JONESBORO -- For a half-hour Saturday evening, the clouds parted and sunlight crept in, a rainbow filling the golden-tinted sky over Centennial Bank Stadium.
But the rain kept coming down -- both literally and figuratively -- on Arkansas State.
The Red Wolves lost their fourth straight game, struggling mightily with the elements and South Alabama's defense as the Jaguars kept ASU out of the end zone and rolled to a 31-3 victory. South Alabama running back La'Damian Webb outgained the Red Wolves on his own, setting career highs with 162 yards and 3 touchdowns on 28 carries.
ASU managed 158 total yards -- the product of minus-19 rushing yards and four Jaguars sacks as the Jaguars constantly put banged-up quarterback James Blackman and his patchwork offensive line under duress.
"It's unacceptable the way we played football in the line of scrimmage and we cannot tolerate it," ASU Coach Butch Jones said. "I thought James showed pocket courage, he did some really good things But at the end of the day, you've got to protect what's ours -- that's the football, that's our quarterback, that's our line of scrimmage."
Although Blackman and running back Johnnie Lang returned to action after missing most or all of last week's game at Louisiana-Lafayette, the Red Wolves had to shift things up front with right guard Jordan Rhodes out.
Freshman Aleric Watson made his collegiate debut at left tackle with Makilan Thomas shifting over to take Rhodes' usual spot.
But it was on the other side of the ball where South Alabama first put a hurt on ASU (2-7, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference). Webb had a 69-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, putting the Jaguars into the red zone seconds into the game before scoring four plays later.
Neither team could string together much offense as the rain started to pour down midway through the opening quarter -- the Red Wolves and Jaguars each went three-and-out twice. But South Alabama (6-2, 3-1) found another explosive play to double its advantage.
Toledo transfer Carter Bradley hooked up with a wide-open Jalen Wayne for 49 yards and a touchdown, attacking a defense down four cornerbacks and playing safety KaRon Coleman on the outside.
"[The coaches] put us in a perfect call, we just didn't execute," ASU safety Eddie Smith said. "We were supposed to have a safety on the post and we didn't communicate well enough."
Although ASU managed to start several of its drives with better-than-average field position -- six of the Red Wolves' 15 possessions began at their 40-yard-line or better -- it logged 10 or more yards on just four. The Jaguars' defense frequently sent extra rushers, and even with ASU in max-protection scenarios, the Red Wolves were unable to develop any type of downfield threat.
ASU's longest play of the day was a 42-yard pass from Blackman to Jeff Foreman that set up Dominic Zvada's 32-yard field goal. The freshman has now made 13 field goals without a miss this season.
"Once you start doing something good, a lot of teams stick with it and just keep doing and doing it until you find a way to combat what they're doing," Blackman said of South Alabama's defense. "We didn't expect them to pressure as much as they did [and] the way they were doing it today."
With Coleman and Watson getting nods in the Red Wolves' initial lineup Saturday, ASU has used 40 different starters over its nine games.
Jones again belabored the talking point with the Red Wolves entering their bye week, a much-needed respite, both for health and morale, following a difficult two-month stretch.
"I hope our younger players don't forget this," Jones said. "Your level of intensity, the way you practice, the way you approach things -- all those things, you're creating habits. It's something that with this young football team, we're trying to ingrain in them."
Gallery: ASU vs South Alabama Football
