ASU's 'pit bull' attacks new role

JONESBORO -- Khari Lain's path to significant playing time in the middle of Arkansas State's defense wasn't clear less than a month ago.

The sophomore had been playing linebacker for about eight months after being moved from nickel back during practices for the GoDaddy Bowl in January. He started fall camp behind junior Xavier Woodson, a returning starter, and was passed up by true freshman Tajhea Chambers.

Woodson (suspension and injury)and Chambers (injury) eventually fell off the depth chart, but Lain has proven to be a more than capable replacement through three games.

"It's just going out there in practice and going hard every day and when it's your shot, taking advantage," said Lain, a 5-10, 195-pounder from Tyrone, Ga, who is expected to start Saturday when the Red Wolves take on Toledo.

Woodson's suspension for the first two games of the season allowed Lain to move behind Chambers, and Lain pounced on his chance when Chambers tore his ACL in the second quarter of a Sept. 12 loss to Missouri.

Lain had a team-high 12 tackles, including two for a loss, in the 27-20 loss. Woodson's suspension ended after that game, but he missed last week because of a hamstring injury. That gave Lain his first career start, during which he returned a 44-yard interception for a touchdown in the first quarter of a 70-7 blowout against Missouri State.

Lain admitted that being stuck behind two players at his position was tough during fall camp, but he credited his confidence for getting him to this point so fast.

"I feel like I'm always the best," he said. "If I'm going against Ray Lewis, I think I'm better than him."

That confidence is evident when Lain discusses his background and his playing style. He was a first-team all-state pick as a junior playing what he called "big boy ball" in Class 4A, the third-highest classification in Georgia. He also acknowledged his knack for making momentum-turning plays.

" That's really my thing," he said.

ASU coaches have seen that mentality since they arrived on campus in December 2013. Lain committed to former coach Bryan Harsin in June 2013 and stayed on after defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen visited his Georgia home. Lain played sparingly at nickel back last season but was moved to linebacker to add depth during bowl preparations last year because of his aggressive tackling.

"He's a little pit bull," Cauthen said. "He likes to hunt, and he's going to find a way to find that ball, now. He plays with great effort."

Of course, there are still a few technique issues to be worked out. Lain played linebacker in high school, but Coach Blake Anderson described his role as "go find ball, go tear up ball."

"He just sees a brown spot, and even though that's not really his role, sometimes he just goes," Anderson said. "It's played in his favor the last couple of weeks, but he's got to be more disciplined in his job and what his actual duties are. That's his biggest challenge, and that's going to come with reps."

The good plays have far outweighed the bad plays. So much so that he isn't expected to lose his job even if Woodson is healthy enough to play at Toledo. Instead, Cauthen plans to rotate Woodson, a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt pick, to middle linebacker where he'll rotate with Quanterio Heath.

Woodson could play some weakside linebacker, but that job appears to be Lain's. And while coaches couldn't have predicted his quick ascent, they weren't necessarily surprised by it.

"He really has a nose for the ball and loves contact," Anderson said. "He is a downhill player, sometimes too much so. The fact that when the lights go on and he's in the mix a lot does not surprise me at all."

Sports on 09/25/2015