Red Wolves report

Wolves shuffling along line

JONESBORO -- Arkansas State has mostly avoided the injury bug this season. There have been a few multi-game absences -- notably running back Marcel Murray and guard Justin Dutton -- and a handful of players were ill in the lead-up to the Tulsa game, but no crushing blows.

That changed when the Red Wolves announced Monday that right tackle Robert Holmes will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Coach Butch Jones said the recovery process is expected to take 12-13 weeks, but Holmes will remain with the team during that time. He has at least one more year of eligibility after playing two seasons at Connecticut before playing a covid-delayed season at Austin Peay last spring.

Holmes could regain this year if he applies for and receives a medical redshirt. He only played in ASU's first three games.

"That's a devastating blow to our offensive line," Jones said. "We have absolutely no depth there. ... Robert was continuing to grow and get better and better. We really missed him at Tulsa and this past week."

Wyatt Luebke has since taken control of the right tackle spot, but a large chunk of the offensive line that the Red Wolves sent out to start in last Saturday's 59-33 loss at Georgia Southern will be altered Thursday night when they host No. 15 Coastal Carolina.

Jones confirmed that redshirt senior Jacob Still, who came into the Georgia Southern game at center to start the fourth quarter, will be the starter at the same spot against Coastal Carolina. That bumps Ethan Miner, the starting center in Weeks 1-5, out to left guard and Ivory Scott will switch from left to right guard.

Left tackle Andre Harris Jr. will become the only ASU offensive lineman to start the first six games in the same spot.

There were some good moments in the final 15 minutes Saturday. After sitting on 19 points for the entirety of the third quarter, ASU scored touchdowns on each of its first two series in the fourth.

Still has made 46 career starts at center for ASU over the past four seasons.

"He knows the culture, he knows the school," running back Lincoln Pare said of Still. "He's been in so many football games, [and] he just brings that energy and a different type of leadership."

Handling the heat

Each of the past two weeks, Arkansas State Coach Butch Jones has praised quarterback James Blackman for dealing with some of his offensive line's struggles.

According to Pro Football Focus, Blackman has faced pressure on 37.9 percent of his dropbacks. By comparison, Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall has been under pressure on just 17.2 percent of his snaps.

But all four of Blackman's interceptions this season have come when there hasn't been pressure. And while ASU's quarterback is on pace to surpass his touchdown totals from 2017 and 2019 -- the two seasons in which he was Florida State's starter for a majority of the season -- he's again on track for double-digit interceptions, something that the Red Wolves can ill afford with a defense hemorrhaging points on a weekly basis.

"Our quarterbacks have taken way too many hits," Jones said. "I'm talking unimpeded hits -- I've never seen it. To James Blackman's credit, he's one tough player. ... But we've got to find five individuals who are going to compete and bring toughness on every snap."

Ranked opponents

The Red Wolves have seen their share of ranked opponents in recent years but with little success.

ASU is 2-31 against teams in The Associated Press top 25, with both victories against teams sitting at No. 25 -- a 35-3 win at Troy in 2016 and a 17-13 home victory against Kent State in 2013.

In 2019, the Red Wolves made a nonconference trip to Georgia, getting blown out 55-0. The year before that, Alabama drubbed ASU 57-7 at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

When Coastal Carolina visits Jonesboro on Saturday, it will be the highest-ranked opponent to play at Centennial Bank Stadium. It will also be just the second time the Red Wolves have met a ranked conference foe -- the other when they routed the Trojans five years ago.

"I've been ready [to play on national TV] since we started practice yesterday," ASU safety Elery Alexander said Monday. "Last week is last week and I'm more excited than ever to play a ranked team."

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