LAFAYETTE, La. -- Blake Anderson willfully took the blame late Tuesday night.
Before addressing a group of reporters outside of Arkansas State's locker room at Cajun Field, a passing comment from Anderson provided a glimpse of how he felt after a 55-40 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette that could have ended ASU's string of three consecutive conference titles.
"Put me in the corner, because that's where I belong," Anderson said while trying to find a place to conduct a postgame interview.
ASU's first-year coach spent the next 10 minutes breaking down his first Sun Belt Conference loss, which was brought on by his team's inability to stop Louisiana-Lafayette's running game and an inconsistent Red Wolves offense that still managed to gain 595 yards.
Still, the first question Anderson faced was about a decision he made midway through the third quarter that ultimately led to Louisiana-Lafayette building a lead too big to overcome.
"Trying to create a spark," Anderson said when asked why he called for a fake punt with 7:07 left in the third quarter and ASU facing a fourth-and-11 situation at its own 8.
ASU lined up in a punt formation but the snap went to Chris Stone, a defensive end who was lined up as the up-back on the play. Stone rolled to the right while in his own end zone and threw back to punter Luke Ferguson, who was tackled for a loss of 2 yards at the 6.
Alonzo Harris' touchdown two plays later gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 41-23 lead with 6:14 left.
"It's my fault," Anderson said. "I told the guys, 'I take the loss. I put us behind the eight-ball, and I know I'm giving up points there.' Hoping to give up three instead of a touchdown, but against a team that runs the ball as well as they do, I knew how risky it was. Playing to win.
"Obviously, it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. But it's all mine. My fault. My call."
Stone took up for his coach's decision, one of several trick plays the Red Wolves used in the game.
"We were all in for it," Stone said. "We all wanted to run it, and we ran it. They sniffed it out pretty good."
The Red Wolves (4-3, 2-1) spent the final 21 minutes of the game trying to play catch up with the Ragin' Cajuns (4-3, 3-0). They pulled to within 48-40 after Fredi Knighten connected with Dijon Paschal on a 6-yard touchdown on a fade pass and then connected with Tres Houston for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 1:12 left.
But ASU's ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and Elijah McGuire punctuated Louisiana-Lafayette's victory with a 54-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds remaining.
That left ASU to try to figure out what happened to what had been the best run defense in the Sun Belt Conference entering the game.
"You learn from it," linebacker Xavier Woodson said. "As a whole defense, we've got to tackle better and focus a little more and take our opponent seriously."
Louisiana-Lafayette rushed for 419 yards, which was more than ASU's three previous opponents -- Utah State, Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia State -- had combined to gain. The longest run against ASU's defense before Tuesday was 33 yards, but the Ragin' Cajuns had three runs longer and all of them went for touchdowns.
"We rushed for [419] yards, [521] yards total offense, and we made them like it," Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Terrance Broadway told reporters.
Broadway and some teammates also expressed displeasure about how the game ended.
Tackle Mykhael Quave was carted off the field after an apparent knee injury suffered on the game's final extra-point attempt. ESPN2 cameras showed ASU's Frankie Jackson diving low and appearing to make contact with Quave's right knee.
The Advertiser of Lafayette, La., reported Wednesday that Louisiana-Lafayette had sent video of the play to the Sun Belt office to be reviewed.
ASU defensive back Irving Adams was ejected on the play. ASU cornerback Andrew Tryon was ejected earlier in the game, and words were exchanged between the teams as they left the field.
"I feel like the game got out of hand tonight on both sides of the field," Stone said. "I feel like our team as well as their team showed somewhat poor sportsmanship."
The loss left ASU among three teams with one loss in conference play, trailing unbeaten Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia Southern, which ASU doesn't play this year.
Anderson and Red Wolves players said the conference race wasn't of immediate concern. Running back Michael Gordon noted that last season the Red Wolves still managed to earn a piece of the conference title after losing to Louisiana-Lafayette by winning their next four games.
"Stuff happens," said Gordon, who had 134 yards rushing Tuesday night. "You never know what team could upset them. We win out, stuff could happen like it happened last year."
Sports on 10/23/2014