JONESBORO - Arkansas State held its first spring practice Monday under new head coach Blake Anderson, taking the field at 4 p.m. for a spirited work out in shorts and helmets that lasted until approximately 6:30 p.m.
“This was a good first day,” Anderson said. “The energy was what we wanted, and guys were bouncing around with a lot of enthusiasm all the way through. We have a set number of reps we want to get each day, and they rolled through those with good tempo. Those were all positives to build on.”
The three-time defending Sun Belt Conference champions were back on the field for their first team practice since ending the 2013 season with a 23-20 victory over Ball State in the GoDaddy Bowl on Jan. 5. The Red Wolves’ work during the offseason was evident Monday, Anderson said.
“We wanted to see a lot of energy, a great attitude, guys hustling on and off the field, and how much they’ve been paying attention to the meetings and the film they’ve watched on their own,” Anderson said. “It will get crazier as we get further into camp and start installing. But I thought, for the most part, the guys did a nice job with that.”
ASU returns six offensive starters and eight on defense from last year’s 8-5 team, but competition at each position is expected to be high throughout the spring, Anderson said.
ASU will hold its next 14 practices, including the spring game on April 18, over a five-week period. Additional practices today will be held today, Thursday and Friday, prior to spring break.
“I want to get faster and more efficient, and we’ve got to talk about execution,” Anderson said. “That’s where we will spend a lot of our time. Today was about energy, about coming out with a good tempo day, and we got that done. Now every day as we install, add situational football and put pads on, then it’s going to become about execution, and we’ll have plenty to correct.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 03/18/2014