JONESBORO -- The final touch on J.D. Houston's best game of his young Arkansas State career came with 6:26 remaining last week in a victory over Appalachian State.
From just inside the left hash, Houston's 23-yard field goal went through the uprights just as easily as previous attempts from 25, 32 and 26 yards as he contributed 16 points to ASU's 40-27 victory over the Mountaineers. Following his last, Houston pointed to the sky as he ran off the field at Kidd Brewer Stadium, so that those watching back home knew his mind was in Pelahatchie, Miss.
Up next
ARKANSAS STATE AT LOUISIANA-MONROE
WHEN 2 p.m. Central Saturday
WHERE Malone Stadium, Monroe, La.
RECORDS Arkansas State 6-3, 5-0 Sun Belt; Louisiana-Monroe 1-8, 0-5
RADIO KASR-FM, 92.7, in Little Rock/Conway; KFIN-FM, 107.9, in Jonesboro
INTERNET ESPN3.com
"He would be watching if he could," Houston, a junior, said this week. "So, I'm going to give him something to watch."
"Him" is Houston's younger brother Will, who last month was a mile from the family's home in Pelahatchie when he swerved to miss a deer and hit a tree. Will, 19, has been released from the hospital and is at home, J.D. said, but isn't very vocal and still endures weekly tests.
"Physically, he's stable, but he doesn't know who you are and really doesn't want to talk to us," Houston said. "He's very locked up and won't saying anything to us. Just trying to get that mental part back."
It's weighed on Houston the last couple of weeks, but he said the short week leading up to traveling to Appalachian State helped a bit. The week before was the hard part.
Houston, who had emerged as ASU's top place-kicker after battling with Drew White through the first seven games, left the team two days before it was to host Georgia State on Oct. 31 to be with his brother in Pelahatchie, which is about an hour east of Jackson, Miss.
Houston missed practice Thursday, all day Friday and didn't return to Jonesboro until about 3:30 p.m. the day of the game, just in time to hop on the team bus and participate in Red Wolf Walk before the 6 p.m. kickoff. He missed his first extra point, but then made the next six in a 48-34 victory.
He followed that up with his big night in Boone, N.C. Playing on national TV, three of his four field goals came in the second half. ASU Coach Blake Anderson lauded Houston for that performance in the midst of trying personal times and did again this week while also acknowledging Houston had finally won the place-kicking job.
"He just comes to work and does his job," Anderson said. "I think the guys know that he's struggling with some things with his brother and they're trying to do a good job supporting him, but he doesn't say a whole lot."
Even before last week, Houston had quietly become a key piece to ASU's improved season. He arrived in Jonesboro from Hinds (Miss.) Community College in early July without a scholarship, but with the promise that he could compete for the starting job. Houston and White, from East Mississippi Community College, each attempted a field goal against Missouri, and split extra-point attempts against Missouri State, Toledo, Idaho and South Alabama.
While White missed an extra point and a 23-yard field goal in an Oct. 20 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, Houston made four extra points and a 42-yard field goal after a miss, the job was his. Since, Houston is 14 of 15 on extra point attempts and 5-for-5 on field goals with a long of 42 yards.
"I don't want to say I needed the other guy to leave an open door, because Drew is an excellent kicker don't get me wrong, but that's just how it is," Houston said. "Once I got my chance, I felt I could convert."
It's improved an area that was of constant concern for Anderson last year when Luke Ferguson at times was in charge of place kicking, kicking off and punting. He was a third-team all-Sun Belt punter, but he was 8 of 15 on field-goal attempts. The situation was so dire that Anderson welcomed a walk on, Logan Spry, for the final month of the season.
Houston and White were brought in to help take the load off of Ferguson, who is averaging 42.9 yards per punt this year. Anderson said the plan was to hand over the job to either Houston or White after fall practice, but coaches wanted a few more looks before handing the job over full time.
"We didn't know who was going to be good in the clutch," Anderson said. "[Houston] seems to be settling more into that role."
There's little doubt that the job is Houston's now, and there's even less doubt who he is playing for.
"I haven't told anybody this, but when we get a ring, I'm going to give it to him," said Houston of his brother. "Just to let him know, 'Look, I know you don't know who I am, but I love you.' Every kick is for him."
Sports on 11/13/2015