Wolves could use a running start
JONESBORO — Michael Gordon remembers approaching his team on the sideline at Idaho immediately after scoring a third-quarter touchdown last year.
“We didn’t come all this way to lose,” Gordon told his teammates.
Thanks in large part to Gordon, the Red Wolves didn’t. He rushed for five touchdowns that day, including four in the second half and three in the fourth
quarter of a 44-28 comeback victory.
Gordon might be at the center of attention again tonight when the Vandals (1-3, 0-1 Sun Belt Conference) visit the Red Wolves (1-3, 0-0) at
Centennial Stadium. The preseason second-team All-Sun Belt running back is off to a slow start in his senior season, but several signs point to why ASU might turn to Gordon for a boost.
ASU is still smarting over last week’s 37-7 loss at Toledo in which it was held to minus-14 yards rushing as a team and Gordon and fellow running back Johnston White were held to 34 yards on 10 carries.
“That’s a kick to the gut,” right tackle Colton Jackson said.
Idaho’s statistics also make its defensive front an obvious point of attack. The Vandals are giving up more than 7.5 yards per rush and
314.0 yards a game on the ground, which ranks 128th and 127th, respectively, out of 128 FBS teams.
Perhaps most important for ASU Coach Blake Anderson is the Red Wolves’ uncertainty at quarterback.
Redshirt freshman James Tabary will likely make his third consecutive start as senior Fredi Knighten continues to recover from a groin injury suffered Sept. 12. Knighten returned to practice this week and Anderson said there is a chance Knighten could be used but the likelihood of that is “pretty small.”
That means Tabary will try to put last week’s poor performance behind him. Operating a game plan that put pressure on him to complete passes downfield, Tabary threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked six times by Toledo.
Anderson and offensive coordinator Walt Bell have alluded
to a different plan tonight.
“I think we’ve got to establish the run,” Anderson said. “I think it’s even more important so he doesn’t feel like it’s all on his shoulders. … I think the plan this week is to help him be a little bit less responsible and let some of the other guys take some ownership.”
Anderson would like those guys to be Gordon, White and the offensive line.
Gordon is averaging 5.2 yards per carry but his average of 59.0 yards per game puts him outside of the top 10 among Sun Belt running backs. ASU’s 157.8 yards rushing per game ranks fifth among Sun Belt teams, but its average of 3.8 yards per rush is eighth.
ASU’s inability to run last week was due in part to the game plan but also to how quickly Toledo took command of the lead.
“I think it kind of humbles you,” Jackson said. “We’re just ready to come back and play smash-mouth football.”
Anderson knows Knighten’s absence leaves out an element of ASU’s running game, but he also is banking on Idaho leaving more running lanes open. ASU rushed for 193 yards at Southern California but was held to 93 yards against Missouri and minus-14 at Toledo, the latter two of which rank in the top 25 nationally against the run.
“We’re going to match up a little bit better this week than we did last week,” Anderson said.
Keeping the ball on the ground won’t eliminate all of Anderson’s biggest concerns. ASU has committed 13 turnovers this season, fifth-most in the FBS. The Red Wolves have thrown eight interceptions and lost three fumbles.
Some have come at the worst times, too. Tabary threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter of a 27-20 loss to Missouri. At Toledo, a tipped pass was returned for a touchdown that left ASU in a 17-0 hole, and then Tabary and Gordon fumbled an exchange that led to another Toledo touchdown.
“If we just eliminate the turnovers, it’s a completely different look to everything,” Anderson said.
An renewed focus on the run and better protection for a freshman quarterback could be the formula for a stress-free conference opener.
“We want to accept the challenge of putting it on us,” Jackson said. “We’re going to take that burden, and we’re going to make it as easy as possible for him.”