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2009 Arkansas State NCAA Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

asu-red-wolves-6309 Mark your calendar as defending Sun Belt champion Troy comes to Jonesboro on September 26th. If the Red Wolves are able to pull off the early upset, they could be well on their way to a Sun Belt title in 2009. Jimmy Boyd goes inside the 2009 Red Wolves in this college football betting preview. Bet on football this fall at BetUS.

Offense – The Red Wolves are stocked at the skill positions. The Wolves return their top three running backs, their top two wide receivers, and their fourth-year starting quarterback Corey Leonard. Leonard is the Sun Belt’s best dual-threat QB. He has racked up nearly 7,300 offensive yards in his career with 1,400 of them coming on the ground. While sometimes you have to live with a few mistakes when you have a playmaker at the QB spot, Leonard improved his ball security in 2008. He went from 15 picks in 2007 to only eight in 2008. His good decision making helped the Wolves lead the league in turnover margin and also helped them set a school mark for total offense. Running back Reggie Arnold has been exceptional in the Arkansas State backfield over the last three seasons. He rushed for 1,074 yards in 2008 to top the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight year. The Red Wolves also mixed in some carries for Derek Lawson. He rushed for 695 yards with a 7.2 yards per carry in his freshman campaign. Wide receivers Jahbari McLennan and Brandon Thompkins both return. The duo combined for 64 catches a season ago. Unfortunately, the offensive production could drop off some with the offensive line losing both of its tackles and its center. Senior guard Dominic Padrta is the only full-time starter returning up front, but junior guards Drew Hilton and Alfred Louis rotated at the other starting guard spot last fall.

Defense - The Arkansas State defense is experienced up front and it is led by defensive end Alex Carrington. He is a preseason Lott Award nominee after a 10.5 sack season in 2008. In all, Carrington had 19 tackles for loss. Expect junior defensive tackle Bryan Hall to make plenty of noise as well. He had a total of nine tackles for loss and five sacks last season. The secondary brings back plenty of weaponry also. Safeties M.D. Jennings and Evan Van Dolah, and cornerback Daylan Walker all ranked in the top seven on the team in tackles. The Wolves will keep their fingers crossed that Walker will be ready to go this fall after he suffered a back injury that kept him out of spring drills. The linebacker position was a weakness for the Red Wolves last season as both Darius Glover and Javon McKinnon were inexperienced sophomores. The coaching staff expects this unit to be much better in 2009 now that Glover and McKinnon have a full season of starting under their belts.

Prediction: 2nd Sun Belt – Troy defeated the Red Wolves 35-9 in the final game of the 2008 season to keep Arkansas State from a chance to tie for a league title and to earn a bowl berth. The game will be in Jonesboro this time around and that likely means a much closer contest, but it will also be early in the season, and I think that favors the Trojans.

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