STANFORD — After some anxious hours, Stanford received positive news on the injury front. Starting defensive linemen Aziz Shittu and Brennan Scarlett and all-conference left tackle Kyle Murphy are expected to play against Arizona, coach David Shaw said Tuesday.

All three were hurt during the victory at Oregon State last week. Shaw didn’t disclose the nature of the injuries, but they are believed to involve knees and ankles.

The news on Shittu and Scarlett was particularly important for the 18th-ranked Cardinal given the state of the defensive line. Thin to begin the season, the unit has already lost starting nose tackle Harrison Phillips to a season-ending knee injury. A serious injury to either Shittu or Scarlett would have created a dire situation.

“They’re very fortunate,” Shaw said. “X-rays showed no broken bones and no torn ligaments. Both are extremely sore, but we anticipate both of them playing.”

The Cardinal used a makeshift defensive line at Oregon State after Scarlett and Shittu hobbled off the field. Reserves Nate Lohn, Jordan Watkins and Torsten Rotto got extensive playing time, while outside linebackers Joey Alfieri and Mike Tyler also played hybrid end positions.

“It’s hard when guys are down,” said redshirt freshman Solomon Thomas, the only starter on the line who currently is healthy. “But it hasn’t affected us terribly.”

Outside linebacker Kevin Anderson (undisclosed injury) will be held out for the second consecutive week. He is expected to be ready for UCLA on Oct. 15. Alfieri, who had five tackles against Oregon State, will start in Anderson’s place. Quarterback Kevin Hogan sustained no further damage to his sprained left ankle, and the swelling has subsided. He will be limited in practice but is expected to start.

Arizona is also dealing with injuries to significant players. All-America linebacker Scooby Wright won’t play because of a foot injury suffered in the loss to UCLA, while quarterback Anu Solomon is questionable because of a concussion. If Solomon doesn’t play, the Wildcats will use senior Jerrard Randall, a transfer from LSU who is a gifted runner but raw passer. “It won’t change our approach too much,” Shaw said. “The biggest issue is RichRod (Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez) and going against his scheme. It’s tough to deal with because it puts you in so many conflicts, so many run-pass conflicts.”

Stanford has used seven true freshmen thus far. The other members of the rookie class are expected to redshirt unless injuries dictate otherwise. One veteran who hasn’t played yet is senior Luke Kaumatule. The former tight end and defensive end has moved to outside linebacker; he’s eligible for a redshirt season. “There have been a lot of internal conversations,” Shaw said. “It sounds great to redshirt Luke, but if we need him to win a game, we’re going to throw him in there.”