Red Wolves must get more physical

JONESBORO --Blake Anderson enters his second season as Arkansas State's head football coach with a pretty good idea what the Red Wolves need to do to improve on their 7-6 record, the program's worst since 2010.

Yes, the Red Wolves reached a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season and had another winning Sun Belt Conference record.

But Anderson and his team want more, and one key to reclaiming another conference title -- ASU won at least a share of the league title in 2011, 2012 and 2013 -- isn't a secret.

The Red Wolves, Anderson has said, need to be more physical on both lines of a scrimmage, a deficiency area a year ago that was blamed in part for ASU's late-season slide a .year ago.

"We're not physical enough, demanding enough or good enough in obvious run situations," said Anderson, whose return for second season ends a four-year merry-go-round ride of head coaches. "We've got to be better."

An October loss at Louisiana-Lafayette on national TV did more than wound ASU's pride, it provided a blueprint that was followed by Appalachian State, Texas State and Toledo.

ASU was 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt play when it was gashed for 419 yards rushing in its 55-40 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette. It started a slide that saw ASU lose four of its last seven games. The Red Wolves allowed an average of 362 yards rushing per game while averaging 152 rushing yards itself in the four losses.

"Nobody hit us in the mouth like that until Lafayette," defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen said. "People saw that, so it went boom, boom, boom. We couldn't stop it."

Cauthen said he expects teams to attack his defense the same way this year, but he hopes a few added pieces are enough to absorb some of the blows.

Defensive tackles Waylon Roberson, 338 pounds, Robert Mondie, 321 pounds, and Jake Swalley, 292 pounds, transferred in time to play in the spring and have taken turns with the top defense.

The additions have allowed Cauthen to move Darrius Rosser and Chris Odom, who played as undersized defensive tackles last season, back to their natural defensive end position. The new guys have eased the nerves of some veterans, too.

"We've got some big boys on that inside," senior defensive end Chris Stone said. "Those gaps don't even exist anymore with those guys in there. They're just bouncing outside."

ASU added two transfers, tackles Joe Bacchus (275 pounds) and Jamal Fontenot (300), to help solidify the offensive line. Minor injuries have slowed a few linemen, but the return of three starters -- Devin Mondie, Colton Jackson and Jemar Clark -- gives Anderson confidence that he has a good base.

What could help the running game even more, and help take some of the load off senior quarterback Fredi Knighten, is a stable of running backs that offensive coordinator Walt Bell likes.

Senior Michael Gordon rushed for 1,100 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and scored 13 touchdowns last year. Behind him is Johnston White (514 yards and six touchdowns), DeKeathan Williams and Terrance Hollingsworth.

Freshman Warren Wand, 5-5, 175, also has taken snaps with the top offense, and Bell said earlier this month that Wand, from Edmond, Okla., won't redshirt.

"We're really good at running back," Bell said. "Mike Gordon is a great player, we all know that. Everybody out there knows that. Whoever goes in there after him, it will be an interesting battle."

The depth has Anderson excited as he enters his second season with the Red Wolves, the first ASU head coach to stick around for a second season since Steve Roberts in 2003.

"I think what's possible for this group excites everybody, and it makes you want to come to work," Anderson said. "We learned a lot about ourselves over the year and to have the whole staff come back and committed to the goal, it's a really exciting time."

Sports on 08/30/2015