ONLY AVAILABLE INThat is a phrase often used by Arkansas State Coach Butch Jones when explaining the importance of a good start in games and not letting an opponent jump out to a large advantage that is difficult to recover from.
One example is the Red Wolves' 28-21 loss at Kennesaw State last season. ASU outscored the Owls 21-7 over the final 30:02, but it fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter and had no answers for the uptempo Kennesaw State offence early.
The teams meet again Saturday night, this time at ASU's Centennial Bank Stadium, to close out a home-and-home series. Jones said he and his staff have not forgotten what happened last year at Kennesaw, Ga., and have been harping to the team how critical the early portions of the game will be.
"If you look at their pattern of behaviour, they go exceptionally fast to start the game," Jones said of the Owls. "Your players got to be locked into the details. Not only are they going fast, but they have an opening script."
Jones added that virtually every team uses some form of opening script — an early schedule of plays set before the game –but the speed at which Kennesaw State plays sets it apart. The Owls rank in the top 20 nationally in pace of play, averaging less than 24 seconds per play.
Syracuse transfer quarterback Rickie Collins leads the Kennesaw State offence and uses his mobility to his advantage. In his lone season at Syracuse, Collins started five games and completed 97 of 181 passes (53.6%) for 1,042 yards and 6 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
Source: Newsdata