Thompson, Red Wolves enjoy fleeting frenzy
MOBILE, Ala. - Another Arkansas State roller-coaster month was over, and John Thompson couldn’t wait to thank the Red Wolves for providing him a second consecutive winning ride as ASU’s interim football coach.
“There are some special, special young men to do what they’ve done,” said Thompson, who took over for Gus Malzahn last year and Bryan Harsin this time. “They’re fighters. They’re overcomers. Wonderful, wonderful young men. I’ve got great respect for them.”
ASU’s 23-20 victory wasn’t assured until defensive tackle Ryan Carrethers plowed through Ball State’s front to get his right palm on Scott Secor’s 38-yard field goal attempt that could have forced overtime at Ladd Peebles Stadium.
Carrethers’ block capped a frantic final 8 1/2 minutes that saw sophomore quarterback Fredi Knighten throw a crucial interception, and Ball State turn that into a go-ahead touchdown before Knighten drove ASU 59 yards in five plays that ended with a 13-yard fade to Allen Muse for the winning score.
It was a fitting end for the Red Wolves (8-5), whose second consecutive victory in the GoDaddy Bowl was about as wild as the final five topsy-turvy weeks that made up the end of their season.
“We had a feeling we could do it,” Muse said.
ASU’s chances of making a bowl game looked bleak after a Nov. 30 loss to Western Kentucky, which dropped the Red Wolves’ record to 7-5.
But two days after that loss, the Red Wolves were invited to the GoDaddy Bowl for the third consecutive year before having to endure another coaching transition.
Harsin left for Boise State, leaving nearly half of his ASU staff formed barely a year before not knowing where they’d end up.
There was also uncertainty surrounding starting quarterback Adam Kennedy, who didn’t know even as Sunday’s game began how well his knee would hold up.
But Knighten filled in for Kennedy, and ASU persevered, winning for the fifth time in its final seven games after being tied or trailing at halftime.
Thompson, acting as ASU’s interim coach despite knowing there is no spot for him on new Coach Blake Anderson’s staff, pointed to the sky and hugged a staff member after Carrethers’ big palm impeded the direction of Secor’s kick.
Thompson thanked ASU fans during the postgame trophy presentation and spoke well of Kennedy and the Red Wolves, who might have have turned in their best performance of the season.
The early departure of senior quarterback Kennedy changed Sunday’s game more than anything else.
Kennedy started every ASU game, but he spent all of December trying to recover from a dislocated kneecap suffered at Western Kentucky.
Kennedy ran two series - one ended with a missed Brian Davis field goal, the other a punt - completing 3 of 5 passes for 14 yards and rushing 6 times for 10 yards before giving way to Knighten in the middle of the third series.
Kennedy and Thompson talked at halftime, and Kennedy watched the last two quarters of his career on the sideline without pads on.
“He couldn’t go,” Thompson said. “He took some hits on that thing and it wasn’t going to last. Or, we didn’t think so.”
Knighten took over with full confidence of his teammates.
“Fredi was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas,” Muse said. “We practice with him every day. I work out with him all the time. When he comes into the game, we just keep rolling.”
ASU finished with 331 total yards - Knighten accounted for 212 - but coaches tried a variety of trick plays to keep Ball State guessing, including a play Malzahn made famous as Arkansas’ offensive coordinator in a 2006 victory over second-ranked Auburn.
Instead of Reggie Fish, the undersized star of Malzahn’s “Woody” play, ASU called on 5-9 senior receiver R.J. Fleming, who crouched behind 6-5 right guard Cliff Mitchell and took a hand-off from Kennedy, who had returned specifically for that play. Fleming raced round left end for 27 yards to set up Sirgregory Thornton’s 1-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 10-10 at halftime.
There were two more unsuccessful attempts at trickery. Seldom-used fifth-year senior quarterback Phillip Butterfield took a snap on the first play of the third quarter, passed laterally to Knighten, who threw incomplete to tight end Warren Leapheart. Later in the quarter, Tres Houston threw an incomplete pass on a reverse pass.
But Knighten, minutes after making a play that nearly cost ASU the game, came through after Ball State emerged with a 20-16 lead, taking the Red Wolves 59 yards in five plays that ended with a 13-yard fade to Muse in the corner of the end zone.
Knighten dropped to one knee for a moment after the pass, then watched the final frantic seconds on the sideline as Ball State drove into position for a field-goal attempt that would have forced overtime.
Knighten admitted afterward he thought about what Sunday’s performance could do for him as he enters his third season under his third different head coach, Blake Anderson.
“But, honestly, I’m here to celebrate with these guys. Because we deserve it,” Knighten said. “They deserve it.”
Thompson, 58, spent the past two seasons as ASU’s defensive coordinator and is 2-0 as an interim coach in bowl games. But he won’t be retained by Anderson, and isn’t sure where he’ll coach next.
Thompson exited his postgame new conference to applause, from fans,l while hugging Knighten and linebacker Qushaun Lee.
“I am blessed that I was able to stay here, and spend two years here and come back home,” Thompson said. “It was a great two years. You’ll win a lot of games with these young men and what’s going on.”Arkansas State (8-5, 5-2 Sun Belt) DATE OPPONENT RESULT Aug. 31 Ark.-Pine Bluff W, 62-11 Sept. 7 at Auburn L, 38-9 Sept. 12 Troy W, 41-34 Sept. 21 at Memphis L, 31-7 Sept. 28 at Missouri L, 41-19 Oct. 12 Idaho W, 48-24 Oct. 22 La.-Lafayette L, 23-7 Nov. 2 at S. Alabama W, 17-16 Nov. 9 at La.-Monroe W, 42-14 Nov. 16 Texas State W, 38-21 Nov. 23 Georgia State W, 35-33 Nov. 30 at W. Kentucky L, 34-31 Jan. 5 vs. Ball State# W, 23-20 Sun Belt game, #GoDaddy Bowl
Sports, Pages 22 on 01/07/2014