Arkansas
State is has a few more days left in their preseason camp, as they prepare for
the upcoming season. Head coach Gus Malzahn is pleased and knows his players
now.
The
Red Wolves held a 5:15 p.m. workout and now have just two days remaining in
their fall camp than began Aug. 1 when players reported. ASU head coach Gus Malzahn addressed the team's
progress thus far following today's practice.
"We
have a lot of information about our players, and that is one of the biggest
positives," said Malzahn. "We know what we have and we know our
deficiencies, so now we can start building a game plan for Oregon and really
for the rest of the year."
Senior
quarterback Ryan Aplin, the 2012 preseason Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player
of the Year, also said the team recognizes the completion of its fall camp is
another step toward its season opener at Oregon on Sept. 1.
"We
know after each day we are getting closer to game day, but we still want to be
able to get as much in as possible," said Aplin. "We've had
some days that have been better than others, but we've got to move forward and
bring our 'A' game each day. We've got a lot of work to do to prepare for
Oregon, but game planning and watching film on your opponent is always
fun."
Malzahn
said that he was impressed by the defense in today's practice. The Red
Wolves ranked No. 24 in the nation last season in total defense, holding
opponents to 331.5 yards per game.
"The
defense really came ready to play with a lot of energy," Malzahn
said. "We challenged the guys to bounce back today and respond, and
I felt like our guys did that for the most part."
ASU
has two practices remaining as part of its fall camp, including a scrimmage tonight
at 9 p.m.
"We're
going to try and make it as close to a game-type situation as possible,"
Malzahn said of the scrimmage. "We're scrimmaging late at night
because we're going to play (Oregon) late at night, and we just want to be as
specific as we can. The young guys will scrimmage more than our older
players, but we'll do a lot of situation stuff."
Arkansas
State will open their 2012 season at Oregon on September 1 with a live
broadcast on ESPN.
