JONESBORO -- Johnston White and Warren Wand are quick to compliment each other.
"Warren is Warren," said White, ASU's junior running back. "He's about 5-5, but he's got the heart of a lion and can do it all. Run and catch. You can't ask for much more."
Filling holes
• Arkansas State was third in the Sun Belt Conference with 231.3 rushing yards per game last season. The Red Wolves are looking to make up for the production lost from the departed Michael Gordon, who had 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns. The most likely candidates are two returners and a junior-college transfer.
PLAYER ATT. YARDS AVG. TD AVG/G.
Warren Wand 118 709 6.0 5 54.5
Johnston White 99 614 6.2 14 47.2
Armond Weh-Weh 153 1,229 8.0 11 111.7
NOTE Armond Weh-Weh’s yards were gained at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College last season.
Wand, a sophomore running back, noted White's knack for finding holes in tight spaces, which helped him score 14 rushing touchdowns last season, second in the Sun Belt Conference.
"He's smoother and can get through tough spaces," Wand said.
A nice change-of-pace duo to established starter Michael Gordon a year ago, the varied styles of White and Wand are set to take center stage in ASU's backfield this season.
For the first time since the midway point of Coach Bryan Harsin's lone season in 2013, the topic of who is ASU's primary back is up for a debate this fall. Since a suspension to then-starter David Oku that season, Gordon took over ASU's top rusher duties and never gave it back. He started 28 games since 2013, was ASU's leading rusher in each of the past three seasons and ended his career with 2,961 yards, fifth all-time at ASU. His 32 rushing touchdowns rank fourth.
ASU coaches believe they have suitable replacements, starting with White and Wand, who combined for 1,323 yards and 19 touchdowns last year.
"Mike's gone," said Wand, who had 709 yards and 5 touchdowns last year. "You've got to come fight for a spot."
White and Wand are both doing so, but as ASU heads to its first scrimmage Saturday, it likely won't have to choose between one or the other. ASU Coach Blake Anderson called White, who had 614 yards last season, "Mr. Dependable" and Wand a "game-changer," and he'd like to keep the versatility the two showed when Gordon needed a rest last season.
"Mike was a guy that you really needed to get a lot of reps and get lathered up, and if you gave him enough, he'd end up hitting that home run ball," Anderson said. "I think by committee is where we're going to be at our best [now]."
That's fine with both White and Wand, who were virtual unknowns to most a year ago at this time.
They'll have to take more responsibility this year, whether that's solo or as a duo.
"You can't really get a good handle of it right now," Wand said. "Me and White, if it's us, it's us. We've just got to take care of it. But we welcome anybody who wants it."
On Wednesday, ASU's second practice with pads, both were working with the top offense, but White was getting the first snaps in a majority of the drills. But that could change at any time, first-year running backs coach Norval McKenzie said.
"It's never going to be, one day you're the No. 1 back," McKenzie said. "No, you're not the No. 1 back if you had a bad practice, then you're the No. 2 back. If you have a bad day, next man up, and if he takes it and does well with it, that's who we're rolling with."
McKenzie, who arrived in January from Furman, said White and Wand can both be "every-down backs," but he sees the need for a third.
The expected recipient of those carries is Armond Weh-Weh, who signed in February but didn't arrive from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College until this month. That timeline puts some space between Weh-Weh and the two most experienced backs, but Anderson and McKenzie both said they like what they've seen.
Weh-Weh, a Houston native and former Texas Tech signee -- he redshirted there in 2013 -- gives ASU a different dimension with his 6-foot, 215-pound frame.
"If [he] can get a foot in the ground and get north and south, [he'll] be a pain to tackle," McKenzie said. "The bigger thing for him is just grasping everything mentally. I think, physically, he has all the tools to be very successful."
Coaches were expecting Weh-Weh to contribute, but they like seeing it so early in camp, especially since it's an added element to two pieces they already know plenty about.
"You can obviously tell the two veterans, and they show up," Anderson said of White and Wand. "But, just noticed a couple of really good runs out of Armond today, and his vision is maybe better than what we expected.
"I think those three guys, at this point if we played tomorrow, would be the bulk of it."
Sports on 08/11/2016