WEBVTT
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And we welcome you into another edition of Saturdays in Jonesboro.
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This is episode 13 of this particular podcast.
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We've had a lot of fun visiting with all kinds of people associated with Arkansas State football in and around Game Day.
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We've talked to quite a few former players as well.
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And that's what we're doing today, talking with somebody who's part of a handful of former student athletes that will be inducted into the A-State Hall of Honor here in a few weeks, coming up on October 23rd.
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He's a former all-conference receiver for the Red Wolves, a huge part of those conference championship teams back in 2011 and 2012.
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He's top 10 in career receptions at Arkansas State, seventh in career receiving yards and top five in career receiving touchdowns with 16.
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And we're thrilled to have him here with us today.
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Hello, Tagler Stockamer.
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Hey, Matt.
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It's good to be here.
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Well, great to have you.
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I want to start with the Hall of Honor.
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First off, congratulations on that.
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So well deserved.
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How did you find out that you were going in?
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I appreciate you that.
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Thank you very much.
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Um, so I'm actually on the letter winners board, and I was help assisting with the other wonderful candidates that were selected and being reviewed.
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And, you know, football is usually a big part of that ceremony.
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So we have so many great football players in our history.
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We split it into two different time periods, which was somewhat funny because I fell in both time periods.
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So I elected to stay in the latter time period so I could vote for some of my former teammates and some other greats that have come through.
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And when it came time to vote for the latter period, I told the board, I said I have to recuse myself from voting one way or the other on this one.
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And so I left the board meeting and I told them, hey, let me back in whenever you've made your decision.
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After about 20 minutes, I didn't hear anything, so I decided, you know, I'm gonna head home and I'm gonna grab some food.
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And I knew he was on vacation, it's one of the few weeks he gets vacation, so I figured he was just calling to check in and we get to chatting and um he poised it as a game show.
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He said, Hey, you know, me and my family are playing a game show.
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Uh, I need your help.
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We have a trivia question.
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I figured you'd know the answer.
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I said, Okay.
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And he said, but you know, you only get one shot at this and kept going.
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I said, just just ask the question.
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I said, I I'll help you as best I can.
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And he said, it's more of a statement.
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I said, okay.
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He said, uh, congratulations, you're being inducted into the Hall of Honor, which meant the world to me that Ryan was able to call and give me that great news.
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How cool is that?
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And, you know, so fitting, too, because when you guys are mentioned around Arkansas State, usually you kind of go together, Applin and Stocker.
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And when people say your name, they think of Ryan Applin.
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So what was that relationship like?
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How has it evolved over the years?
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And I I mean, you guys came in together back in 2008.
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So nearly 20 years, you've known this guy, and uh obviously have a tremendous amount of history together.
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It it's been a great relationship from the start.
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There's a core group of us that all came in in that 2008 class that were all still really, really close.
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And um, you know, it was great to develop a relationship with him early on.
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He was the backup to Corey Leonard, um, and we took all the practice reps when we were a red shirt.
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So we developed a rapport with one another very early on.
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So by the time our fifth year rolled around, we were able to know what the other one was thinking, and which is a blessing for a receiver and a quarterback in their relationship.
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And since then, we've maintained contact on a consistent basis.
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I go and see him coach, and you know, I root for him every chance I get, except for when he plays us, like last year at homecoming.
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Um, gotta go for the home dogs, but uh yeah, it's a it's a great relationship, and he's a he's a wonderful human being and a wonderful friend.
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So tell people how you ended up at Arkansas State to begin with.
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Mentioned you were part of that 2008 class.
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You're from the western part of the state, from Van Buren.
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So, how did that recruiting process go?
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It was a bit of a a wild story.
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Uh, I actually had a best friend of mine talk me into playing football.
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So I didn't start playing football until my later years, eighth or ninth grade, and um began playing as a sophomore, began starting as a sophomore at Van Buren High School.
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Um, and I I didn't know what I was doing, but I was doing it.
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Um and as I began to succeed on the field, I was getting more and more attention.
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Unfortunately, um I got hurt in my senior year and only ended up playing two or three games, really, um, and was pretty much a non-factor in those.
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Um, but thankfully, you know, Steve Roberts and David Gunn saw some opportunity with me and um they awarded me or offered me a scholarship and took some time to think about it.
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I had some other scholarship offers, but uh I really enjoyed Coach Roberts and I really loved David Gunn as well, um, and took the opportunity to join what I would learn to be something special.
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You mentioned Steve Roberts and David Gunn, and uh you talk about just character individuals.
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You're not gonna meet two better men than those two.
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I I'm sure, you know, that had to be a big part of your reasoning why you came to Arkansas State, but what was it like to be around those two?
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It's wonderful.
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I I still talk to Coach Roberts all the time.
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I actually spoke with him last Friday night.
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Um he's such a wonderful man.
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He's a great leader, he's extremely fair, um, and he was always fair to us.
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And you know, he always told us, I'm gonna make you better football players, but I'm gonna make you better men as well.
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Um, and he instilled that in almost all of his players when we were under him.
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And then David Gunn, the same.
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He was always a great leader, he was always a good coach, enjoyed being around him, and they made some of the tough experiences or tough activities we had to do a little bit better, just you know, knowing that you're serving great people.
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And they were such good recruiters.
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And look, we talk about the success starting in 2011, but so many of those players were brought in by Coach Roberts.
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And we talk about that 2008 class, and you and Ryan Applin, Alan Mews was part of that class, Tim Starson, Don Jones.
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Uh, those are just some of the names that came in that particular year.
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But obviously, that's that staff in particular had such an eye for talent and kind of finding those diamonds in the rough, it seemed.
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And not even our class.
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If you go to the class before with Demario Davis and Kelsey McCrae, MD Jennings, I mean, Tyrell Johnson, Alex Carrington.
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I mean, there's guys and guys throughout the years, they were able to find really good ball players and coach them up to be great football players to for years on.
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I mean, Derek Newton as well.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, Derek Newton went on to play in the NFL for a while.
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So yeah, uh a lot of great names in the history of Arkansas State football uh during that time.
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Another name that came along in 2010 was Hugh Freeze.
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He came in to become the offensive coordinator that season.
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And then in 2011 he took over as the head coach.
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How did he kind of take the offense to another level?
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You know, I have an interesting story about Hugh.
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Hugh recruited me when he was at Old Miss and at Ed Orgeron, they had me down there.
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I remember going down um to a game against Arkansas, actually, and I was standing on the sidelines talking to Ed Orgeron and Coach Freeze.
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Um, they were relieved of their duties that year, and Freeze went to Lambeth and tried to get me to go to Lambeth afterwards.
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Um at that point, I committed to Steve and Arkansas State.
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Um, so it was funny when he showed back up in 2010.
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The first thing he said to me is, Do you remember me?
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Which I felt bad because the last time he called, I never answered.
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So um, but it was interesting.
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He he brought, we went from more of a pro-style offense that had certain pieces to each position to a wide open, completely different spread offense that wasn't as rigid, didn't have as many rules.
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And I remember my position coach, Tyler Siskiy, saying, guys, you're gonna have to forget a lot of what you've learned.
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We're playing backyard football now.
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And it ended up being that, where we'd go in to a game and we'd be drawing up plays on the sideline.
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Um, I remember specifically there was a play against Western Kentucky in 2010, um, where I ran a slant for a touchdown.
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They were telling us what to do on the sideline right before the ball was snapped.
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They're like, hey, Framp, do this, stock, do this, you know, drawing it up on the sideline, which is something we would never would have done um, you know, with the previous regime.
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That's amazing.
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And really, there's not too many coaching staffs anywhere that would do that, but it shows that they did have some trust in you guys as players to go out there and execute in those situations.
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And that kind of goes back to that connection that that you and Ryan Applin had.
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I mean, there has to be a really large level of trust if you're going to go out and and execute like that.
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I would hope so.
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He he threw some passes to me sometimes where I was thinking, why would you do that?
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Um, specifically when we played our bowl game in 2011 season on that fourth down when he threw a touchdown.
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Um my route was to just clear everybody off.
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And we had an out route behind me that would have gotten the first down, and we could keep the drive going.
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I turned around and look and I see the ball in the air, and I'm sitting there thinking, well, why would he do that?
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You mentioned one name earlier, I want to go back to DiMario Davis, and he was a guy that I know was a year older than you, but you were around him most of his time at Arkansas State.
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Well, what are your what are some of your memories of you know matching up with him in practice and just being around him on a daily basis?
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He was always a competitor, always a great leader.
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I mean, he you knew the minute you walked in the locker room that he was one of our leaders, if not the leader.
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Um very outspoken, very driven, and obviously a very good athlete and a very good football player.
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Um I remember one of our first practices in 2008, um, he made an incredible play on a play that he shouldn't have been able to make, but athletically and with his intelligence as a football player, intercepted a pass and you know, for the means of practice returned it for a touchdown.
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And you're sitting there thinking, like, this guy is incredible.
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Um always very vocal, always very motivating.
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Um, I hated going against him because normally I could outrun linebackers, but he's so fast that I knew he was going to be right there with me.
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But at the same time, he'd go and hit Reggie Arnold in the backfield, or you know, he could take on almost anybody.
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I want to go back to that 2011 season because that was part of the historic run.
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You know, nine straight winning seasons, nine straight bowl games, five conference championships.
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And you knew you had talent on that team, but that was that was the year that Coach Freeze took over as head coach.
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And I know you and I have talked about it before.
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You know, so many people, and for good reason, go back to the conference opener that year.
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You play at Western Kentucky, and they kind of the they say that's the turning point.
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And what was interesting was nobody really knew how good either of those teams would be.
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You end up running the table, going 8-0 in conference, but Western Kentucky was 7-1.
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That was their lone loss.
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But I remember you find a way to win that game at Western Kentucky, but I know you as players really didn't feel like that was the turning point at the time.
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You're actually kind of disappointed that uh you played the way you did in that game, right?
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Right.
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It uh I remember going into that game, they'd either lost to Illinois or Indiana State, and which which was an FCS school at the time.
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And it took a big stop by Q Lee and Nathan Harold on fourth down to get us the ball back, and we had to they had to review it.
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They first said they got it, and I remember it it almost took the wind out of our sails, you know, because at that point they would have won the game had they converted.
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And we drove down and scored.
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And the sentiment in the locker room, we were excited that we won because it was a road conference win, but at the same time, we knew they'd lost to the FCS team the year before.
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I think we were one of their only FBS wins, and we're sitting there thinking, we're not very good.
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We we can barely beat these guys.
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You know, how are we going to be any better?
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And then the next week we won again, and the next week we won again.
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It was the stepping stone that helped us build confidence to end up where we were.
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Yeah, and it just it kept getting better.
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That team kept getting better, and you you just could feel the confidence oozing from the sidelines every week that you guys knew you were a good team by the end of the year.
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And I remember the the next to last game of the regular season, you guys go into Murphysboro and you play Middle Tennessee, a place where you know Arkansas State had not had success or much success just throughout history, and end up winning that game big.
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And you find out in the locker room after the game, and there's still another game remaining in the regular season, but you find out in the locker room after the next to last game of the regular season that you're going to the Go Daddy Bowl.
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So that had to be kind of a thrill in itself.
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That was very exciting.
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Um it was at that point we were firing on all cylinders.
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We knew we were good offensively, we knew we were good defensively, we knew we were a good special teams, coached football team.
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And so to come in there with the excitement, we knew at that point we had either tied or won the conference.
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So we were very excited.
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And to come in and to hear the announcement that we're going to a bowl game for the first time in many years, I mean, it was overwhelming.
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Yeah, that was exciting.
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And then the encore, you win the conference championship outright the following week with the victory against Troy.
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And there's a big celebration, and rightfully so, but you know, the next day, Coach Freeze is off to Ole Miss, and you you hit some adversity because you're without a coaching staff.
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And look, here we are 15 years later, and I can't imagine how that scenario would play out.
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I I I would think most of that team would end up getting poached and paid to go somewhere else during that time where you do not have a head coach.
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But that's what made your group so special is just how close the bond was and how you players found a way to stay together.
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Most of that team came back the following year in 2012 when Coach Malzon came in.
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But talk about that connection because it was an incredible connection with you and your teammates that I know still remains to this day.
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That was a very tough emotional roller coaster for us because we've been building up for so long.
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And then to have almost the rug pulled out from under you, losing your coaching staff.
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It's it's funny you say that.
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I don't believe the I remember the exact number, but we felt like we only had five coaches.
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And so we were having to hire people from high schools to help coach us.
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David Gunn was the interim head coach.
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David Gunn was interim head coach, and practices just weren't what they had been.
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It was tough.
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Um just trying to coordinate everything.
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Uh, which the beauty of that is when it happened the following year, we were well prepared to understand what things were going to be like with with fewer coaches, and um, I think the the bonds we had between all of us allowed us to stay focused and um especially that second year or the second bowl game, but allowed us to stay focused and still be able to do what we needed to do.
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Unfortunately, we didn't win that game.
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That was a very good northern Illinois team, but um, you know, we we still with the cohesiveness we had, we still fought and tried hard, and it allowed us to roll it over momentum-wise for the next year because even with the new regime of Malz on and different personalities and different offenses and different defenses, we still had that mentality that we knew we were good, we knew we could perform, and we just needed to build off of what we did the previous year.
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And I think, you know, all of us working together helped transition into that 2012 season.
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Well, you left out the part where even in that loss against Northern Illinois, you set bowl game records, 11 catches, 185 yards for the Go Daddy Bulls.
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So that was a pretty cool record to have.
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But you go in to that 2012 season, and look, it it was such a boost.
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Obviously, you're down when Coach Freeze leaves, but the fan base was just automatically reignited as soon as the announcement was made that Gus Malzin was coming in.
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And you know, you played for him.
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I worked with both of those head coaches.
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They were very different personalities.
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But what was that like going from Coach Freeze to Coach Malzein, both you know, from an offensive standpoint and just a leadership standpoint?
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That's that's a question I feel like I've answered more than any other.
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Um Freeze was very open as far as offensively.
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We had so much autonomy, and it was like I said, backyard football, have a good time.
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We're gonna throw it everywhere, we're gonna figure out a way to win.
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You know, if we have to change things in the middle of a game, we'll do that.
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Mouse on was a complete flip script.
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We had the first 10 to 15 plays scripted.
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We knew exactly what we were going to run based on the yard line, the hash mark, the time in the game.
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I mean, really drilled us in that.
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And his offense was more based around the old school wing T.
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So the typical positions on a receiver, you have X, Y, Z.
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Malzon had numbered positions for the old wing backs and split ends, and so it was very interesting.
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He had a very run-centered offense, and we were very good at running the ball that year.
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So it was very interesting to um to go to that offense because it was almost a reversion back to the pro-style offense we ran with Doug Roos.
00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:07.839
And so it was very interesting, but we were successful both ways, and um, you know, practices with freeze would be very short, we'd have music playing, and everything would be happy.
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:13.519
It was not that way with Malzon practices for the full all business, full a lot of time.
00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:20.400
We didn't have music, and I mean it was, you know, we had to hit every little thing that we did, and it made us a successful team.
00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.359
Yeah, and and kind of like the year before.
00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:37.279
I mean, you just saw that team get better every single week, and towards the end of the season, uh, there weren't many teams in the country that were going to be able to hang with you guys.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:50.160
And I obviously am leading up to the big conclusion of that season with the de facto conference championship game against Middle Tennessee.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:59.359
And and you were such a big part of that, but to win 45 0 in front of a full house at Centennial Bank Stadium that day.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.920
It's a day that I'm never gonna forget.
00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:08.640
And I'm sure you as a player, I mean, uh, that's gotta be right at the top of the list as far as career highlights.
00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:09.759
Definitely.
00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:18.480
That uh we were so confident going into that game because it's been the buildup of that core group of our guys.
00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:30.960
And, you know, this was the last time we were playing at home, playing together, and to come out to see the crowd, the full capacity, and we just knew it was over before it began.
00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:40.160
And it was very evident from the score and the first seven drives being all touchdowns that uh we were really prepared to play.
00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:43.599
Yeah, and people talk about it being such a great game.
00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:45.039
It wasn't a great game at all.
00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:51.200
I mean, it was over at halftime, and like you said, it may have been over at the end of the first quarter.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:23:03.039
And what's amazing is that was a good Middle Tennessee team that uh you guys were just clicking on all cylinders against, and uh, as close to a perfect game as anything we've seen.
00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:16.480
But you know, we got a glimpse back then of just how passionate this fan base is and how they can they can back uh uh a team, back a winner like that.
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:28.960
And and what was fun was seeing, and those are the first two years out of four straight years that that Arkansas State ended up going to the Go Daddy Bowl.
00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:40.799
And you remember, especially those first two years when you guys went to Mobile and to have the kind of support you had there, it was it was amazing.
00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:46.079
As I mean, Red Wolf fans kind of took over that city for a couple of days.
00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:48.000
It's incredible.
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:52.880
I I love our fan base, they were fantastic to us when we played.
00:23:53.039 --> 00:24:03.039
Uh, and to your point, I remember going into the hotel the night before, each go daddy bowl, and it is just swarming with red shirts and red wolf everywhere.
00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:06.400
And and that is such a great feeling, especially when you play a bowl game.
00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.039
And I know it's around the holidays or at a time.
00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:14.240
You know, we played on Sunday nights, which is not a convenient time for anybody, and it was a late game.
00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:22.160
But to see how many people ventured down to Mobile to watch us play and support us, it was a surreal feeling.
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:28.160
And I remember that final game that you play, and then you kind of alluded to it earlier.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:34.720
It was much more structured this time around, as far as the coaching staff sticking around.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:40.720
Now, Coach Malzon wasn't there, but most of his staff was, and John Thompson took over.
00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:54.079
Uh, he was the defensive coordinator, he took over as the interim head coach, and you could tell that that it it was very much structured the same way in the bowl practices leading up to the game.
00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:57.920
And you were taking on what was a top 25 team at that time.
00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:00.880
Kent State was ranked number 25 in the country.
00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:07.119
And you go in there and Qushan Lee gets the stop uh at the end of the game to kind of seal it.
00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:26.319
But but that was such a a special game and to win it, and I even remember your post-game interview uh on the field uh on our broadcast and just the emotion that was kind of coming out of you at the time because it had it had been such a process getting up to that point.
00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:36.160
And yes, you had won back-to-back conference championships, but you wanted to go out with a win, and to end it that way was very poetic, I thought.
00:25:36.559 --> 00:26:08.079
It was very special to us, very especially our group, and I keep harping on that, but to build and build and build, and and and remember the years in 2008 when we went six and six, we had the opportunity to share the conference title, but lost to Troy, and then 2009, where we weren't as successful, in 2010 we weren't as successful, and to slowly build up and then have the setback in the bowl game in 2011 season to finally go beat a top 25 team and go out the way we did.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:18.880
It it was very special, and it's a testament to those coaches at state who now are extremely successful with Rhett Lashley and Casey Woods and Scott Simons and all of those guys that were there.
00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:22.960
Um, it was it was a truly special moment for all of us.
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:27.680
And I love how connected those players still are.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:42.640
I know you guys have a group text that that's always going with with you and your former teammates, but so many of you still are very much involved with the football program with athletics in general.
00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:51.039
You mentioned you're on the letter winners board, and um it's just great to see that connection because there is a passion there.
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:57.039
And look, we don't know how things are gonna look with the the athletes that are playing now.
00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:04.799
It's different with the transfer portal and and players playing at multiple schools, but but there's such a passion.
00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:15.119
I mean, you you spent five years on this campus that I feel from you and and so many of your teammates that that I know it is not going away.
00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:16.720
That's true.
00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:45.920
Times are are are different than they are or they were when we were there, but it really means a lot for me to give back um at this point, and I know my teammates feel the same way, and it's special to see where things have come, you know, with our incredible indoor facility and our credible facilities now and the new press box and to see those players who are excited to be here and know that once we were in their shoes, um you know, it will always hold a special place for my heart.
00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:50.880
And I really hope that we tend to have more players that stay more than um leave.
00:27:50.960 --> 00:28:08.640
But I understand the nature of the environment now, and like I said, things are different, but you know, I I I assume that most players that come here really feel that championship heritage that you know we've had over the course of the program.
00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:25.519
Yeah, and it's amazing to walk through the facility now, and and it it it's great to see the football program really start to kind of head back in the right direction under Coach Jones, and we've seen the three straight bowl games, they've won the last couple.
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:32.480
Uh this season's team certainly is extremely promising as as we go forward in in conference play.
00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:44.960
But you know, from kind of an outside perspective now, now that that you're looking in on this program, what do you like about what you're what you're seeing from A-state football?
00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:54.960
The era now to me is so much harder to coach in, to be a player in and to be involved in that realm.
00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:58.240
And so, you know, it was easy when you couldn't leave.
00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:02.079
Or if you did leave, you'd have to sit out, you'd have to miss a year of eligibility.
00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:10.799
You know, your choice to stay would had a great impact on your ability to play through your college career.
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:18.880
And now trying to retain players and try and retain coaches with coaches moving all the time, it it's a difficult environment.
00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:24.079
So it's great to see that we're slowly building back up to where we once were.
00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:28.640
Um, you know, as you said, the nine straight winning seasons, nine bowl games.
00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:30.319
Uh that's great as a fan.
00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:32.640
And that's that's great as a player.
00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:38.240
And to get back to that, I I I really enjoy and I I feel like we're doing it the right way.
00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:44.240
Instead of, you know, trying to flop from year to year and just throw money at people.
00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:48.880
I I think we're building a good team and a team that works well together.
00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:54.880
And I know you're recording this from your office today for for people who don't know.
00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.880
Tell people what you're up to now.
00:29:57.519 --> 00:29:59.440
Uh, I'm an attorney in Little Rock.
00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:04.480
Uh, I work for Friday Eldridge and Clark and handle a lot of business transactions.
00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:10.400
Um, so got the opportunity to be here, and I've got my Red Wolf shrine behind me that uh I can't.
00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:12.000
I was gonna ask you about that.
00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:20.799
Uh I see the the helmet in the background, and uh you were telling me before we started recording, you've got a ticket stub there on the wall.
00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:22.880
Tell people what what that's from.
00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:36.400
So behind me is a ticket stub from the GoDaddy Bowl and 2012 season where we beat Kent State, and there's a memorial coin above it that was handed out at the game.
00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:42.880
And below it on a little plaque is the final score, Arkansas State, Kent 17 to Kent State 13.
00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:48.000
The helmet behind me is my actual helmet that I played with.
00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:55.279
Um, not sure if I'm supposed to have that or not, but um, I have a signed football from Statute of Limitations.
00:30:55.519 --> 00:30:58.160
Yeah, I have a signed football from Blake Anderson.
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:03.920
I have a picture right here of the Go Daddy Bowl catch and from Philip Butterfield.
00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:08.000
I have a red wolf clock on my wall.
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:13.599
So and uh, you know, we mentioned all the the former players.
00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:20.720
I mean, Phillips one of those guys I know you remain really close with, and and you know, he's like so many of the others.
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:31.440
I mean, he he just has such a a passion for Arkansas State and trying to give back, but uh you've you've been able to keep that connection through the years, too.
00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:34.880
He is a wonderful human being and he supports the university.
00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:37.279
I know we did the radio show with you for a while.
00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:42.000
Um most games I'm up there sitting with Philip last Friday or last Saturday.
00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:43.359
I was up there with Philip.
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:50.240
And so we we like to talk about it and analyze and and and hope for the best.
00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:58.000
It it pains us not to uh be as involved as you know we once were, you know, because we still have that itch.
00:31:58.079 --> 00:32:03.440
Uh he and I actually coached little league football together for about three or four years down here.
00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:05.759
We just can't get away from the game.
00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:11.039
Yeah, and still ways to be around it, obviously.
00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:29.039
And uh I love the fact that you guys are at so many of the games, and obviously, you know, a lot to be excited about coming out and watching A-State football this season, and we certainly encourage everybody to come out that can make it to the Hall of Honor Banquet October 23rd.
00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:30.960
And Taylor, this has been fun.
00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:33.839
Congratulations again on going into the Hall of Honor.
00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:35.599
Thank you very much.
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:40.640
That's Taylor Stocker joining us here on Saturdays in Jonesboro.
00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:44.880
Be sure to subscribe to this podcast Saturdays in Jonesboro.
00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:52.559
You can do so wherever you get your podcast and check out all of our podcasts on the Arkansas State Media Network.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.640
And we welcome you into another edition of Saturdays in Jonesboro.
00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:18.719
This is episode 13 of this particular podcast.
00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:26.640
We've had a lot of fun visiting with all kinds of people associated with Arkansas State football in and around Game Day.
00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:30.079
We've talked to quite a few former players as well.
00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:44.799
And that's what we're doing today, talking with somebody who's part of a handful of former student athletes that will be inducted into the A-State Hall of Honor here in a few weeks, coming up on October 23rd.
00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:54.719
He's a former all-conference receiver for the Red Wolves, a huge part of those conference championship teams back in 2011 and 2012.
00:00:54.880 --> 00:01:05.920
He's top 10 in career receptions at Arkansas State, seventh in career receiving yards and top five in career receiving touchdowns with 16.
00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:09.920
And we're thrilled to have him here with us today.
00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:11.920
Hello, Tagler Stockamer.
00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:12.879
Hey, Matt.
00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:14.000
It's good to be here.
00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:15.599
Well, great to have you.
00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.599
I want to start with the Hall of Honor.
00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:20.159
First off, congratulations on that.
00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:21.680
So well deserved.
00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.560
How did you find out that you were going in?
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:26.560
I appreciate you that.
00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:27.599
Thank you very much.
00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:38.319
Um, so I'm actually on the letter winners board, and I was help assisting with the other wonderful candidates that were selected and being reviewed.
00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:42.159
And, you know, football is usually a big part of that ceremony.
00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:45.359
So we have so many great football players in our history.
00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:52.079
We split it into two different time periods, which was somewhat funny because I fell in both time periods.
00:01:52.319 --> 00:02:01.040
So I elected to stay in the latter time period so I could vote for some of my former teammates and some other greats that have come through.
00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:10.000
And when it came time to vote for the latter period, I told the board, I said I have to recuse myself from voting one way or the other on this one.
00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:16.479
And so I left the board meeting and I told them, hey, let me back in whenever you've made your decision.
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:22.960
After about 20 minutes, I didn't hear anything, so I decided, you know, I'm gonna head home and I'm gonna grab some food.
00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:41.680
And I knew he was on vacation, it's one of the few weeks he gets vacation, so I figured he was just calling to check in and we get to chatting and um he poised it as a game show.
00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.479
He said, Hey, you know, me and my family are playing a game show.
00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:45.759
Uh, I need your help.
00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:47.039
We have a trivia question.
00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:48.479
I figured you'd know the answer.
00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:49.280
I said, Okay.
00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:52.319
And he said, but you know, you only get one shot at this and kept going.
00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:54.080
I said, just just ask the question.
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.479
I said, I I'll help you as best I can.
00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:58.639
And he said, it's more of a statement.
00:02:58.800 --> 00:02:59.599
I said, okay.
00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:07.919
He said, uh, congratulations, you're being inducted into the Hall of Honor, which meant the world to me that Ryan was able to call and give me that great news.
00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:09.599
How cool is that?
00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:23.360
And, you know, so fitting, too, because when you guys are mentioned around Arkansas State, usually you kind of go together, Applin and Stocker.
00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.639
And when people say your name, they think of Ryan Applin.
00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:29.599
So what was that relationship like?
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.879
How has it evolved over the years?
00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.960
And I I mean, you guys came in together back in 2008.
00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:44.560
So nearly 20 years, you've known this guy, and uh obviously have a tremendous amount of history together.
00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.439
It it's been a great relationship from the start.
00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:53.120
There's a core group of us that all came in in that 2008 class that were all still really, really close.
00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:58.159
And um, you know, it was great to develop a relationship with him early on.
00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:04.240
He was the backup to Corey Leonard, um, and we took all the practice reps when we were a red shirt.
00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:08.400
So we developed a rapport with one another very early on.
00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:19.360
So by the time our fifth year rolled around, we were able to know what the other one was thinking, and which is a blessing for a receiver and a quarterback in their relationship.
00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:23.279
And since then, we've maintained contact on a consistent basis.
00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:29.680
I go and see him coach, and you know, I root for him every chance I get, except for when he plays us, like last year at homecoming.
00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:39.439
Um, gotta go for the home dogs, but uh yeah, it's a it's a great relationship, and he's a he's a wonderful human being and a wonderful friend.
00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:44.720
So tell people how you ended up at Arkansas State to begin with.
00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:47.519
Mentioned you were part of that 2008 class.
00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:51.279
You're from the western part of the state, from Van Buren.
00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:54.879
So, how did that recruiting process go?
00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:57.920
It was a bit of a a wild story.
00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.519
Uh, I actually had a best friend of mine talk me into playing football.
00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:12.079
So I didn't start playing football until my later years, eighth or ninth grade, and um began playing as a sophomore, began starting as a sophomore at Van Buren High School.
00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:16.800
Um, and I I didn't know what I was doing, but I was doing it.
00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:22.319
Um and as I began to succeed on the field, I was getting more and more attention.
00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:32.879
Unfortunately, um I got hurt in my senior year and only ended up playing two or three games, really, um, and was pretty much a non-factor in those.
00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:44.720
Um, but thankfully, you know, Steve Roberts and David Gunn saw some opportunity with me and um they awarded me or offered me a scholarship and took some time to think about it.
00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:56.720
I had some other scholarship offers, but uh I really enjoyed Coach Roberts and I really loved David Gunn as well, um, and took the opportunity to join what I would learn to be something special.
00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:04.240
You mentioned Steve Roberts and David Gunn, and uh you talk about just character individuals.
00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:07.439
You're not gonna meet two better men than those two.
00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:17.519
I I'm sure, you know, that had to be a big part of your reasoning why you came to Arkansas State, but what was it like to be around those two?
00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.040
It's wonderful.
00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:21.360
I I still talk to Coach Roberts all the time.
00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:23.519
I actually spoke with him last Friday night.
00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:26.560
Um he's such a wonderful man.
00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:31.680
He's a great leader, he's extremely fair, um, and he was always fair to us.
00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:37.519
And you know, he always told us, I'm gonna make you better football players, but I'm gonna make you better men as well.
00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:42.399
Um, and he instilled that in almost all of his players when we were under him.
00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:44.160
And then David Gunn, the same.
00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:59.680
He was always a great leader, he was always a good coach, enjoyed being around him, and they made some of the tough experiences or tough activities we had to do a little bit better, just you know, knowing that you're serving great people.
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.480
And they were such good recruiters.
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:10.800
And look, we talk about the success starting in 2011, but so many of those players were brought in by Coach Roberts.
00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:20.959
And we talk about that 2008 class, and you and Ryan Applin, Alan Mews was part of that class, Tim Starson, Don Jones.
00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:25.680
Uh, those are just some of the names that came in that particular year.
00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:35.920
But obviously, that's that staff in particular had such an eye for talent and kind of finding those diamonds in the rough, it seemed.
00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:37.759
And not even our class.
00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:45.680
If you go to the class before with Demario Davis and Kelsey McCrae, MD Jennings, I mean, Tyrell Johnson, Alex Carrington.
00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:56.720
I mean, there's guys and guys throughout the years, they were able to find really good ball players and coach them up to be great football players to for years on.
00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:58.399
I mean, Derek Newton as well.
00:07:58.639 --> 00:07:59.040
Yeah.
00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.879
Yeah, Derek Newton went on to play in the NFL for a while.
00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:10.959
So yeah, uh a lot of great names in the history of Arkansas State football uh during that time.
00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:15.439
Another name that came along in 2010 was Hugh Freeze.
00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:19.600
He came in to become the offensive coordinator that season.
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:23.839
And then in 2011 he took over as the head coach.
00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:28.879
How did he kind of take the offense to another level?
00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:31.600
You know, I have an interesting story about Hugh.
00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:37.279
Hugh recruited me when he was at Old Miss and at Ed Orgeron, they had me down there.
00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:44.480
I remember going down um to a game against Arkansas, actually, and I was standing on the sidelines talking to Ed Orgeron and Coach Freeze.
00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:52.159
Um, they were relieved of their duties that year, and Freeze went to Lambeth and tried to get me to go to Lambeth afterwards.
00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:56.480
Um at that point, I committed to Steve and Arkansas State.
00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:59.279
Um, so it was funny when he showed back up in 2010.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:01.519
The first thing he said to me is, Do you remember me?
00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:05.039
Which I felt bad because the last time he called, I never answered.
00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:07.600
So um, but it was interesting.
00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:25.279
He he brought, we went from more of a pro-style offense that had certain pieces to each position to a wide open, completely different spread offense that wasn't as rigid, didn't have as many rules.
00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:31.440
And I remember my position coach, Tyler Siskiy, saying, guys, you're gonna have to forget a lot of what you've learned.
00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:33.919
We're playing backyard football now.
00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:41.120
And it ended up being that, where we'd go in to a game and we'd be drawing up plays on the sideline.
00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:49.919
Um, I remember specifically there was a play against Western Kentucky in 2010, um, where I ran a slant for a touchdown.
00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:54.799
They were telling us what to do on the sideline right before the ball was snapped.
00:09:54.879 --> 00:10:04.960
They're like, hey, Framp, do this, stock, do this, you know, drawing it up on the sideline, which is something we would never would have done um, you know, with the previous regime.
00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:06.799
That's amazing.
00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:20.559
And really, there's not too many coaching staffs anywhere that would do that, but it shows that they did have some trust in you guys as players to go out there and execute in those situations.
00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:25.600
And that kind of goes back to that connection that that you and Ryan Applin had.
00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:33.840
I mean, there has to be a really large level of trust if you're going to go out and and execute like that.
00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:35.759
I would hope so.
00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:41.519
He he threw some passes to me sometimes where I was thinking, why would you do that?
00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:49.600
Um, specifically when we played our bowl game in 2011 season on that fourth down when he threw a touchdown.
00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:53.279
Um my route was to just clear everybody off.
00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:57.440
And we had an out route behind me that would have gotten the first down, and we could keep the drive going.
00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:03.279
I turned around and look and I see the ball in the air, and I'm sitting there thinking, well, why would he do that?
00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:18.399
You mentioned one name earlier, I want to go back to DiMario Davis, and he was a guy that I know was a year older than you, but you were around him most of his time at Arkansas State.
00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:26.240
Well, what are your what are some of your memories of you know matching up with him in practice and just being around him on a daily basis?
00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:29.120
He was always a competitor, always a great leader.
00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:34.799
I mean, he you knew the minute you walked in the locker room that he was one of our leaders, if not the leader.
00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:41.360
Um very outspoken, very driven, and obviously a very good athlete and a very good football player.
00:11:41.519 --> 00:12:01.200
Um I remember one of our first practices in 2008, um, he made an incredible play on a play that he shouldn't have been able to make, but athletically and with his intelligence as a football player, intercepted a pass and you know, for the means of practice returned it for a touchdown.
00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:04.559
And you're sitting there thinking, like, this guy is incredible.
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:08.399
Um always very vocal, always very motivating.
00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:16.080
Um, I hated going against him because normally I could outrun linebackers, but he's so fast that I knew he was going to be right there with me.
00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:22.720
But at the same time, he'd go and hit Reggie Arnold in the backfield, or you know, he could take on almost anybody.
00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:31.679
I want to go back to that 2011 season because that was part of the historic run.
00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:37.519
You know, nine straight winning seasons, nine straight bowl games, five conference championships.
00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:45.120
And you knew you had talent on that team, but that was that was the year that Coach Freeze took over as head coach.
00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.360
And I know you and I have talked about it before.
00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:52.960
You know, so many people, and for good reason, go back to the conference opener that year.
00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:59.039
You play at Western Kentucky, and they kind of the they say that's the turning point.
00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:05.600
And what was interesting was nobody really knew how good either of those teams would be.
00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:11.679
You end up running the table, going 8-0 in conference, but Western Kentucky was 7-1.
00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:13.360
That was their lone loss.
00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:24.480
But I remember you find a way to win that game at Western Kentucky, but I know you as players really didn't feel like that was the turning point at the time.
00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:30.879
You're actually kind of disappointed that uh you played the way you did in that game, right?
00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:31.679
Right.
00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:40.399
It uh I remember going into that game, they'd either lost to Illinois or Indiana State, and which which was an FCS school at the time.
00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:48.639
And it took a big stop by Q Lee and Nathan Harold on fourth down to get us the ball back, and we had to they had to review it.
00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:56.159
They first said they got it, and I remember it it almost took the wind out of our sails, you know, because at that point they would have won the game had they converted.
00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.559
And we drove down and scored.
00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:10.480
And the sentiment in the locker room, we were excited that we won because it was a road conference win, but at the same time, we knew they'd lost to the FCS team the year before.
00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:15.440
I think we were one of their only FBS wins, and we're sitting there thinking, we're not very good.
00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:17.919
We we can barely beat these guys.
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:20.000
You know, how are we going to be any better?
00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:24.720
And then the next week we won again, and the next week we won again.
00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:30.000
It was the stepping stone that helped us build confidence to end up where we were.
00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:33.759
Yeah, and it just it kept getting better.
00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:45.840
That team kept getting better, and you you just could feel the confidence oozing from the sidelines every week that you guys knew you were a good team by the end of the year.
00:14:46.000 --> 00:15:05.279
And I remember the the next to last game of the regular season, you guys go into Murphysboro and you play Middle Tennessee, a place where you know Arkansas State had not had success or much success just throughout history, and end up winning that game big.
00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:20.960
And you find out in the locker room after the game, and there's still another game remaining in the regular season, but you find out in the locker room after the next to last game of the regular season that you're going to the Go Daddy Bowl.
00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:24.879
So that had to be kind of a thrill in itself.
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.799
That was very exciting.
00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:32.080
Um it was at that point we were firing on all cylinders.
00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:38.960
We knew we were good offensively, we knew we were good defensively, we knew we were a good special teams, coached football team.
00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:45.759
And so to come in there with the excitement, we knew at that point we had either tied or won the conference.
00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:47.919
So we were very excited.
00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:55.279
And to come in and to hear the announcement that we're going to a bowl game for the first time in many years, I mean, it was overwhelming.
00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:57.200
Yeah, that was exciting.
00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:05.919
And then the encore, you win the conference championship outright the following week with the victory against Troy.
00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:21.279
And there's a big celebration, and rightfully so, but you know, the next day, Coach Freeze is off to Ole Miss, and you you hit some adversity because you're without a coaching staff.
00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:28.879
And look, here we are 15 years later, and I can't imagine how that scenario would play out.
00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:39.519
I I I would think most of that team would end up getting poached and paid to go somewhere else during that time where you do not have a head coach.
00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:51.279
But that's what made your group so special is just how close the bond was and how you players found a way to stay together.
00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:57.919
Most of that team came back the following year in 2012 when Coach Malzon came in.
00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:07.440
But talk about that connection because it was an incredible connection with you and your teammates that I know still remains to this day.
00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:15.519
That was a very tough emotional roller coaster for us because we've been building up for so long.
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:21.759
And then to have almost the rug pulled out from under you, losing your coaching staff.
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:23.359
It's it's funny you say that.
00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:28.880
I don't believe the I remember the exact number, but we felt like we only had five coaches.
00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:33.359
And so we were having to hire people from high schools to help coach us.
00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:36.240
David Gunn was the interim head coach.
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:42.079
David Gunn was interim head coach, and practices just weren't what they had been.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:43.359
It was tough.
00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:46.400
Um just trying to coordinate everything.
00:17:46.559 --> 00:18:13.039
Uh, which the beauty of that is when it happened the following year, we were well prepared to understand what things were going to be like with with fewer coaches, and um, I think the the bonds we had between all of us allowed us to stay focused and um especially that second year or the second bowl game, but allowed us to stay focused and still be able to do what we needed to do.
00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:14.880
Unfortunately, we didn't win that game.
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:42.880
That was a very good northern Illinois team, but um, you know, we we still with the cohesiveness we had, we still fought and tried hard, and it allowed us to roll it over momentum-wise for the next year because even with the new regime of Malz on and different personalities and different offenses and different defenses, we still had that mentality that we knew we were good, we knew we could perform, and we just needed to build off of what we did the previous year.
00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:48.880
And I think, you know, all of us working together helped transition into that 2012 season.
00:18:49.200 --> 00:19:00.000
Well, you left out the part where even in that loss against Northern Illinois, you set bowl game records, 11 catches, 185 yards for the Go Daddy Bulls.
00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:02.400
So that was a pretty cool record to have.
00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:09.039
But you go in to that 2012 season, and look, it it was such a boost.
00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:24.160
Obviously, you're down when Coach Freeze leaves, but the fan base was just automatically reignited as soon as the announcement was made that Gus Malzin was coming in.
00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.880
And you know, you played for him.
00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:29.599
I worked with both of those head coaches.
00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.640
They were very different personalities.
00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:43.759
But what was that like going from Coach Freeze to Coach Malzein, both you know, from an offensive standpoint and just a leadership standpoint?
00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:47.599
That's that's a question I feel like I've answered more than any other.
00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:54.960
Um Freeze was very open as far as offensively.
00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:02.160
We had so much autonomy, and it was like I said, backyard football, have a good time.
00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:06.240
We're gonna throw it everywhere, we're gonna figure out a way to win.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:10.000
You know, if we have to change things in the middle of a game, we'll do that.
00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:13.440
Mouse on was a complete flip script.
00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:16.960
We had the first 10 to 15 plays scripted.
00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:24.960
We knew exactly what we were going to run based on the yard line, the hash mark, the time in the game.
00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.680
I mean, really drilled us in that.
00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:33.200
And his offense was more based around the old school wing T.
00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:37.119
So the typical positions on a receiver, you have X, Y, Z.
00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:42.559
Malzon had numbered positions for the old wing backs and split ends, and so it was very interesting.
00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:47.599
He had a very run-centered offense, and we were very good at running the ball that year.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:57.599
So it was very interesting to um to go to that offense because it was almost a reversion back to the pro-style offense we ran with Doug Roos.
00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:07.839
And so it was very interesting, but we were successful both ways, and um, you know, practices with freeze would be very short, we'd have music playing, and everything would be happy.
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:13.519
It was not that way with Malzon practices for the full all business, full a lot of time.
00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:20.400
We didn't have music, and I mean it was, you know, we had to hit every little thing that we did, and it made us a successful team.
00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.359
Yeah, and and kind of like the year before.
00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:37.279
I mean, you just saw that team get better every single week, and towards the end of the season, uh, there weren't many teams in the country that were going to be able to hang with you guys.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:50.160
And I obviously am leading up to the big conclusion of that season with the de facto conference championship game against Middle Tennessee.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:59.359
And and you were such a big part of that, but to win 45 0 in front of a full house at Centennial Bank Stadium that day.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.920
It's a day that I'm never gonna forget.
00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:08.640
And I'm sure you as a player, I mean, uh, that's gotta be right at the top of the list as far as career highlights.
00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:09.759
Definitely.
00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:18.480
That uh we were so confident going into that game because it's been the buildup of that core group of our guys.
00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:30.960
And, you know, this was the last time we were playing at home, playing together, and to come out to see the crowd, the full capacity, and we just knew it was over before it began.
00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:40.160
And it was very evident from the score and the first seven drives being all touchdowns that uh we were really prepared to play.
00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:43.599
Yeah, and people talk about it being such a great game.
00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:45.039
It wasn't a great game at all.
00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:51.200
I mean, it was over at halftime, and like you said, it may have been over at the end of the first quarter.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:23:03.039
And what's amazing is that was a good Middle Tennessee team that uh you guys were just clicking on all cylinders against, and uh, as close to a perfect game as anything we've seen.
00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:16.480
But you know, we got a glimpse back then of just how passionate this fan base is and how they can they can back uh uh a team, back a winner like that.
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:28.960
And and what was fun was seeing, and those are the first two years out of four straight years that that Arkansas State ended up going to the Go Daddy Bowl.
00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:40.799
And you remember, especially those first two years when you guys went to Mobile and to have the kind of support you had there, it was it was amazing.
00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:46.079
As I mean, Red Wolf fans kind of took over that city for a couple of days.
00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:48.000
It's incredible.
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:52.880
I I love our fan base, they were fantastic to us when we played.
00:23:53.039 --> 00:24:03.039
Uh, and to your point, I remember going into the hotel the night before, each go daddy bowl, and it is just swarming with red shirts and red wolf everywhere.
00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:06.400
And and that is such a great feeling, especially when you play a bowl game.
00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.039
And I know it's around the holidays or at a time.
00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:14.240
You know, we played on Sunday nights, which is not a convenient time for anybody, and it was a late game.
00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:22.160
But to see how many people ventured down to Mobile to watch us play and support us, it was a surreal feeling.
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:28.160
And I remember that final game that you play, and then you kind of alluded to it earlier.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:34.720
It was much more structured this time around, as far as the coaching staff sticking around.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:40.720
Now, Coach Malzon wasn't there, but most of his staff was, and John Thompson took over.
00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:54.079
Uh, he was the defensive coordinator, he took over as the interim head coach, and you could tell that that it it was very much structured the same way in the bowl practices leading up to the game.
00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:57.920
And you were taking on what was a top 25 team at that time.
00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:00.880
Kent State was ranked number 25 in the country.
00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:07.119
And you go in there and Qushan Lee gets the stop uh at the end of the game to kind of seal it.
00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:26.319
But but that was such a a special game and to win it, and I even remember your post-game interview uh on the field uh on our broadcast and just the emotion that was kind of coming out of you at the time because it had it had been such a process getting up to that point.
00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:36.160
And yes, you had won back-to-back conference championships, but you wanted to go out with a win, and to end it that way was very poetic, I thought.
00:25:36.559 --> 00:26:08.079
It was very special to us, very especially our group, and I keep harping on that, but to build and build and build, and and and remember the years in 2008 when we went six and six, we had the opportunity to share the conference title, but lost to Troy, and then 2009, where we weren't as successful, in 2010 we weren't as successful, and to slowly build up and then have the setback in the bowl game in 2011 season to finally go beat a top 25 team and go out the way we did.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:18.880
It it was very special, and it's a testament to those coaches at state who now are extremely successful with Rhett Lashley and Casey Woods and Scott Simons and all of those guys that were there.
00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:22.960
Um, it was it was a truly special moment for all of us.
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:27.680
And I love how connected those players still are.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:42.640
I know you guys have a group text that that's always going with with you and your former teammates, but so many of you still are very much involved with the football program with athletics in general.
00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:51.039
You mentioned you're on the letter winners board, and um it's just great to see that connection because there is a passion there.
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:57.039
And look, we don't know how things are gonna look with the the athletes that are playing now.
00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:04.799
It's different with the transfer portal and and players playing at multiple schools, but but there's such a passion.
00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:15.119
I mean, you you spent five years on this campus that I feel from you and and so many of your teammates that that I know it is not going away.
00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:16.720
That's true.
00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:45.920
Times are are are different than they are or they were when we were there, but it really means a lot for me to give back um at this point, and I know my teammates feel the same way, and it's special to see where things have come, you know, with our incredible indoor facility and our credible facilities now and the new press box and to see those players who are excited to be here and know that once we were in their shoes, um you know, it will always hold a special place for my heart.
00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:50.880
And I really hope that we tend to have more players that stay more than um leave.
00:27:50.960 --> 00:28:08.640
But I understand the nature of the environment now, and like I said, things are different, but you know, I I I assume that most players that come here really feel that championship heritage that you know we've had over the course of the program.
00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:25.519
Yeah, and it's amazing to walk through the facility now, and and it it it's great to see the football program really start to kind of head back in the right direction under Coach Jones, and we've seen the three straight bowl games, they've won the last couple.
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:32.480
Uh this season's team certainly is extremely promising as as we go forward in in conference play.
00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:44.960
But you know, from kind of an outside perspective now, now that that you're looking in on this program, what do you like about what you're what you're seeing from A-state football?
00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:54.960
The era now to me is so much harder to coach in, to be a player in and to be involved in that realm.
00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:58.240
And so, you know, it was easy when you couldn't leave.
00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:02.079
Or if you did leave, you'd have to sit out, you'd have to miss a year of eligibility.
00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:10.799
You know, your choice to stay would had a great impact on your ability to play through your college career.
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:18.880
And now trying to retain players and try and retain coaches with coaches moving all the time, it it's a difficult environment.
00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:24.079
So it's great to see that we're slowly building back up to where we once were.
00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:28.640
Um, you know, as you said, the nine straight winning seasons, nine bowl games.
00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:30.319
Uh that's great as a fan.
00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:32.640
And that's that's great as a player.
00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:38.240
And to get back to that, I I I really enjoy and I I feel like we're doing it the right way.
00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:44.240
Instead of, you know, trying to flop from year to year and just throw money at people.
00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:48.880
I I think we're building a good team and a team that works well together.
00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:54.880
And I know you're recording this from your office today for for people who don't know.
00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.880
Tell people what you're up to now.
00:29:57.519 --> 00:29:59.440
Uh, I'm an attorney in Little Rock.
00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:04.480
Uh, I work for Friday Eldridge and Clark and handle a lot of business transactions.
00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:10.400
Um, so got the opportunity to be here, and I've got my Red Wolf shrine behind me that uh I can't.
00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:12.000
I was gonna ask you about that.
00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:20.799
Uh I see the the helmet in the background, and uh you were telling me before we started recording, you've got a ticket stub there on the wall.
00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:22.880
Tell people what what that's from.
00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:36.400
So behind me is a ticket stub from the GoDaddy Bowl and 2012 season where we beat Kent State, and there's a memorial coin above it that was handed out at the game.
00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:42.880
And below it on a little plaque is the final score, Arkansas State, Kent 17 to Kent State 13.
00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:48.000
The helmet behind me is my actual helmet that I played with.
00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:55.279
Um, not sure if I'm supposed to have that or not, but um, I have a signed football from Statute of Limitations.
00:30:55.519 --> 00:30:58.160
Yeah, I have a signed football from Blake Anderson.
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:03.920
I have a picture right here of the Go Daddy Bowl catch and from Philip Butterfield.
00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:08.000
I have a red wolf clock on my wall.
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:13.599
So and uh, you know, we mentioned all the the former players.
00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:20.720
I mean, Phillips one of those guys I know you remain really close with, and and you know, he's like so many of the others.
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:31.440
I mean, he he just has such a a passion for Arkansas State and trying to give back, but uh you've you've been able to keep that connection through the years, too.
00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:34.880
He is a wonderful human being and he supports the university.
00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:37.279
I know we did the radio show with you for a while.
00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:42.000
Um most games I'm up there sitting with Philip last Friday or last Saturday.
00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:43.359
I was up there with Philip.
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:50.240
And so we we like to talk about it and analyze and and and hope for the best.
00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:58.000
It it pains us not to uh be as involved as you know we once were, you know, because we still have that itch.
00:31:58.079 --> 00:32:03.440
Uh he and I actually coached little league football together for about three or four years down here.
00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:05.759
We just can't get away from the game.
00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:11.039
Yeah, and still ways to be around it, obviously.
00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:29.039
And uh I love the fact that you guys are at so many of the games, and obviously, you know, a lot to be excited about coming out and watching A-State football this season, and we certainly encourage everybody to come out that can make it to the Hall of Honor Banquet October 23rd.
00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:30.960
And Taylor, this has been fun.
00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:33.839
Congratulations again on going into the Hall of Honor.
00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:35.599
Thank you very much.
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:40.640
That's Taylor Stocker joining us here on Saturdays in Jonesboro.
00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:44.880
Be sure to subscribe to this podcast Saturdays in Jonesboro.
00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:52.559
You can do so wherever you get your podcast and check out all of our podcasts on the Arkansas State Media Network.
