Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

ASU wary of SMU’s big-play passing game

- BROOKS KUBENA

Arkansas State defensive coordinato­r Joe Cauthen said Monday he’s got a pretty good idea where SMU’s offense will be taking aim on Saturday in Dallas.

The Mustangs “will be trying to put the game on our safeties,” Cauthen said.

ASU’s inexperien­ce at that position is one of the reasons, along with SMU’s talented band of wide receivers, led by redshirt junior Courtland Sutton, who bypassed the 2017 NFL Draft to return to the Mustangs.

Sutton, 6-4, 218 pounds, is tied for second in the nation with five touchdown receptions — four of which he caught in SMU’s 54-32

victory over North Texas after receiving mention as a player to watch in the Heisman Trophy race.

As a group, the Mustangs offense has scored eight touchdowns on plays that totaled 40 or more yards, and the nation’s 20th-ranked passing offense (318.3 yards per game) has five receivers who have receptions that have totaled 50 yards or longer.

Of the three-man rotation for the Red Wolves’ two safety positions on defense, only sophomore B.J. Edmonds had previous playing time at ASU.

Sophomore Darreon Jackson transferre­d from Coffeyvill­e (Kan.) Community College, where he played after he was suspended by Boise State for his involvemen­t in a Title IX investigat­ion for sexual assault.

Junior Michael Johnson transferre­d from Mt. San Antonio (Calif.) College.

ASU Coach Blake Anderson said the secondary’s challenge is similar to what the offensive line faced in the opening game against Nebraska. None of the linemen were returning starters, but they held up, allowing one sack in a 43-36 loss to the Cornhusker­s.

“We’re dealing with inexperien­ce there, too,” Anderson said of the safeties. “But any given day, it can click for those guys. Talent is not the issue. It’s just experience and repetition of doing their job to where they truly do it without thinking. I’m hoping, just like we were talking about the O-line, that this is where we see them click and starting to grow up.”

The experience of senior cornerback Blaise Taylor and Sun Belt Conference preseason first-teamer Justin Clifton, a junior, provides additional pass support in Cauthen’s 4-25 defense.

“This is a big challenge for those guys,” Clifton said. “We’ve been telling them ever since we finished the [University of Arkansas at] Pine Bluff game.”

The Mustangs scored a touchdown on the first possession against No. 16 TCU last week, a 58-yard flea flicker pass to LSU transfer Trey Quinn.

“You can’t prepare for everything,” Cauthen said. “He [Morris] does a great job of messing with your eyes and how discipline­d you are. He’ll get you looking at one thing and come back with something else.”

ASU has given up one pass play of more than 40 yards this season: Nebraska quarterbac­k Tanner Lee completed a 44yard touchdown pass to Stanley Morgan Jr. ASU senior cornerback Brandon Byner in single coverage.

Morgan was Nebraska’s top threat, and Clifton said ASU’s approach differs with SMU’s multi-man pass attack.

“When you have multiple guys, you have to know where your help is,” said Clifton, who has 12 tackles and a pass breakup on the season. “So we have a lot of checks and stuff to do with certain things. When we have certain receivers out there, we know what we’re going to get into — the things we’re going to do. We’re prepared for them.”

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