College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Arkansas State Red Wolves season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Arkansas State Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 5-3 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Blake Anderson, 7th year, 47-30
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 100
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 67
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 92
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Offense 3 Things To Know
– The offense scored more in 2019, but it wasn’t quite as dominant as the 2018 version. It was still good enough to average 439 yards and 34 points per game. It’s missing a few stars, but it’s going to be among the Sun Belt’s best again.
– QB Layne Hatcher is just 6-0 and 210 pounds, but he’s got a big arm and did a great job as a freshman pushing the ball down the field. He hit 66% of his passes for close to 3,000 yards and 27 scores with ten picks, and he ran a little bit, too. He’s set at the job, and the backup situation is fine with Logan Bonner returning.
Star receiver Omar Bayless and his 93 catches and 17 scores are gone, but 6-3, 220-pound Jonathan Adams is back after making 62 grabs with 851 yards and five scores. Losing Kirk Merritt and his 70 catches are gone, too, but there are decent options in place and Texas A&M transfer Roshauud Paul is coming in.
– The offensive line that was a disaster in pass protection and didn’t do enough for a mediocre running game is at least experienced with all five starters expected back. The guard tandem of Ivory Scott and Andre Harris is potentially good, but the entire group has to keep defenses out of the backfield.
Leading rusher Marcel Murray is back after running for 820 yards and six scores, and sophomore Isaiah Azubuike and junior Ryan Graham are back in the mix after working in the rotation last year.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense that finished 124th in the nation and couldn’t do a thing against the run loses its top three tacklers and six of the top nine tacklers overall. The biggest loss is star pass rusher William Bradley-King who left for Baylor, but NC State transfer Kennan Solomon is coming in to potentially play an instant role.
6-0, 331-pound senior Tukua Ahoia is back on the nose, but the line needs pass rushers, putting the pressure on hybrid Jeffmario Brown and senior Noel Iwuchukwu to rise up.
– The secondary takes the biggest hit with the team’s top three tacklers done and with five others transferring out. Junior Antonio Fletcher came up with 58 stops at free safety, and now he’ll be one of the keys to the defense along with all-star corner Jarius Reimonenq, who made 39 tackles with a pick. Coming in from UConn is Tahj Herring-Wilson, a big corner who can step in right away.
– There might be concerns in the secondary and with the pass rush, but the linebacking corps is okay with 240-pound Caleb Bonner back, but more options need to emerge starting with JUCO transfer Fred Hervey.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Arkansas State Red Wolves Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Arkansas State Red Wolves Players
Best Arkansas State Red Wolves Offensive Player
QB Layne Hatcher, Soph.
Arkansas State had some big shoes to fill with Justice Hansen done, and Hatcher turned out to be more than fine once he took over the job a month in. He hit 66% of his passes for 2,946 yards and 27 touchdowns, and he calmed down on the picks with most of the ten early on.
Once he stepped in, he and the passing game were unstoppable with 300 yards or more in four of the last five games, and 297 yards or more with two or more touchdown passes in eight of his nine games.
2. WR Jonathan Adams, Sr.
3. RB Marcel Murray, Jr.
4. PK Blake Grupe, Jr.
5. OG Andre Harris, Jr.
Best Arkansas State Red Wolves Defensive Player
LB Caleb Bonner, Sr.
The 6-1, 224-pound senior went from being a nice reserve to one of the team’s better tacklers, making 65 stops – with steady production throughout the year – with 5.5 sacks and a key 66-yard pick six in the 28-27 win over Coastal Carolina.
2. S Antonio Fletcher, Jr.
3. CB Jarius Reimonenq, Soph.
4. DT Forrest Merrill, Sr.
5. DE Kennan Solomon, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Arkansas State Red Wolves Offense
The offensive line has to start giving everyone more time to work. The Red Wolves were 119th in the nation in sacks allowed – giving up more than three per game – and had problems overall for a running game that averaged a mere 127 yards per outing.
The 2018 line allowed just 24 sacks and 72 tackles for loss, but last year’s front five allowed 40 sacks and 86 tackles for loss. The skill guys are there, but they need to be kept clean.
Biggest Key To The Arkansas State Red Wolves Defense
The run defense has to be stronger. Run D hasn’t been a hallmark of the Red Wolves for the last few seasons after a great 2017, but it has to be better than last year.
To be fair, ASU managed to win a whole lot of games when it got gouged on the ground, but allowing 200 yards or more in eight of the last 11 games and over five yards per carry on the season wasn’t okay.
In a particularly bad two game stretch, Georgia State and Louisiana were able to combine for 655 yards and 11 touchdowns – both ASU losses.
Key Arkansas State Red Wolves Player To A Successful Season
DE/LB Jeffmario Brown, Sr.
William Bradley-King was a force, He came up with 49 tackles with 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in an All-Sun Belt season, and now he’s a Baylor Bear.
The 6-3, 229-pound Jeffmario Brown is part linebacker, part defensive end, and he’s got the experience and upside to become a decent pass rusher – at least that’s the hope – after coming up with 20 sacks with a sack and two tackles for loss.
Key Game To The Arkansas State Red Wolves Season
at Louisiana, Nov. 5
With only some due respect to ULM, South Alabama and Texas State, this is the game for the Sun Belt West title. The Red Wolves lost 37-20 to the Ragin’ Cajuns for their second straight loss in the series and third in the last four.
– Arkansas State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Arkansas State Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Points Allowed: 88. 2nd Quarter Points Allowed: 166
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:20 – Arkansas State 27:39
– Fumbles: Arkansas State 24 (lost 11) – Opponents 12 (lost 7)
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Arkansas State Red Wolves Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
Sometimes, 8-5 is better than 8-5.
You might be what your record is, but considering the rebuilding that last year’s team had to do, the problems on defense, and with everything working around the tragic death of head coach Blake Anderson’s wife just before the season, 8-5 with a bowl victory was fantastic.
Arkansas State has a nice groove under Anderson with six straight bowl appearances and six straight winning seasons, but the 2016 Sun Belt title now feels like it’s been a while ago.
Louisiana is still likely going to be the star of the West, and Appalachian State is nasty again, but even with a whole slew of upgrades needing to be made, Arkansas State should be right there again.
It has to go to Louisiana and Appalachian State – win one and the title hopes are alive, but lose both and forget it – and not getting Georgia Southern from the East isn’t bad.
It’ll be another winning season and another bowl season, but those two nasty Sun Belt road dates will be enough to keep the Red Wolves from grabbing the championship.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
