Kennedy will give it a shot
MOBILE, Ala. - Adam Kennedy knows he is going to start in tonight’s GoDaddy Bowl against Ball State, but ASU’s senior quarterback isn’t sure of much beyond that.
For more than a week Kennedy has been trying to balance getting ready for what will be his final college game with being careful to not reinjure a kneecap that was dislocated during ASU’s final regular-season game Nov. 30 at Western Kentucky.
Kennedy said Saturday after ASU’s final walkthrough that he’ll take a cortisone shot before tonight’s game and cross his fingers while attempting to play through pain.
“We’ll see,” Kennedy said. “Go out there the first series and we’ll decide from there how it’s going to be.”
Kennedy has been wearing a compression sleeve over his knee in an effort to push out the swelling, but he said Saturday it hadn’t helped much and that it was still sore. He said he planned to ice his knee Saturday night and most of today before taking a cortisone shot not long before kickoff.
ASU’s offense over the season’s final five games has revolved around the running game, which Kennedy has been a large part of.
That could change tonight because of the injury, but Kennedy said he hopes he’ll be able to run in key situations like he has done most of the season.
“The coaches have been pretty classy about it,” he said.“They’re going to try to protect me a little bit.
The goal is to win the game, though. That’s not lost on anybody. So, on third and short, I know I’m going to get the ball. Nothing is going to change on that.” Eye on Snead
Arkansas State started developing a strategy for Ball State receiver Willie Snead weeks ago.
Interim coach John Thompson wouldn’t elaborate on the plan this week, but he made it clear his defense was focused on Ball State’s single-season record holder for receiving yards and touchdowns.
“You’ve got to have a special plan for him,” Thompson said. “You can’t just say he’s a guy. He’s not just a guy. If we treat Snead like an average guy, we’ll see how that works out.
“But, I’ll promise you this, we’re not going to treat him like an average guy.”
Snead, 5-11, 193, has caught 97 passes for 1,429 yards and 14 touchdowns and is the primary target for quarterback Keith Wenning.
Snead has the full attention of ASU cornerbacks Artez Brown and Rocky Hayes. The corners alternate based on the strong side and the weak side of the field, and Brown said that won’t change tonight. That means both corners will have a chance to cover Snead.
“We know we’ve got to stop him,” Hayes said. “We’ll be ready for it. We know we’re going to be manned up with him.” Back in town
Ryan Aplin is making his third consecutive trip to the GoDaddy Bowl, but it will be as a spectator on the sideline tonight instead of playing for the Red Wolves.
“I know it hasn’t been an easy road for these guys, going through another transition,” the former Arkansas State quarterback said during a team outing Saturday at the USS Alabama. “I just wanted them to know they have my support.”
Aplin, who ate lunch Saturday during the event with Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, spent this season as an administrative offensive intern at Ole Miss under former ASU coach Hugh Freeze. He said he worked with the quarterbacks a bit but mostly assisted the coaching staff with a variety of tasks.
He isn’t sure if he’ll be back at Ole Miss next season. He has workouts lined up with some Canadian Football League teams, but if he doesn’t stick with one of those teams he’ll seek a graduate assistant job as a first step toward a coaching career.
“Coach Freeze has been awesome to give me a job like that,” Aplin said.
“I’m going to try and give [playing] another shot. If not, I’ll try and get into coaching.”
Sports, Pages 25 on 01/05/2014