ASU running back Weh-Weh lost for the season

Arkansas State University football coach Blake Anderson is shown in this file photo.
Arkansas State University football coach Blake Anderson is shown in this file photo.

JONESBORO — Blake Anderson found out for sure what he feared Saturday night.

Running back Armond Weh-Weh and linebacker Antwon Turnage each tore ACLs during Arkansas State’s loss Saturday night to Auburn, the coach said Monday.

Weh-Weh will have surgery Tuesday and should return for spring practice, while Turnage will have surgery in about a month and might not return until next fall.

Weh-Weh’s injury is the most severe for ASU (0-2), which plays at Utah State (1-1) on Friday night. The transfer from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College was thought to add depth to ASU’s running back position that lost leading rusher Michael Gordon last year. Weh-Weh was thrust into a bigger role heading into last week’s game because junior Johnston White didn’t play with an injured hamstring, but Weh-Weh left in the first quarter.

If White can’t go on Friday, then ASU is left with only one running back with extensive experience in Warren Wand.

Sophomore Logan Moragne and Daryl Rollins-Davis each saw time late in the Auburn loss. Jamal Jones, a redshirt freshman, will likely be moved from the scout team to get practice reps and build depth.

“Warren will take most of the load if [White] is out, and we’ll use the other three sparingly based off of what they do well,” Anderson said.

Wand had 16 carries for 37 yards Saturday and 10 carries for 77 yards in the opening loss to Toledo. Weh-Weh had 29 yards on five carries and a touchdown against Toledo and was injured before getting a carry on Saturday.

If White is limited or out, offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said the offense can rely on Wand to carry a load.

“I think he can handle it 25-30 times a game if he had to,” Faulkner said. “Obviously, you don’t want to do that week in and week out — you don’t want to do that week in and week out with anybody — but he is capable of doing that.”

Other notes from Monday’s news conference:

• Anderson said tackling improved from the loss to Toledo, but remains an issue for ASU.

“Tackling in space is something we did really well down the stretch last year. I thought we did a good job of it in the spring; it’s not something we’ve done great,” he said.

• Anderson and Faulkner both thought strides were made offensively, particularly with tempo. ASU gained 326 yards against Auburn after being held to 266 in the loss to Toledo.

“Night and day different from where we were Week 1,” Anderson said. “We looked like an offense at times. I thought the quarterback distributed the ball well and didn’t turn it over.”

• Defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen is concerned about where his team is mentally after two losses. The Red Wolves are allowing 631.0 yards per game, the worst among 128 FBS teams, and 41.0 points per game, which ranks 119th.

“There’s a lot of hurt right now,” Cauthen said. “I’m not sure we got over the first one, to be quite honest with you.”

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

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