his status for the opening games prior to the injury due to potential punishment for the DUI, but regardless, having their most talented player miss any time, especially if it is in their opener against an even match like the Broncos could be extremely difficult for the Huskies.

Washington State

Teams have generally become very quiet about injuries suffered in practices these days, but the Cougars may be the quietest of any of them.

http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/aug/22/wsu-puts-kibosh-on-reporting-injuries/