Super Bowl Update

The final installment of this year's series brings us the insight of Matt Roberson from the Jonesboro Sun.

1. Looks like ASU has been really good so far in Coach Freeze's first year. Do you think this same success could have happened with another year of Steve Roberts? How has Freeze made things better?

After nine years of Steve Roberts as head coach at Arkansas State without a winning record, I thoroughly believe the school had given Roberts a fair chance to prove his ability and was in favor of his dismissal. Roberts rebuilt the program from ashes, literally, but his conservative nature hampered his team and himself in tough situations. The attitude and morale among the players and within the staff had slowly eroded to an all-time low. While Roberts and his staff clearly could see, evaluate and recruit comparable talent, he simply did not have the ability to put the pieces together to form a winning program. Six wins is the best he ever did and his teams routinely failed in the clutch moments of a game, especially the fourth quarter, as his conservative nature took over and the players simply played scared. I always felt Roberts coached “Not to lose” rather than coaching “to win.” It’s not likely this team would be sitting 9-2 overall, and 7-0 in the Sun Belt Conference were Roberts still here today.
As for Freeze, he has been a breath of fresh air for the players, the staff, the media and the fans, and just the overall program in general. He brings an energetic style, some swagger and some confidence that had been missing for several years. His aggressive nature as a play caller and strategist has been both enjoyable and entertaining to watch. He is unpredictable, takes risks and keeps everyone guessing. The wheels in his brain are always turning. It seems like he has something new each week to give opponents fits.
Aside from all of that, Freeze is a people person. He’s never met someone he couldn’t call his friend. He’s very likable and he’s earned the trust and devotion of his players and staff. It’s also interesting the influence his faith has had throughout this season and on this team.
Arkansas State has been very fortunate to have had Freeze as its head coach. It’s my opinion that he probably has bigger things on the horizon awaiting him if not this year, then next. But there’s no question in my mind that Freeze has made a huge difference both on and off the field, in the number of wins and losses, and in shaping many young men’s lives for tomorrow.


2. How has former Troy player Josh Jarboe fit in with this team?

There was a lot of talk when Josh Jarboe arrived. People wondered if he would fit in, how he would act and would his teammates accept him. While his reputation clearly preceded him, Jarboe has managed to keep a low profile, stay out of trouble, focus on his own long-term personal goals and be a team player at ASU. Sure, there are times that Jarboe carries a little diva-type swagger. I think he knows he’s a stud receiver. Then again, we all do. But he keeps that part of his personality grounded for the most part and that’s been huge in his own success and keeping the team together as a team. Josh has been singled out by opponents with extra coverage, many times receiving double coverage for the majority of a game. When he’s been in single coverage, Arkansas State has taken advantage and he’s had some huge plays and made a significant impact on this team. I know that Josh would probably like to have a greater role than he’s had this season, and I’m pretty sure he will next year, but the impressive thing about Josh is that he’s become quiet and humble. These are attitudes or traits I’m not sure he displayed elsewhere, but it’s pretty clear he’s matured from the problems of his past. As far as fitting in with his team, his teammates have expressed to me they accepted him the moment he stepped on the practice field. I’d say he’s fit in just fine.


3. What makes the ASU defense so good?

What a difference a new defensive coordinator, a new scheme and some confidence has made this season. One of the first things ASU coach Hugh Freeze did was go out and find a new coordinator for the defense that would match his offensive philosophy. He found journeyman Dave Wommack, who had taken a year off after stepping down at Georgia Tech. Wommack put in a system that attacks aggressively rather than sits back, reads and reacts. As Wommack has told me several times: “We want to be the cat, not the mouse. We want to be the aggressor.” They have blitzed from all areas of the field, and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks with a nice pass rush up front.
The Red Wolves have embraced this new scheme since the day it was put in front of them. They feel like they have freedom to make plays they never could make before, and they can even make mistakes without penalty. As the season has gone on, the confidence of the defense has escalated immeasurably. They now believe they can stop anybody, which is something they didn’t believe last year.
As far as individually or by unit, the strength of ASU’s defense starts right up front. They have a veteran defensive line that includes one of the nation’s sack leaders in end Brandon Joiner and they rotate as many as 10 deep to keep people fresh. Only one running back — FAU’s Alfred Morris — has managed to rush for 100 yards on ASU this season. Linebacker has a similar situation with veteran leadership and excellent depth while the secondary is a little thin depth-wise but has improved immensely from a year ago.


4. Best places to eat in Jonesboro?

There are several good places to eat downtown and some nice restaurants that have opened up near the mall in recent years. For some good bar and grill type food, there is Godsey’s, Skinny J’s or The Brickhouse. All three are downtown on Main Street and can be easily located. For casual dining, I’d recommend the Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden off Stadium Blvd.,which is right on the way to the game, or Fat City off Caraway Road which runs parallel to Stadium Blvd. If wings are your thing, you can’t go wrong with Wings To Go on Caraway Rd., and if pizza is your dish, my favorite is Pizza Chef on Matthews Ave., which is a right-hand turn near the end of Caraway Rd. just before the ASU campus.

5. How do you see the game going?

There are a lot of distractions going on with Arkansas State’s football team and the rumors of Coach Freeze being a candidate for several other jobs. It seems his name keeps finding its way on to a new search list every day. Freeze has tip-toed around the subject nicely, complimenting his players for the success they have had to make these rumors possible, but never disposing the possibility that there may be some truth to them. However, knowing the struggles that Troy has had defensively and that there are some injuries the Trojans might be dealing with, I do believe Arkansas State will have a rather easy time this weekend. Also, I know how much the Red Wolves want to win this conference title outright and that Troy, specifically, is a team they’ve been looking forward to playing all season. No current ASU player has ever beaten Troy, and they’ve made it clear that they intend to change that. I believe them. Arkansas State 37, Troy 17.