Blake Anderson said his Arkansas State football players aren’t anywhere near the condition they need to be to run the hurry-up, no-huddle system that he is in the beginning stages of installing.
That’s the reason for the early mornings in Jonesboro.
ASU is in the middle of three-day-a-week sessions that start at 6 a.m. in which Anderson and the strength and conditioning staff put players through position, agility and conditioning drills in preparation for spring practice, which begins March 17.
The sessions, which are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, are essential for what Anderson wants to run on offense. He has described the scheme he is bringing with him from North Carolina as “fast-paced basketball on grass” and wants each snap to occur after no more than12-15 seconds have ticked off the 40-second play clock.
The tempo is similar to what some of the group saw under Gus Malzahn in 2012, but quite a bit different from what Bryan Harsin installed last year, which had the ability to go to the hurry-up game but was based on pro-style elements.
“We’ll get them in shape to do what we need to do,” Anderson said Wednesday during a visit to Little Rock during which he met with various media outlets and had a short visit with Gov. Mike Beebe, an ASU graduate. “It prepares you to play the way we play.
“That just was not the style and the cycle of training they did over the last year. We’re having to take that process and build a foundation and go from there. It’s a good bit different nowadays, I would think.”
Improved conditioning isn’t the only area that concerns Anderson less than three weeks from spring practice. Depth is another, specifically on the defensive line.
Three defensive linemen - Eddie Porter, Ryan Carrethers and Amos Draper -started at least six games last season but have exhausted their eligibility, and would be senior Markel Owens was killed in a shooting at the home of his mother in Jackson, Tenn.
Sophomore defensive end Chris Stone started every game, but other than him, Dexter Blackmon, Darrius Rosser and Chris Odom are the only returnees with much experience.
Anderson said the staff is looking at candidates from the offensive line and a group of seven tight ends to move to defense. He said they aren’t familiar enough with personnel to say who that will be just yet, but the decision will likely be made before spring practice.
“We just want to make sure it’s the right move. You don’t want to move a guy then try to move him back,” he said. “We’ve got to address the defensive line. It’s our biggest, most significant issue.”
Anderson also has one hour film sessions twice each week that are designed to help ASU’s players develop a working knowledge of his offense.
“We won’t be real good at it for awhile,” he said. “At least you can get a lot of prep work [done] to show that when you do get out there you can go out there and do some functional work. It’s not teaching everything from the ground up.”
Anderson said quarterback is still a “wide-open competition” but that quarterback Fredi Knighten will get the first crack at securing the top spot.
Knighten, the only one of the six quarterbacks on the roster with experience on the FBS level, accumulated 559 yards of total offense last year while backing up the departed Adam Kennedy. Anderson watched as Knighten took over for Kennedy, who had a knee injury, and led a comeback victory over Ball State in the GoDaddy Bowl.
“I would say he’ll probably take the first rep with the first group Day 1,” Anderson said. “He’s earned that as far as I can tell. Our goal is to find out can he be a starting quarterback. Can he win? Can he do what we want to do?
“Everything points to the direction he can do all those things.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 02/27/2014