Arkansas State's Gordon good to go in SBC opener

JONESBORO -- Michael Gordon's return to practice this week was accompanied by a bulky, hard-to-get-used-to garment pulled over his injured ribs and collarbone.

It's called an EvoShield, and while the skin-tight, black pullover that provides protective padding over his bruised ribs might be a little uncomfortable, Gordon knows that it's his ticket back onto the field for Saturday's 6 p.m. Sun Belt Conference opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

"You got to do what you got to do," said Gordon, who entered this season as a preseason All-Sun Belt selection but has yet to play a full game after suffering bruised ribs in the season opener and an injury to his collarbone area in a Sept. 6 loss to Tennessee.

Three weeks of rest seems to have given Gordon time enough to heal the injuries. He went through light workouts last week, returned to a full practice load Tuesday and said he felt fine to return to the lineup after Wednesday's practice.

The 5-9, 187-pound junior said there is still some pain when he gets hit, but nothing like it was when he took a helmet to the right side of his torso while spinning through a hole Aug. 30 against Montana State, a hit that caused him to go to the sideline because he had trouble breathing.

"It was a sharp pain," Gordon said. "I iced it for a few seconds, I thought I would be good, but I couldn't breathe at all."

Gordon tried to play the next week against Tennessee but didn't make it through the first half, and he hasn't played since. He stayed in Jonesboro when ASU traveled to Miami and lost and watched its dramatic victory over Utah State in overtime.

Now he's ready to stop watching and return to his place among ASU's starters.

"I think I'm ready to go," said Gordon, who has been limited to 14 rushes for 85 yards and 1 touchdown.

Quarterback Fredi Knighten said he has seen the same Gordon this week who rushed for most of his team-high 754 yards and 10 touchdowns in the final 5 games of last season.

In Gordon's absence, redshirt freshman Johnston White rushed for 83 yards and one touchdown in the loss at Miami and 100 yards in the victory over Utah State, but Gordon's speed provides an element to the offense that nobody else can.

Gordon took a handoff from Knighten on his second carry of the season against Montana State, found the right sideline and sprinted 42 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. It remains ASU's longest run of the season.

"He adds that dimension to our offense that makes us so much more explosive than before," Knighten said. "You saw that in the first game. He has that big-play ability that definitely helps us out."

Coach Blake Anderson admits it was tough to keep Gordon out for two games, but it'll likely serve ASU better during its string of eight consecutive Sun Belt games that begins Saturday.

"We need him," Anderson said. "Guys have done a good job in his absence, but we need him. He's the fastest guy on the team. We need him to create some explosive plays for us."

Gordon said he hasn't missed the coincidence of Saturday's opponent. It was at Louisiana-Monroe last season where Gordon had his breakout game. Gordon made his first career start in place of the suspended David Oku and rushed for 72 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 42-14 victory.

That performance allowed Gordon to keep the starting spot even after Oku returned from suspension, and he entered this season expecting to be a focal point of the offense.

That's why the first month has been so difficult for Gordon. While his teammates were preparing for Miami and Utah State, he was with the team's training staff, waiting to get the OK to return.

"Getting treatment every day, I hated it, but it was the process I had to go through," Gordon said. "Now every day I'm just giving it my all."

Sports on 10/02/2014