JONESBORO -- Colton Jackson is tired of talking about them, but the senior guard understands the criticism is fair -- and maybe necessary.
Arkansas State was called for 18 penalties in its Friday night loss at Utah State, and through three games this season it is among the most penalized teams in the country.
Up next
CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT ARKANSAS STATE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Centennial Bank Stadium
RECORDS ASU 0-3; UCA 2-1
SERIES UCA leads 12-10-2
RADIO KASR-FM, 92.7, in Little Rock/Conway; KFIN-FM, 107.9, in Jonesboro; KUCA-FM, 91.3, in Conway; KKPT-FM, 94.1, in Little Rock
INTERNET ESPN3.com
The Red Wolves (0-3) have been called for 34 penalties so far this season, or just over 11 per game, on average, more than all but four of the 128 FBS teams. Last season, they committed an average of 8.4 per game to rank 125th nationally.
Penalties have been a popular topic at ASU this week heading into Saturday's game against Central Arkansas. Coach Blake Anderson discussed them at length during a Monday news conference and players have been asked about them after practices the last two days.
As much as players might want the discussion to disappear, it likely won't until the problem is fixed, Jackson said.
"Yeah, I'm sick and tired of it," Jackson said. "But it's uncharacteristic of us. We've got a bunch of experience up front. We're probably 50 in football years, we're a bunch of old geezers up front with a bunch of experience."
That's what made the eight false starts Friday night so tough for Jackson, one of five senior offensive linemen, and Anderson to take. Both blamed the false starts in part on Utah State shifting at the line of scrimmage and simulating ASU's snap count. It's not something Jackson said ASU has seen before, but that didn't provide him and his fellow linemen an out.
"It's our job to sit there and to listen to our guy," Jackson said.
Anderson said he thought the Mountain West officiating crew could have stepped in and addressed the simulated snap counts with Utah State. Also, Anderson said he turned in 17 uncalled penalties to the Mountain West office for review. In the end, the outcome won't change and only could have had his team handled it better last week.
"That's a lot to ask of a kid to discern between my quarterback and my center and their D-linemen," he said. "We'll be smart enough moving forward to have a better plan, but at the same time, it's frustrating."
The penalties weren't all on the offensive line, though. Among the 18 penalties there were four personal fouls, two holding calls and one illegal block, delay of game, unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing the passer.
"We're playing hard," receiver Cameron Echols-Luper said. "If penalties come with it, then penalties come with it. Yeah, we've got to be more disciplined and this and that, but we're out there busting our butts, so you can't fault us for that."
Anderson understands that, but acknowledged the need to identify a line between playing hard and drawing drive-killing or drive-extending flags.
The issue is similar to what ASU faced at the midway point of last season, when it was called for seven personal fouls and 15 penalties in a victory over Idaho. Anderson said then that the Red Wolves needed to eliminate the penalties while somehow maintaining "an edge."
The message is the same this year, he said, adding they were able to win a Sun Belt Conference title following a 1-3 start a year ago in part because of that mentality.
"We ran off eight [victories] and we needed every bit of edge to do so," Anderson said. "But we need to be smart. And I don't want to ever represent this university or community and the fan base on national TV in a way that would ever indicate or insinuate that we're something other than a classy, disciplined football team."
ASU averaged more than nine penalties in its games following the Idaho victory, but was able to overcome them thanks in part to an offense that averaged 40 points per game and a defense that created 34 turnovers.
This year, ASU hasn't yet shown an ability to cover up so many penalties.
"You've got an explosive football team that can be very dynamic and we just keep weighing ourselves down with unnecessary stuff," Anderson said. "The sooner we can alleviate those issues and get rid of them, the sooner we can see the football team we all want to. Taking ownership is one thing, eliminating it is another."
Sports on 09/22/2016