Written By: Nathan Skinner
Canes Rising Contributor
Name: Arkansas State University
Mascot: Red Wolves
Location: Jonesboro, Arkansas
Home Stadium: Centennial Bank Stadium (Capacity: 30,964)
Conference: Sun Belt
Athletic Director: Terry Mohajir
Head Coach: Blake Anderson
Time Capsule
Last season was another successful year for the Red Wolves. 1st year Head Coach Bryan Harsin led the 'Wolves to an appearance in the GoDaddy.Com Bowl, and an 7-5 record. Harsin, like his predecessors Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn left Arkansas State after one season. A former assistant at Boise State, Harsin returns to Boise as their new head coach. To replace him, Athletic Director Terry Mohajir hired Blake Anderson, who was the offensive coordinator at North Carolina. The Wolves are expected to win the Sun Belt conference, the worst conference in the FBS.
What To Expect This Season
Offense
The 'Wolves are looking to replace a solid quarterback in Adam Kennedy, who replaced ASU's all time passing leader, Ryan Aplin. This year, Fredi Knighten will be asked to lead an explosive spread option attack that relies on speed and deception. Although Bryan Harsin left the program, new coach Blake Anderson runs a similar system, which is a plus. Knighten is a dual threat quarterback, with limited arm talent, and an inability to be consistently accurate. Last season, the Wolves used multiple tailbacks, but this year, Michael Gordon will be expected to carry the mail alone. Arkansas State returns 3 of their top 5 receivers, although only J.D. McKissic looks to be the only returning player who made a significant impact last season. McKissic is a talented, but undersized receiver who averaged 8.1 yards per catch last season. Darion Griswold is the starting tight end, and was rarely used last year, only catching 24 passes last year with an average of 13 yards per reception. Arkansas State also looks to rebuild their offensive line, an offensive line that features two sophomores. Their best player would have been center Bryce Giddens, a 2nd team All-Sun Belt selection last season, but Giddens retired over the offseason.
This season, Arkansas St. has struggled against power conference teams, including last weekend. Against Tennessee, the 'Wolves were unable to move the ball, with Fredi Knighten looking over matched, going 21/34 for 166 yards. The rushing attack wasn't much better, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt.
Defense
8 of the top 10 tacklers return for the 'Wolves, with Qushaun Lee leading the way. Lee, who had 136 tackles last season, is the heart of this unit, a unit that struggled to create pressure on passers last season. The Red Wolves averaged 1.6 sacks per game, and that was with teams like Arkansas- Pine Bluff, and Georgia State on the schedule. This defense returns a lot of experienced talent, including their entire secondary, and linebacker corps. The secondary is led by a dandy in Rocky Hayes, who picked off 3 passes last season. On the defensive line, the 'Wolves are looking for someone to team with rising star Chris Stone. Stone, who was a tight end as a true freshman, is a player who garnered honorable mention All-Sun Belt last season, and looks to be a breakout star. The line is experienced as well, but there's been a lack of production in recent years.
The Arkansas St. defense struggled against Tennessee, allowing 415 yards and 34 points. The 'Wolves put up a fight though, forcing an interception of Vols quarterback Justin Worley, and forcing the Vols to punt on 6 occasions. The Red Wolves did a good job of not giving up big plays, only allowing 4 plays of 20+ yards.
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