Blake Anderson had so much to think about Saturday afternoon. His wife. His father. His players. The condition of college football in 2020. One of the last subjects on the mind of Arkansas State's coach was the betting line.
"Means some other people won some money, I guess," Anderson said after his team's 35-31 upset of Kansas State.
The Red Wolves entered Saturday's game as 14-point underdogs, per William Hill Sportsbook. The line moved five points from Thursday night when it was -9 for Kansas State.
That may or may not have been a reaction to Arkansas State losing nine starters due to COVID-19 and other injuries, absences that were not announced by Anderson before the game.
Kansas State itself was without five players from its two-deep; however, those absences were known.
Either way, a five-point move in such a short period of time is significant.
"Gigantic," said SportsLine gambling expert Kenny White.
"We're keeping it very quiet on our end," Anderson said of gameday inactives. "We need to respect the privacy of the guys that are taken off the list. We definitely don't want to have a lot of conversation about COVID testing. We're doing what we need to do. There are going to be some guys that test positive.
"[I assume] somebody heard something because the line moves on a daily basis."
This might be the new look of college football in the age of COVID-19. Surveys have shown that less than half of FBS schools are reporting the number of COVID-19 positives within their athletic departments, mostly citing privacy concerns.
Oklahoma and Missouri State went into Saturday night not sharing information about COVID-19 positives. OU coach Lincoln Riley called it a "competitive advantage" if the opponent knew players had tested positive.
Georgia Southern went into its Saturday game against FCS Campbell missing 33 players that the program deemed inactive. It was not immediately clear what number, if any, of those players were impacted by COVID-19.
Arkansas State on Saturday had its two quarterbacks and WR Jonathan Adams -- and that was enough. Adams, a senior, caught the game-winning pass from Layne Hatcher with 38 seconds left. Hatcher shared time with starter Logan Bonner.
At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Adams looked like he could start for any Power Five team. Adams is a local product from Jonesboro, Arkansas, who caught eight passes for 98 yards and three touchdowns.
"He's a hometown boy," Anderson said. "He wasn't going to leave momma. He was going to play right here. We offered him as a sophomore [in high school], and he committed and never really wavered."
Adding to Kansas State's embarrassment: Adams played with a brace on one knee because of a slight MCL tear.
Anderson admitted to breaking down in the locker room a bit after the school's biggest win since 2008, when it won at Texas A&M. His wife, Wendy, passed away last year after a long battle with cancer. His father died in May after a long battle with emphysema.
"I hate that she's not here," Anderson said. "My dad, too. He never missed a down of football. I know they're with me in spirit today. I broke down a little bit in the locker room just thinking about how they missed out on this."
