ORLANDO, Fla. -- Blake Anderson was ready for a break late Saturday night.
Arkansas State's head football coach had just watched the Red Wolves' defense shine and the offense sputter one more time this season, survived having a bucket of water dumped over his head and listened as his players bumped music that burst through the concrete walls of their Camping World Stadium locker room.
It was about 11 p.m. Eastern time when ASU's coach sat at a table sopping wet, talking to reporters about his team's 31-13 victory over Central Florida in the Cure Bowl, one that gave Anderson his first bowl victory and capped an up-and-down season that he could only describe as "exhausting."
"I'm ready to go home with my family and enjoy a little Christmas," he said.
It won't be a long break.
The recruiting dead period ends Jan. 11 and later next month ASU will begin winter conditioning drills. But because of how Anderson and ASU finished 2016, the Red Wolves figure to start 2017 with a bit more momentum, no matter how much it drained them getting there.
"The last game is going to follow you into the offseason, into recruiting," Anderson said, "We're still right in the middle of battling and I think we represented the conference and our brand really, really well tonight."
An Arkansas State defense that put six starters on an all-Sun Belt team held Central Florida to a season-low 223 yards. The Red Wolves' special teams also forced two turnovers, which led to two of ASU's three offensive touchdowns.
It all added up to ASU finishing the 2016 season with an 8-5 record, a share of the Sun Belt title and a bowl victory after enduring its first 0-4 start since 2001.
It's the third time ASU has won a piece of the Sun Belt title and a bowl game in the same season.
"I don't think it's really possible for me to explain just how hard this season has been," said Anderson, who could hear his players celebrating in the next room over. "To be where we were, to be taking the abuse that we took -- coaches and players alike -- that's just letting it loose and it's exactly what you want from them."
ASU lost to Toledo, Auburn, Utah State and Central Arkansas -- two bowl teams and one that advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs -- to start the season.
Six consecutive victories was followed by another hiccup, a 24-19 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette that cost it a chance at an outright Sun Belt title. ASU rallied again, beating Texas State on Dec. 3 and then UCF on Saturday to finish 8-5.
"That's what made us us," senior cornerback Chris Humes said, talking about the 0-4 start. "That slow start made this championship-type team. That's what we had to go through."
To do it again next year, ASU will have plenty of holes to fill, but plenty of talent returns at key spots on offense. Nine players who started on offense and defense will return, including quarterback Justice Hansen, who showed flaws but finished 8-2 as a starter. The Red Wolves will have to replace all five starters on the offensive line, but return their top two rushers, and six of seven receivers who caught 19 passes or more.
More holes have formed on defense, where ASU loses five of its top eight tacklers, including first-team all-Sun Belt picks Chris Odom and Money Hunter. But, one of he departing seniors, Humes, said he likes where things have been left off.
"This win will be a kick-start for next year," Humes said, as Anderson accepted the game's trophy on the field. "It's the first game for next year and we know what type of team we have coming back. It's going to be a good year for the Red Wolves."
Sports on 12/19/2016