Playing big
ASU’s rebuilt D-line holds its ground
JONESBORO — Two weeks ago, the moment belonged to defensive lineman Kevin Thurmon.
In Saturday’s victory against UNLV, sophomore edge rusher William Bradley-King dethroned Thurmon for the most meaningful play of Arkansas State University’s young season.
No matter who is specifically responsible for Arkansas State’s key defensive plays through four games, the defensive line has secured two victories by stepping up at crucial times.
Thurmon, a junior transfer from Ball State, neutralized Tulsa’s fourth-quarter comeback Sept. 15 with a safety. The two-pointer made Arkansas State’s 29-20 victory in northeastern Oklahoma a two-possession game, washing away any shot Tulsa had to polish off a double-digit comeback and ruin ASU’s first nonconference road victory since 2008.
Seven days later, Bradley-King broke free, forced a strip-sack on UNLV’s final offensive play and did not allow the Rebels to fire off a lastchance heave at the end zone in ASU’s 27-20 victory. That play — along with his 9 total tackles, 2½ for a loss, and 1½ sacks — earned him the Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week award announced Monday.
“Getting a sack, period, is an unbelievable feeling,” Bradley-King said.
Arkansas State’s defensive line is responsible for 19½ of the team’s 33 tackles for loss this season, tied for the 18thmost in the nation alongside No. 4 Ohio State, No. 6 Oklahoma, Troy and SMU.
After last season, the Red Wolves’ defensive line needed to be rebuilt.
ASU lost former two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year Ja’Von Rolland-Jones, Dee Liner and Caleb Caston. Reinforcements were needed.
Four games into the reconstruction, Arkansas State’s defensive line is shining.
“That’s kind of the plan,” defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen said. “We’ve tried to recruit that way. You don’t know who it’s going to be every week.
“We have some guys that we think will give us a solid performance every week. Then you’ll have guys that will show up big. We have set forth our recruiting base to get our defensive line to be the strength of our defense.
“Right now, that’s been the case. It’s strength in numbers. But we definitely have some really quality players up there.”
ASU’s five most used defensive linemen — first-year transfers Thurmon and junior Forrest Merrill, seniors Dajon Emory and Ronheen Bingham, and Bradley-King — are responsible for 25 percent of the Red Wolves’ 319 tackles.
The quintet has 11 of ASU’s 13 sacks, tied for the 12th most in the FBS.
“They’re working and playing really well together,” ASU Coach Blake Anderson said. “There’s a tremendous amount of confidence knowing one guy doesn’t have to make the play. If we all do our job, at different times we’re going to have chances to come free.”
The Red Wolves’ line now must conquer one of the tougher schemes an offense can deploy — the Triple-Option.
“We’ve got to own the line of scrimmage,” Anderson said.
Because Georgia Southern’s tricky offense can unexpectedly mix in misdirection run plays to confuse ASU’s defense, the Red Wolves’ line is tasked with blowing up the Eagles’ intentions before the Triple-Option finds its stride.
“They’re going to have to show up big time Saturday,” Cauthen said. “They’re going to need to change the math big time on a lot of plays.”