ASU enters 2016 confident of the unknown

Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson speaks Monday at Sun Belt media day.
Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson speaks Monday at Sun Belt media day.

NEW ORLEANS — Arkansas State has played 15 seasons in the Sun Belt Conference and not once has it been picked by league head coaches to win the conference title.

The same is true for its 16th season, which ASU unofficially opened on Monday with its annual media day at the Superdome. But Coach Blake Anderson, who led the Red Wolves to a perfect 8-0 Sun Belt record and a league title in 2015, and two players all said they're confident this season can still end like they have four times since 2011.

"We've never been picked to win it," Anderson said. "But we've found a way to win it four out of the last five years.

"Obviously, it's where we finish not where we start. The expectation is high at our place regardless of where the rankings tell us we are."

The league-favorite label didn't go to ASU, instead it went to Appalachian State, but no team that addressed the gathered media Monday counted out the Red Wolves. That included Appalachian State Coach Scott Satterfield, who doesn't even meet ASU on the field this season.

"I'm not sorry we're not playing them," Satterfield said. "That's a blessing."

Praise from coaches stems from last year's undefeated conference season and a roster that had a league-high 11 all-Sun Belt selections.

Anderson likes his returners — he brought first-team preaseason picks in tackle Jemar Clark and safety Cody Brown — but also the unknown. Quarterbacks Chad Voytik and Justice Hansen, wide receivers Cameron Echols-Luper and Kendall Sanders and defensive tackle Dee Liner were either not on the team or sitting out sitting out due to NCAA transfer restrictions last season.

Anderson said there is a lot of "nervous energy" heading into the start of practice next week.

"Just the excitement in the potential of some of the offensive weapons that we have," he said. "Very few that have played for us, but that appear to be dynamic playmakers on practice and on film."

Anderson noted the entirety of an offensive line that was affected by injuries during last year's New Orleans Bowl loss to Louisiana Tech and in the spring will begin practice fully healthy. That includes Clark, left guard Austin Moreton, center Devin Mondie, right guard Colton Jackson and right tackle Joseph Bacchus, all of whom have starting experience.

That excites Anderson and Clark, who missed five games because of injury last season yet still was picked first-team all-Sun Belt, especially considering the team will be playing with a new quarterback.

"You can only go as far as the O-Line takes you," Clark said. "I'm really looking forward to blocking for those guys, and get a feel for the offense and figure out which one of those guys is going to take the spot."

Who that ends up being remains ASU's biggest question mark.

Hansen played in the spring, Voytik joined as a graduate transfer from Pittsburgh in the summer, and Anderson said Monday that redshirt freshman D.J. Pearson and true freshman Logan Bonner will each get their chances.

Anderson said he would like the job settled about 10 days before the Sept. 2 season opener against Toledo in Jonesboro.

"The sooner we can make that a two-man or even a one-man conversation is going to be important moving forward," he said. "The worst thing that we can do is move too fast and eliminate somebody from the conversation or put somebody in a position they're not quite ready for."

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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