Wolves put it in Gordon’s hands
JONESBORO — Blake Anderson knew the most direct route to obtaining what he wanted Saturday night, but ASU’s coach wasn’t sure if his team could pull it off.
Michael Gordon was more than willing to show him that the Red Wolves could.
ASU’s senior running back churned out a career-high 221 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Red Wolves ran for six touchdowns in a 49-35 victory over Idaho in front of an announced crowd of 23,411 at Centennial Bank Stadium.
Gordon’s production, sparked by a 59-yard touchdown run and a 55-yard burst that led to another score, counted for the bulk of the Red Wolves’ season-high 333 yards rushing against the Vandals (1-4, 0-2), who entered Saturday allowing more yards per game and more yards per rush than any team in the FBS.
“Big sigh of relief, because we haven’t done it effectively other than the Missouri State game,” said Anderson, whose team was held to minus-14 yards rushing in a loss
at Toledo a week earlier. “We felt like we matched up against them, but until you go out and do it, it’s nerve-wracking.”
Gordon, Johnston White and Warren Wand didn’t waste time. The three running backs who combined for 347 yards — quarterback James Tabary’s minus-25 yards helped reduce the total — had big runs and small while combining for six touchdowns. Wand had ASU’s first score when he went to the right, then cut across the field for a 50-yard run. White, who had 56 yards on 12 carries, scored twice on 2-yard runs.
The production helped Tabary relax after a disappointing loss last week in which he threw three interceptions. Tabary, in his third start in place of injured starter Fredi Knighten, completed 16 of 25 passes for 188 yards. He threw one interception on a first-quarter screen pass that was returned by Chris Edwards for a touchdown and tripped over his own feet on one third down that led to an ASU punt, but otherwise relied on his backs.
“Everybody was doing their
job and we locked in,” Gordon said. “We were like, ‘It’s conference. We’ve got to do better. Everybody has to bring more to the table.’”
Cornerback Rocky Hayes, who had two interceptions and helped limit Dezmon Epps —
one of the nation’s leading receivers — to 9 catches for 64 yards, said ASU’s poor nonconference showing didn’t rattle its confidence. Saturday’s performance was proof.
“Being 1-3 sucks,” Hayes said. “But, at the end of the day we still want a ring, and just because we lost three games at the beginning of the season doesn’t mean we can get down on ourselves.”
Idaho tried to make things interesting in the first half.
The Vandals opened the game with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Elijhaa Penny’s 1-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Then, after Wand’s 50-yard run, Edwards’ interception return gave Idaho a 14-7 lead.
The Red Wolves (2-3, 1-0) took over after that with touchdowns on their final three drives of the half that covered 75, 89 and 91 yards. Gordon’s 59-yard burst tied the game at
14-14, White scored on a 2-yard run, and Gordon added a 15yard run to make it 28-14.
That last drive covered 91 yards in 19 plays, the longest ASU drive in Anderson’s two seasons. It started on the Red Wolves’ own 9, and the final 63 yards were all covered on the ground.
“We needed that, too,” said Tabary, who completed 16 of 25 passes for 188 yards and 1 touchdown. “Putting a long drive like that together, that’s just building confidence up going into the half. ”
Idaho’s Jake Luton completed 24 of 42 passes for 166 yards with 3 interceptions but scored 3 rushing touchdowns while filling in for starter Matt Linehan, who had an ankle injury.
“I don’t think you can ever have excuses about injuries,” Idaho Coach Paul Petrino said. “As far as our depth, we don’t have a lot right now because of injuries.”