Red Wolves report

Anderson says energy remains

ASU Coach Blake Anderson is shown in this photo.
ASU Coach Blake Anderson is shown in this photo.

JONESBORO -- It's the middle of November, which signifies make-or-break time across college football.

After consecutive victories over Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State University headed into its open week last week with newfound confidence and momentum.

Three games remain, with the next two at home, and the Red Wolves (5-4, 3-2 Sun Belt) are one win from bowl eligibility. ASU hosts Coastal Carolina (4-5, 1-4) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Centennial Bank Stadium.

"Winning a couple games, it generates some energy. I don't feel like we've lost that, though," Anderson said in his news conference Monday. "Just from the indication of practice [Sunday] night, I think the guys can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They can see the opportunities ahead of us."

Less than a month ago, ASU sat at 3-4 after two consecutive losses to Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette, and the season was on the brink of a downward spiral. But the Red Wolves have rebounded and are still in the Sun Belt West race, although ASU needs to win out and have Louisiana-Lafayette lose two of its last three to make it to the Sun Belt championship game.

ASU sits a game back in the West at 3-2. The Ragin' Cajuns are 4-1, but they have a pedestrian schedule remaining with South Alabama (1-8, 0-5), Troy (4-5, 2-3) and Louisiana-Monroe (4-5, 3-2). After Saturday, ASU has a home game against Georgia Southern (5-4, 3-2) before the regular-season finale at South Alabama the day after Thanksgiving.

ASU also is in position to make a ninth consecutive bowl game, and even turn in a nine-win season if they can run the table, something the program hasn't accomplished since 2015, Anderson's second year at ASU.

"With this group and what we've been through, both before the season and during and then injuries, that'd be a huge way to finish," Anderson said. "I feel good about where we're at, just the energy level and kids' focus level going into this [week]."

Injury updates

Anderson said he expects both sophomore kicker Blake Grupe and senior kicker Damon Foncham to practice today and play Saturday against Coastal Carolina.

Anderson had said last week that Grupe and Foncham each played hurt during the Red Wolves' 48-41 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 2. Grupe was plagued by a pulled hamstring, and Foncham -- who is now ASU's kickoff man, with freshman Tristan Mattson sidelined with mononucleosis -- dealt with a swollen knee, which Anderson said had to be drained prior to kickoff.

Anderson said Grupe and Foncham did not practice during the bye week as a precaution.

"Both seem to be moving in the direction that we need them to," Anderson said. "Expect those guys to be healthy to kick."

Anderson also said sophomore defensive tackle Terry Hampton was sidelined during the bye week but should be available this week.

Defensive coordinator David Duggan revealed that senior defensive tackle Kevin Thurmon, who's played the past three games with a cast on his surgically repaired left hand, was being fitted Monday for a smaller protective padding.

"I think he's gonna have mobility with his hand, which will be huge for him," Duggan said.

Thurmon has tallied 16 tackles since he returned Oct. 17.

Hatcher's growth

Despite losing junior starting quarterback Logan Bonner for the season after four games, the Red Wolves continue to tally victories with their backup plan.

Redshirt freshman Layne Hatcher has completed 68.8% of his passes for 1,507 yards, 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in five games as the starter.

Five of those interceptions came in his first three starts. In his past two, Hatcher has done a better job of protecting the ball by throwing just one pick.

Anderson said Monday that Hatcher has taken big strides since his first start at Troy on Sept. 28.

"We saw him do things in this last game [against Louisiana-Monroe] that he wasn't able to do back then," Anderson said. "He worked through some progressions. He worked to his second and third [reads]. He moved the chains with his feet the last couple weeks in a row. With the exception of a poorly thrown ball in the interception [at Monroe] ... you see significant progress."

Year 2 firings

There's plenty of unrest on the other side of the state at the University of Arkansas, which fired head football coach Chad Morris on Sunday after a 45-19 loss at home to Western Kentucky.

Morris was 4-18, including 0-14 in SEC play, in less than two full seasons at the helm in Fayetteville.

Morris' firing also came a week after Willie Taggart was dismissed by Florida State. Taggart, like Morris, didn't make it through the end of his second season as head coach. He was 9-12 while in charge of the Seminoles.

Anderson, who knows Morris -- the ex-Arkansas coach attended the memorial service for Anderson's late wife, Wendy, in August -- expressed displeasure when asked Monday about two coaches getting fired less than two full seasons into their tenures.

"There's just very little patience anywhere in this sport these days," Anderson said. "I get it. I don't like it. That's the worst part of our business. It takes time to get where everybody wants to get to, and nobody wants to wait. Nobody wants it to happen slowly. Yeah, I hate it.

"Some good dudes, some good coaches, and they'll find other opportunities and probably do well other places. I don't know if any of that surprises me anymore. It just has kind of become commonplace."

photo

Blake Grupe

photo

Layne Hatcher

Sports on 11/12/2019

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