JONESBORO -- Since the start of fall camp, Arkansas State University Coach Butch Jones has time and time again used the same three words to describe his team: Work in progress.
That remains the case five weeks into the Red Wolves' 2021 season.
ASU has lost four straight games. It has the worst defense in the nation, allowing 563.8 yards per game -- 46 more yards per game than the next closest team. Its scoring defense is only slightly better, ranking 129th out of 130 teams at 45.6 points per game.
The Red Wolves have a rushing offense that just barely escaped the bottom 10 in the nation with some late-game yards against Georgia Southern.
So, the question was posed to Jones at his weekly news conference Monday, "Where do you believe the most progress has been made?"
Jones paused for a couple of seconds, considering how he wanted to respond.
"Hands down, culturally," ASU's first-year coach said. "I see it every day. You're not seeing it on the scoreboard, you're not seeing it relative to wins on the field. But it's a completely different program culturally, and that's not to take anything from the past.
"All I know is what we're doing right now and I know what works and I've seen it firsthand. ... In the last three games, our energy, our passion, our intensity is improved. Is it where we need it to be? No, but I see the intangibles in this program."
Jones was critical of his team during the opening weeks, but he praised their improvement in practice before the Red Wolves' trip to Tulsa last month. He added that Sunday's practice, upon returning from their 59-33 road loss to the Eagles, was perhaps the best session of the season.
Seemingly no player has had a smoother transition to the Jones era than wide receiver Corey Rucker, who caught two more touchdown passes on Saturday to bring his season total to six.
That extended a run of a half-dozen games -- carrying over from the 2020 finale when he hauled in four scores against Louisiana-Monroe -- with 10 touchdowns and an average of 128 receiving yards per contest.
Rucker, even amidst a frustrating run for ASU, is still smiling.
"Me being a leader, people look at me," Rucker said. "If they see me in a good mood, it'll kind of bring them up. But if I walk around with my head down, then people are like, 'Oh, Ruck's in a bad mood,' so then it can bring down the whole team."
Jones admitted that he's still trying to wrap his arms around some of the struggles. There aren't obvious answers, and with a short turnaround before facing No. 15 Coastal Carolina, there is little time to try and find them.
He said Monday that he's "as excited and as encouraged" as he's been, now knowing where his team is at and where they need to progress further.
And there's a belief among the Red Wolves that these losses can soon get them to where they expect.
"We all have to get it right," running back Lincoln Pare said. "It's everybody's responsibility, not just one person. We lose as a team, and so I think it helps us all come together."