It’s always nice to get back to things more familiar. We all love to go on vacations, but there’s nothing like getting back home from one. This past weekend Arkansas State got back to its winning ways in a gritty performance against South Alabama.
Not only is it nice to get back to winning, but that game was about as close to one of those “must-wins” as you could get for the Red Wolves right now. Lose that game and prospects of a bowl for the back-to-back champs looks grim. But the win gives them a little cushion heading into the home stretch of the season needing to only win two of the next four with two of those game at home.
But back to Saturday, it appeared for a while that the Red Wolves once again lost their edge, lost their tenacity, lost their swagger. A team that scores almost 30 points per game was shutout in the first half and at times seemed to have the same issues that have plagued them at so many times this season. Can’t run; can’t give quarterback Adam Kennedy time to throw and when he does have time, he seemingly finds a way to get sacked.
But the defense finally showed us what they are capable of. Instead of two touchdowns by the Jags in the first half, the Red Wolves defense only allowed two field goals. There’s a BIG difference between 14-0 and 6-0.
Amidst Kennedy’s slump, we saw Fredi Knighten get reinserted into the lineup. Perhaps by design; perhaps a wake up call for Kennedy. Whatever the case, Kennedy played like a man possessed in the second half. He made smarter decisions; he made quicker decisions with the ball; he put the Red Wolves on his back and carried the pack to a victory. He converted several key third downs with his legs to keep drives alive. He put ASU on the board with a nice scramble that ended up being a touchdown and the momentum had shifted in favor of the Red Wolves from then on.
South Alabama almost answered right back on their next drive, but again the defense rose to the occasion. Speaking of rising to the occasion, Brian Davis kicked a bomb in the fourth quarter that probably would have been good from 60 yards out. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous when they sent out the Lou Groza semifinalist to attempt a 50-yard attempt. We just haven’t seen him do it. But when that rocket he launched took off you could tell from the get-go it was good and it was real good. It also kept him perfect on the season for field goal attempts at 10/10 and now a long of 50. ASU is fast becoming Kicker U.
But the story of the day comes back to the Utah State transfer. Kennedy showed real grit and determination to win. He sparked the offense when it needed it most. He was smart and tactical with the ball, and the results ended with a W.
“Big deal. It was a win over South Al” you might say. The Jags aren’t as bad as their record indicates: They beat Western Kentucky. They beat CUSA-leading Tulane. They played Tennessee within a touchdown, and almost knocked off Troy. Not too shabby to say the least. So this is a big win for Arkansas State as it captured some of that Ladd-Peebles magic it has and gets them one step closer to becoming bowl-eligible.
Soak it in now Red Wolves fans there’s another big test coming this weekend as the team takes on its old Indian rival ULM, the former Sun Belt celebrities, in what will be a crucial game for both schools if they want to even sniff a piece of the Sun Belt championship.
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