JONESBORO -- Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson said he didn't learn a whole lot during 15 spring practices.
"Nothing really surprised me," he said. "The issues I knew we were going to have going in, we had."
A three-man quarterback race is far from settled, and an injury-riddled offensive line made gauging every aspect of the offense harder.
One thing Anderson did learn -- and fans at ASU's spring game Friday night saw for themselves -- is that Cameron Echols-Luper can affect a game in just about every way imaginable.
Statistics were hard to gauge in ASU's final spring scrimmage, which was won by the defense 43-42 when it stopped a two-point conversion run by Jamal Jones on the game's final play. But Echols-Luper -- who transferred from TCU in the fall intending to play quarterback -- caught passes, threw passes, took handoffs and even punted once Friday night.
The 6-foot junior, listed as an "athlete" on the ASU roster, had a hand in two of the biggest plays of the scrimmage -- a 34-yard pass to Blake Mack and a 29-yard reception on the game's final drive. He also ran once for 6 yards, and at one point he uncorked a punt that unofficially traveled 45 yards.
If that wasn't enough, he caught a punt behind his back.
"He can do a lot of things," Anderson said. "He's really just gotten better every day, and with a summer under his belt, we can create some opportunities where he can be special."
Friday's display was the bright spot in a night when quarterbacks Justice Hansen, James Tabary and Cameron Birse combined to complete 12 of 30 passes for 96 yards with 2 interceptions.
Echols-Luper was an all-Big 12 honorable mention punt returner at TCU in 2014, but he transferred to ASU in the fall with the intention of inserting himself in this season's quarterback race.
After a fall of playing a versatile role on the scout team, Anderson told him the best route to getting on the field as much as possible -- and possibly playing in the NFL -- was a position change.
"I just came in the office one day and said I was good to go," Echols-Luper said. "Catching the ball and catching punts and kicks, it comes a lot more natural than throwing it."
Anderson said Friday that he was going to leave the final decision up to Echols-Luper, but he's not disappointed in the choice that was made. For Echols-Luper to be a quarterback, Anderson told him, he would have to "sell out" to do so.
"That means no other distractions, go sink your teeth in it," Anderson said. "We kind of weighed the options. Either sell out at quarterback and do that and that alone. Or, sell out and have a really broad role and get great at all these different things, which helps our football team and makes him really marketable."
He might even let Echols-Luper punt next fall.
"Absolutely," Anderson said.
Either way, his speed has been noticed by his teammates.
"It's different when I'm chasing this man," defensive end Ja'Von Rolland-Jones said, pointing to Echols-Luper after the scrimmage. "It's like chasing a cheetah. I just feel like I'm never going to catch him."
Plenty of competition remains in the fall, most notably the quarterback race.
Hansen took the first snaps, but he was sacked on the first play and went three-and-out on his first two drives. Hansen went 4 of 10 passing for 35 yards with an interception on an underthrown pass. Birse went 2 of 6 passing for 8 yards. Tabary, who was the last to take snaps, was 6 of 14 for 53 yards and an interception.
While reiterating the competition would be decided in the fall, Anderson complimented Hansen's ability to run.
"Far from over," Anderson said of the quarterback competition. "But he is knee deep in the middle of it and creates some things that potentially a couple of the guys don't, in terms of abilities to make plays and extend with his feet."
Sports on 04/16/2016