ASU teammates bond on, off field

JONESBORO — There are two givens in the off-campus house shared by Layne Hatcher, Jacob Still and Lincoln Pare: Movies and a lot of food.

When you’ve got three football players eating, one of them being a 6-1, 290-pound offensive lineman, that food won’t be for long, though.

“It’s mostly me that eats all the food,” Still said with a wry smile. “[Layne] will go to the grocery store to get snacks, and snacks don’t usually last more than two days in the house.”

The trio planned to sit down Monday night — with popcorn, of course — and watch “Saving Private Ryan.” Movies are usually a Wednesday activity at the Hatcher-Still-Pare house but for Arkansas State University, Monday is Wednesday this week as the Red Wolves ready themselves for a second consecutive Thursday night game with Louisiana-Lafayette coming to town.

Hatcher is returning as the team’s starting quarterback for the first time since September with James Blackman out several weeks with a shoulder injury.

“I’m trying to be the best version of myself,” Hatcher said about the debate over the team’s quarterback situation. “You can’t let all the outside noise affect you. I delete all my social media. … I’m worried about this team and me and being the best player, the best teammate, the best team we can be and find a way to improve ourselves daily.”

When Hatcher lines up behind Still at center against the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Red Wolves will be reviving a battery that was the anchor of one of their best runs in recent history. Although ASU won consecutive games once last year — it beat Central Arkansas and then Georgia State in October 2020 — the Red Wolves had a run of five victories in a half-dozen games to close 2019.

The only loss in that stretch was a 34-30 defeat at South Alabama, but ASU scored 28 or more points in all six contests and averaged more than 442 yards of total offense per game.

It’s been 22 months since a Camellia Bowl win over Florida International, yet the only four starters from that game who will be on the field when the Red Wolves begin Thursday’s contest are Hatcher, Still, left tackle Andre Harris and right guard Ivory Scott.

“I consider Layne one of my best friends,” Still said. “The center-quarterback relationship is very special. We kind of speak the same language, we communicate very well together, so anytime I’ve got someone like Layne to snap to, it makes things very easy.”

Still was effusive in his praise for Hatcher, calling him “a tremendous leader” and noting the manner in which he sets an example for ASU’s offense with his work. Hatcher did the same for his roommate, echoing what multiple offensive players said just before Still returned to the starting lineup against Coastal Carolina two weeks ago.

“Still’s just a guy you can really trust,” Hatcher said. “You know what you’re going to get every day. He’s a high-energy, high-focus guy who can set the tone for a room.”

Even if they weren’t Week 1 starters, Coach Butch Jones has been steadfast in how he views both Hatcher and Still. He’s repeatedly made mention of having “two starting quarterbacks” in Blackman and Hatcher, and he named Still a captain in his first start this season.

The Still-Hatcher tandem has proven itself in carrying the Red Wolves to a strong finish before. Now, with both guys two years older, it’s not just their play but also their presence that could help this ASU team find some sort of footing over the back half of its schedule.

“If you look at the remainder of our schedule and how we need to take care of the West division, this game is huge,” Still said. “If we can get everything rolling and get a win this week, it’ll be huge for our program. We just need to take that momentum…get one win and we can keep stacking and stacking.”