Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/3/2010 at 1:38pm

Arkansas State’s football program followed up a disappointing 4-8 season by changing offensive styles in the off-season, with new coordinator Hugh Freeze adding more hurry-up, no-huddle to the Red Wolves’ attack.

At first glance, running a face-paced offense might seem the wrong way to approach the Auburn Tigers in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday. No huddles and hurrying up in the play-calling sound like a recipe for underdog disaster, especially considered the nationally 21st-ranked and highly favored Tigers employ a similar offense under coordinator Gus Malzahn.

It’s best to know, though, that Freeze’s style is predicated on tempo , not just hurrying-up for hurrying-up’s sake. ASU Coach Steve Roberts says his Red Wolves have a plan they hope can keep Auburn guessing.

“We’re going to go in and do what we can do to help us win the game,” Roberts told us by telephone from Jonesboro on Thursday. “You’ll see various tempos during the game. We will change tempo from series to series and play to play.

“Obviously, we won’t be in hurry-up tempo the whole game or even half the game. That’s the thing: If the defense knows you’re going to be in hurry-up, they’ll be prepared for it. The whole key is to be able to change tempos and to make your checks.”

Roberts on Thursday wouldn’t commit to which of his two 1 and 1A quarterbacks will start or whether one would play more than the other. It will be determined, however, by the way the game progresses. Redshirt freshman Phillip Butterfield came back from knee surgery to perform well in the spring with Freeze’s new system. Ryan Aplin, who took over as starter late last year as a freshman, missed the spring work with some shoulder-cleanup surgery, but has been back to full speed in August, Roberts said.

“We expect both to be prepared to play, but there is no definitive plan in place,” Roberts said. “It’s not fair to the kids or fair to the team right now, so I don’t want to say one over the other. I just want them both ready to play.

“They both bring the same skill set. They can operate everything we’re asking the quarterback to do.”

Roberts was cryptic about any Red Wolves that might be out of action. “We're OK. All I’ll say is that we have no season-ending injuries,” he said.

Roberts, beginning his ninth season, has taken Arkansas State into hostile environs throughout his tenure, and usually with competitive results, if not an upset win such as at Texas A&M two years ago. The Red Wolves played Nebraska close until giving way late in last year’s 38-9 loss — ASU gained more yards on the ground that any Nebraska opponent in 2009 — and played Iowa to a 24-21 game last season.

In 2007, ASU was within a late, ontroversial onside kick ruling (later shown to be incorrect) from having the ball and a chance to get overtime with Texas in Austin, losing 21-13. But since tying Mississippi State 15-15 in 1993, Arkansas State has gone 0-17 against Southeastern Conference teams. Auburn under then-Coach Tommy Tuberville whipped ASU 27-0 in 2006. Then-No. 2 Alabama pounded ASU 35-0 in 2008.

Roberts expects these Red Wolves, though they lost 15 fifth-year seniors from last year’s team, to handle the loud environment of Jordan-Hare Stadium, where nearly 90,000 fans are expected Saturday.

“It’s a great atmosphere, and we know it’s something our kids are excited about,” Roberts said. “We’re excited about playing a game after 40-something practices where we just hit each other. We’re ready to compete against somebody else. We know it will be a challenge, but we don’t be intimidated with the environment.”

Roberts cited two areas he has focused on when ASU has traveled into unfriendly confines.

“One is being prepared. Know what you’re doing, how to do it, and just lock in and do it,” he said. “If you’re prepared, you have the opportunity to overcome the environment. The second thing is, have total focus of what’s happening between the white lines. Lock into the game and don’t worry about the other stuff. If we do those two things, and with what we’ve done in practice, they’ll be ready.”

Auburn’s offense as directed by Arkansas native Gus Malzahn “will be a difficult matchup,” Roberts said, as the Tigers also change tempos, employ various personnel groups and shifts “and things designed to take your attention away from the play they’re actually running.”

“All that is challenging,” he said. Added to that is a big-time running threat this year for Auburn in junior college transfer Cam Newton at quarterback. Newton began his career at Florida, a highly recruited prepster, who was dismissed from the team. “He’s an outstanding athlete who can make a lot of things happen, especially when things break down. He has a great arm. There are a lot of unknowns as far as what they are going to be asking him to do. I’m sure he run the ball, but probably they’re not going to run him in design except in the red zone.”

Tigers running backs Mario Fannin and Onterio McCalebb offer two different and effective styles, and freshman Michael Dyer, the all-time leading rusher in Arkansas high school history, is listed third behind the veterans. Four of five starters are back on the O-line, another concern for Roberts, with three being seniors, including Rogers product Lee Ziemba.

Roberts believes his defense should be physical and fast enough to hold its own against the Tigers’ offense, but must weather the storm against all the unknowns Malzahn may spring. He expects a typical fast Auburn defense as well.

“We’ve go to go in and create our own opportunity,” Roberts said.

Tagged: Auburn Tigers, Gus Malzahn, Michael Dyer, Steve Roberts, Ryan Aplin, Phillip Butterfield