CU wide receiver Shay Fields grabs his leg in pain after suffering a high ankle sprain while scoring a late touchdown last week. He will miss this week’s game at Oregon State. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Boulder — Critics don’t like it when injuries are used as an excuse for a team’s problems, but sometimes that helps explain why a team is struggling.
Shay Fields, CU’s big-play receiver, will miss this week’s game at Oregon State because of a high ankle sprain suffered late in the loss to Arizona last week. With him unavailable, that means eight of 22 first-string players will have missed games this year.
They include left tackle Jeromy Irwin and inside linebacker Addison Gillam (both out for the season with knee injuries), running back Michael Adkins, inside linebacker Kenneth Olugbode and tackle Sam Kronshage.
CU has had 34 players who made their on-field debuts this season. That is the third-most in the nation behind Kansas (37) and TCU (36). CU has also had the third-most first-time starters (18).
