The loss of Arkansas State University's starting running back paved the way for one of the signature plays of the Red Wolves' 47-3 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday night.
Junior Warren Wand did not dress because of a sprained ankle he suffered in the team's 51-17 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
Up next
ARKANSAS STATE at
NEW MEXICO STATE
WHEN Oct. 28, 7 p.m.
WHERE Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, N.M.
RECORDS Arkansas State 4-2, 3-0 Sun Belt; New Mexico State 3-4, 1-2
INTERNET ESPN3
Coach Blake Anderson said Monday that Wand's playing chances were "50-50," which he later admitted was optimistic.
"We had pretty much set the game plan expecting him not to play," Anderson said Thursday night.
Part of that game plan included a wrinkle on ASU's third offensive play: a throwback pass that used backup running back and former wide receiver Chauncey Mason, a redshirt sophomore.
Redshirt junior quarterback Justice Hansen had just rushed 33 yards to the Louisiana-Lafayette 37, and before the next snap, Mason lined up on Hansen's right side in a Shotgun formation.
Mason drifted right on the snap, and Hansen laterally lobbed the football to him like it was a screen play, then dashed to the left side of the field.
That's when Mason knew the play would work.
"Everybody was flowing to me, and I see Justice wide open," said Mason, who later said he had last thrown an in-game pass in little league. "In my head, I was like, 'Just don't mess it up.' "
He didn't.
Mason's high-arcing pass dropped into Hansen's hands at the Louisiana-Lafayette 43, and the quarterback nearly scored before he was caught from behind at the 3.
Senior running back Johnston White's 1-yard touchdown run gave ASU a 14-0 lead, and for just a moment, Mason had more passing yards than the nation's 12th-ranked slinger (310.3 yards per game).
"I'm coming for his position," Mason joked after the game.
It was a career night for Mason, who redshirted last season after playing in five games as a true freshman receiver.
He rushed for 51 yards on five carries, and he scored the game's final touchdown on a 10-yard run with 3:30 left.
"It felt great getting in that end zone," Mason said. "It showed me to just trust the process. Also, just being moved around any time my number was called, I knew I just had to step up and show the coaches what I could do. So, whatever position they put me at, I'm glad to be there and do whatever to make the team better."
ASU's 12th-ranked scoring offense (41 points per game) has added its 12th scoring member.
"I think you saw [Mason] gave us a spark," Anderson said. "There's things he can do that are really helpful to us."
Sports on 10/21/2017