Red Wolves Hold Second Spring Practice

JONESBORO (3/31/10) - The Arkansas State football team suited out in helmets and shorts for its second spring practice Wednesday afternoon, taking the field at ASU Stadium under sunny and windy weather conditions as it continued the early stages of installation and preparation for the upcoming season.

"I thought we did some good things on both sides of the football today," said ASU head coach Steve Roberts. "We ran to the football well on defense and made some plays on offense, but I didn't feel like we had the level of improvement that I was hoping to see (since last practice). Hopefully we'll see some good things on film, but we didn't see the things out here we needed to today, just in terms of alignments and some fundamental stuff that we needed to clean up from Monday. But we have 13 more practices to get it cleaned up, and obviously we'll be adding some new stuff everyday, so we've got to keep up."

The Red Wolves went through numerous individual and team drills, including passing skeletons and a pass rush period, spent time working on special teams and ended the day with its usual team period that has a different look this spring with the implementation of a new offense.

"We have a lot to put in and a lot to learn at a very fast pace," said Roberts. "There are a lot more reps in practice that I think will help us in the long run, but our concentration has to remain high."

With the exception of one interception, freshman quarterback Phillip Butterfield looked sharp during the team session as he completed 7-of-8 passes to six different receivers, including Anthony Robinson, Allen Muse, Andre Smith, Da'Juan Cofield, Carlos McCants and

Lucious Henderson.

"Phillip is just like everybody else - he is still learning and trying to see things, but he is learning and is extremely eager. He is getting a tremendous opportunity."

The defensive play during the team session was highlighted by an interception by linebacker Demario Davis, who returns for his junior year after leading the Red Wolves in tackles last season.

"Demario obviously had a great year for us last year, and we're looking for more consistency from him this year," Roberts said. "Hopefully he will improve this spring from a consistency stand point."

ASU will practice again Thursday at 3:30 p.m., but will then have three days off before holding its first practice in full pads on Monday at 3:30 p.m.

Season tickets for the Red Wolves' 2010 campaign are now on sale. To order tickets, contact the ASU Box Office at 870-972-ASU1 or 1-888-ASU-FANS or visit AStateRedWolves.com.

For more information, contact the ASU Marketing Department at 870-972-3880.