2011 Arkansas State Red Wolves Football Preview

In a new-look Sun Belt Conference, the Arkansas State Red Wolves are searching for answers.

North Texas pulled the trigger. Louisiana-Lafayette made the move. Arkansas State looked at those two decisions in the Sun Belt and felt that it, too, had to move in a new direction, giving this 2011 season an extra dose of drama and significance.

Head coach Steve Roberts’ squad was competitive in nearly every one of its games during the 2010 campaign. It wasn’t enough to keep his job, however – wins are the coin of the realm in college football, and while ASU put scares into teams like Iowa and Navy over the years, the boys from Jonesboro, Arkansas, could rarely if ever close the sale. Roberts, the man who had guided the Red Wolves during the entirety of their tenure in the Sun Belt (since 2002), gave way to Hugh Freeze, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator last season. The in-house change represents something of a hedged bet by the school and its athletic director, Dean Lee. On one hand, ASU is trying to put a new face on its program, but then again, the team’s first-year head coach comes from the Roberts regime. Is a promoted coordinator the best choice to replace a fired coach? Everyone in and around the program is about to find out.

The Red Wolves lost four Sun Belt games by a touchdown or less in 2010. With seven starters returning on both sides of the ball, can the Red Wolves improve on past experience?

Arkansas State will need quarterback Ryan Aplin to return to his 2009 form, when he was First Team All-Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves were ranked just outside the top 30 in passing yards last season, but will need more output from a rushing attack which resided in the bottom half of college football. The defense, which allowed over 30 points per game, will rely on Demario Davis, a First Team All-Sun Belt recipient from last season. The calculus is appreciably simple for ASU: Each of the team’s eight losses last season occurred when the defense conceded at least 30 points. In a wide-open league where the offenses generally call the shots, Arkansas State needs to find enough backbone on defense, especially when crunch time comes a’ calling. An extra injection of fourth-quarter resolve, which was missing from the Roberts regime, is what Freeze needs in order to enjoy a successful tenure.

> Buy Arkansas State clothing & apparel and find a great selection of college Fathead helmets online through College Sports Fans!

The Red Wolves will travel to Illinois and Virginia Tech during the first month of the season. A home date with Memphis needs to be placed into the win column for the Red Wolves. It has been six years since Arkansas State was invited to a bowl game. With key returning players and a favorable Sun Belt Conference schedule that puts defending champion Florida International and league heavyweight Troy at home, the Red Wolves have a chance to do something good.

Now, all that’s left is to prove they’re up to the task. In Jonesboro, that’s not a very comforting proposition, but the Red Wolves have to pursue their goal with grit and gusto – it’s not even a choice for a team with everything to play for.