NEW ORLEANS BOWL: ARKANSAS STATE VS. LOUISIANA TECH

Outside influence

Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson (left, standing) will lead the Red Wolves into today’s New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana Tech riding an eight-game winning streak. The second-year coach said the Red Wolves have been playing with a chip on their shoulders for most of the season because they felt like they weren’t getting enough respect not only within the conference but also on a national level.
Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson (left, standing) will lead the Red Wolves into today’s New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana Tech riding an eight-game winning streak. The second-year coach said the Red Wolves have been playing with a chip on their shoulders for most of the season because they felt like they weren’t getting enough respect not only within the conference but also on a national level.

NEW ORLEANS -- It first was brought up three weeks ago by Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson, without solicitation from the media.

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Courtesy of Arkansas State University

Arkansas State defensive end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones (right) has a team-leading nine sacks this season for the Red Wolves, who will be trying to win the program’s third bowl game today.

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Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson (right), part of a question and answer session with Louisiana Tech Coach Skip Holtz (left) and broadcaster Jim Henderson, said the Red Wolves have gone through the season with a chip on their shoulders after being picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference during the preseason. More photos can be seen at arkansasonline.com/galleries.

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Special to the Democrat-Gazette

FILE — Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson

A few days before the Red Wolves' regular-season finale, Anderson revealed the driving force for his team over the season's final month was a lack of respect from the outside.

Today’s game

ASU VS. LOUISIANA TECH

WHEN 8 p.m. tonight

TV ESPN

WHERE Superdome, New Orleans

RECORDS ASU 9-3; La. Tech 8-4

BETTING LINE La. Tech by 2

COACHES Blake Anderson (16-9 in second year at Arkansas State and overall); Skip Holtz (21-17 in third season at La. Tech, 109-88 in 16th season overall)

SERIES La. Tech leads 25-12

RADIO KASR-FM, 92.7, in Little Rock/ Conway; KFIN-FM, 107.9, in Jonesboro

Arkansas State (9-3)

DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT

Sept. 5 at Southern Cal L, 55-6

Sept. 12 Missouri L, 27-20

Sept. 19 Missouri State W, 70-7

Sept. 26 at Toledo L, 37-7

Oct. 3 Idaho* W, 49-35

Oct. 13 at South Alabama* W, 49-31

Oct. 20 La.-Lafayette* W, 37-27

Oct. 31 Georgia State* W., 48-34

Nov. 5 at Appalachian St.* W, 40-27

Nov. 14 at La.-Monroe* W, 59-21

Nov. 28 at New Mexico State* W, 52-28

Dec. 5 Texas State* W,. 55-17

Today Louisiana Tech^ 8 p.m.

*Sun Belt Conference game

All times Central

^at Superdome, New Orleans

Louisiana Tech (8-4)

DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT

Sept. 5 Southern W, 62-15

Sept. 10 at Western Kentucky L, 41-38

Sept. 19 at Kansas State L, 39-33, 3OT

Sept. 26 Florida International W, 27-17

Oct. 3 La.-Lafayette W, 43-14

Oct. 10 at UTSA W, 34-31

Oct. 17 at Mississippi State L, 45-20

Oct. 24 Middle Tennessee W, 45-16

Oct. 30 at Rice W, 42-17

Nov. 7 North Texas W, 56-13

Nov. 21 at UTEP W, 17-15

Nov. 28 Southern Miss L, 58-24

Today Arkansas State^ 8 p.m.

*Conference USA game

All times Central

^at Superdome, New Orleans

Anderson's team had won seven games in a row at the time -- six by 13 points or more -- and was less than a week away from breaking the Sun Belt Conference's single-season scoring record it had set the previous year.

But Anderson didn't feel like his team was getting its due. Three weeks later, after a 55-17 thrashing of Texas State that clinched an outright Sun Belt title on the turf at Centennial Bank Stadium, he still is pushing for more respect.

"I keep telling the guys, 'The only way you're going to get it is to earn it,'" Anderson said. "And you earn it one week at a time."

ASU's final opportunity to do so this season comes at 8 p.m. today at the Superdome, and Anderson said he thinks it's the team's best chance to get its point across.

ASU (9-3) will take on old-time rival Louisiana Tech (8-4) in the New Orleans Bowl, an opportunity for a fitting sendoff of one of the school's best teams since moving to the FBS in 1992. It's also another chance for the Red Wolves to change the perception of the program.

After last year's 7-6 finish, ASU was picked third in the Sun Belt in the preseason. Anderson said he doesn't think many people thought his team would end this season in the Superdome.

"Really kind of expected us to at some point falter, and really weren't giving us the amount of respect for what was accomplished," Anderson said of some outsiders. "It's kind of been a chip on our shoulder, which allowed us to carry things through, not that we talked about it a lot, but you could feel it, and they played that way."

Where has the disrespect come from?

ASU is garnering votes in two national polls, but when ASU clinched the Sun Belt title Dec. 5, nobody from the conference office was in attendance, which has been customary in past years.

Anderson and Athletic Director Terry Mohajir have said that didn't bother them, but uproar came from a faction of the school's fan base. Then, a week later, Anderson said the team felt slighted with regard to conference awards. ASU landed 17 players on the all-Sun Belt teams, but none won an individual award.

Players say they're aware of the perceived slights but try to tune them out.

"People are going to talk," tight end Darion Griswold said. "People feel like they're superior to some guys, they don't really respect us because we're in the Sun Belt. We've got a lot to say about that."

"You care a little, to an extent," cornerback Rocky Hayes said. "But when it comes down to it, it really doesn't matter. They're not out there with you. It's just an opinion."

Griswold and Hayes are two of 16 seniors who will conclude their careers tonight, having had a big hand in changing perceptions of ASU. A victory would give the Red Wolves 34 since 2012, the most in a four-year span since ASU moved to the FBS.

"They've done their part," Anderson said. "You get the sense just talking to them ... they want to finish this off. They want to have a great taste in their mouth when they leave, that they left us in great shape."

Mohajir said he thinks the perception of ASU's program is changing from when he arrived in 2012.

"Just based on who wants to play us and who doesn't want to play us," he said. "Those top-five branded programs will want to play us. It's some of the autonomous five schools at the bottom half of the conference, they're not wanting to play us."

The program's end goals haven't changed, Anderson said. One is to be a team considered for a ranking in the national polls. That's a possibility with a victory tonight and some help in other bowls.

Another goal is being the Group of Five representative in one of the January bowls. Anderson said he knows the first step to that is winning games that turn people's eyes toward Jonesboro.

Tonight, the first time ASU has been in the Sun Belt's longest-running bowl in 10 years, comes another chance to take a a step.

"We're going to be on a national stage, on prime-time television, against another good football program, against a different conference," Anderson said. "You've got to perform in a way that catches people's eye."

Sports on 12/19/2015

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