Indians working on mental toughness

MeanGreen61 · July 27, 2005

http://www.jonesborosun.com/story.asp?ID=10984

“The one thing that separates North Texas is mental toughness,”

BY GRAHAM THOMAS

SUN STAFF WRITER

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Mental toughness. It’s a trait that North Texas has and one that the Arkansas State football team is trying to build. It’s why the Mean Green can start off their season each year 0-4 and rebound to win the Sun Belt Conference title each season, according to ASU assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Kevin Corless.

“The one thing that separates North Texas is mental toughness,” Corless said. “I think that is something that we have really worked hard to develop with our players. We’ve got to be mentally tough. We’ve got to avoid the highs and lows that come with a season. I think with a young football team, it’s easy to fall victim to that.”

Mental toughness, a young football team and a hope of tomorrow were the topics of discussion Wednesday as Corless represented ASU at the Arkansas Associated Press Sports Writers Association meeting. Head football coach Steve Roberts was in New Orleans for SBC Media Days and could not attend.

The mental toughness is something the Indians are working on through intense winter, spring and summer workouts. The overall team is a year older after going 3-8 in 2004, and according to Corless, that should make a difference this season along with a lighter beginning of the schedule.

“I’ve been coaching for 20 years now and we’ve had two of the hardest winters that we’ve put our team through,” Corless said. “I think you create mental toughness in that way.”

ASU also opened the 2004 season with games at Missouri, at LSU and hosting Memphis, all top 25 teams at the time.

“The thing that sticks out the most schedule-wise (last year) was the fact that we opened up with three top 25 teams to start the season,” Corless said. “That was a rough way to start it. That was the third toughest non-conference schedule in the country. To boot, we played seven of our first nine football games on the road.

“I think if you combine the schedule with the youth of our football team, it made for a pretty challenging season. Last year we played a lot of young players and started six freshmen on defense, one of those being a true freshman.”

Two of ASU’s losses came by close margins against Memphis and Ole Miss. Had those games gone the other way, it could have been a different season, Corless said.

“If you win those two ballgames with the young guys that we’ve got, how does that affect the rest of our season? I think it would have changed it dramatically,” Corless said. “But what we’ve told our players is you cannot let those things dictate your emotion or mentality. Don’t get too low and don’t get too high.”

Offensively, the Indians return starting quarterback Nick Noce along with a talented backfield led by Antonio Warren, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2004.

However, the Indians have concerns with experience along the offensive line and wide receivers.

Defensively, the area of most concern, Corless said, is the linebackers — the position he coaches.

“I think defensively, probably the area that scares us the most is the area that I coach, the linebackers,” Corless said. “We do not have a linebacker that started or played a snap of Division I football at linebacker. Now that sounds pretty bad when you say that.”

Not having 2004 Freshman All-American linebacker Josh Williams doesn’t help things either. Williams was removed from the team back in the spring.

The Indians’ defense begins with its defensive line, which Corless said has the most talent since the days of NFL players Jon Bradley and Corey Williams.

The secondary is also talented and quick, Corless said.

“The greatest asset of our defense, I’d say it’s two things: Their ability to run and their willingness to run,” Corless said. “Those guys have worked hard in conditioning and they are ready and willing to run to the football. We’re excited about that.”

Overall, Corless said the program, in its fourth season under Roberts, is headed in the right direction. ASU is 14-22 during that span.

“We’re awfully proud of what we’ve done. We’re proud of the image our players produce and proud of the things they’re doing academically,” Corless said. “Over the course of the last three seasons, we’ve won more football games than any three seasons combined going back to the mid-to-late 80s at Arkansas State. We’re proud of that and we’re proud of the players that we’ve got, and I really believe Indian football is on the rise.”