JONESBORO -- Chris Stone has known since the beginning of spring practice that his role on Arkansas State's defensive line has changed.
All the junior from Daleville, Ala., has to do is look around at his teammates.
Depleted depth
• Arkansas State’s defensive line might be the thinnest group on the entire team, with junior Chris Stone as its most experienced player. Coach Blake Anderson has blamed the lack of depth on five head coaches in five seasons with different recruiting philosophies, and the position had become neglected. When ASU opens its season Saturday against Montana State, six of the nine players rotating at the line positions will be playing their first college games.
PLAYER;CLASS;POS.;STARTS;TACKLES;TFL;SACKS
Chris Stone;Jr.;DE;17;83;12.5;4.0
Dexter Blackmon;Sr.;DT;5;50;7.0;3.5
Chris Odom;So.;DE;0;17;3.5;3.0
Ja’Von Jones;RFr.;DE;0;0;0;0
Jonah Hill;RFr.;DE;0;0;0;0
Chuks Ota;Fr.;DT;0;0;0;0
E.J. Sutton;Fr.;DT;0;0;0;0
Cliff Thomas;Fr.;DT;0;0;0;0
Charles Alexander;Jr.;DT;0;0;0;0
The defensive line was a position of strength last year, but it has a new look going into the 2014 season. Gone are Ryan Carrethers, a 32-game starter at tackle; Eddie Porter, who started 21 games at end; and Amos Draper, who started 11 at tackle, leaving Stone as the unit's only full-time returning starter.
Stone has one full season under his belt, and he is the most seasoned player along a line that Coach Blake Anderson says suffered more than any other group from the yearly coaching turnover. Each new staff over the past five seasons has brought in a different recruiting focus, which has left the position almost bare.
"That means I have to do more," Stone said when explaining his role. "Just trying to set an example for all the younger kids coming up that this is what we expect."
That's why Stone felt such a sting when ASU lined up for its first fall scrimmage Aug. 9. Instead of working with the No. 1 defense, Stone watched from the sideline as sophomore Chris Odom and redshirt freshman Ja'Von Jones manned the two defensive end spots.
Stone reclaimed his starting spot by the next weekend, and will almost assuredly be there when ASU opens the season Saturday against Montana State. Considering his experience and the position's lack of depth, Stone might have been there no matter what happened in camp, but he doesn't downplay the effect that first scrimmage had on him.
"That hurt me," Stone said. "That hurt me real bad. I made a point to make sure that that would never happen again."
Stone said neither defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen nor defensive line coach Brian Early told him why he wasn't with the starting group, and they didn't have to tell him.
"Obviously, I'm not doing what I have to do so I need to do better," Stone said.
Cauthen was blunt in his explanation when asked about Stone after ASU's second scrimmage.
"We're trying to prove a point to him," Cauthen said. "The guys who are practicing hard are the guys that are going to play."
Stone had reclaimed his role with the top defense by then after turning in one of the best days of any defender in fall camp when he made three sacks and intercepted a screen pass thrown by quarterback Fredi Knighten.
If Stone can be trusted to anchor one side of the defense, the rest of the line can begin to fall into place.
Defensive tackle Dexter Blackmon started five games last season but missed spring practice with a shoulder injury and has missed part of fall camp for the same reason, but he is expected to be ready by Saturday.
Sophomore Darrius Rosser could be at the other tackle spot, but he's struggled with a sprained MCL during camp. Or it could be a rotation of freshmen E.J. Sutton, Clifford Thomas and Chuks Ota and junior-college transfer Charles Alexander. The other end spot will likely be manned by Odom, Jones or freshman Jonah Hill, who moved from tight end to defensive end in the spring.
"It's kind of a crapshoot down there at the D-Line, to be honest with you," Cauthen said.
But they are starting to get what they want from Stone. That's a start.
Stone, a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, had 9 1/2 tackles for loss and 3 sacks last season. He's hoping his pass rush statistics get a boost after trimming down in the offseason in an attempt to pick up speed. Stone said he's at about 250 pounds after playing around 260 last year.
Stone said he knows the defensive line, inexperienced as it is, must hold up its share of the responsibilities with three linebackers and eight defensive backs returning with starting experience.
"If the D-Line isn't doing their job, then the secondary can't do their job," Stone said. "So we have to. We've got to get to the ball."
Sports on 08/24/2014