Arkansas State Red Wolves Football: 2015 Season Preview

Sep 20, 2014; Jonesboro, AR, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Fredi Knighten (9) looks to pass as offensive lineman Alan Wright (69) and Tyler Greve (58) block against the Utah State Aggies at ASU Stadium. Arkansas State defeated Utah State 21-14 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Outlook

There is literally no reason not to be extremely excited about Arkansas State’s offense going into this year. The Red Wolves return nine starters from a unit that ranked 19th in the country in scoring with 36.7 points per game.

And the offense all revolves around quarterback Fredi Knighten to make Anderson’s up-tempo offense go. Last year, Knighten’s passing numbers were good enough with 3,277 yards and 24 touchdowns to only seven interceptions while completing over 62 percent of his passes. Add in the fact that he had 969 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and you’ve got another mid-major superstar at this position entering his senior season who could take his team to amazing heights.

What helps Knighten the best, though, is his his top six weapons are back, including senior Tres Houston, sophomore Dijon Paschal, and senior J.D. McKissic, each of whom had more than 600 receiving yards. Add in senior tight end Darion Griswold, who had 221 yards and four touchdowns, and junior Booker Mays, who had 325 yards and four touchdowns, and Knighten has lots of toys he is experienced with.

Oh, and did I mention that senior running back Michael Gordon, who had 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns last year on nearly seven yards per carry despite missing two games due to injury, is back? So yeah, we’re dealing with a very balanced offense that could have a deadly rushing attack here.

The only question centered around this unit is the offensive line. That unit returns only three of five starters, including guard Alan Wright, one of the most experienced players from last year, and center Tyler Greve. However, junior tackles Colton Jackson and Jemar Clark are both back, as is sophomore guard Devin Mondie. Anderson had to experiment some to fill the other positions, but he should have enough to get it right by the start of the season.

Expect Arkansas State to potentially have a top 10 scoring offense that is very balanced in running and passing this year if everybody stays healthy. Another thing they might have to worry about is field goal kicking, where they can’t trust Logan Spry’s leg strength but can’t trust Luke Ferguson’s consistency or accuracy either. Altogether, they missed eight extra points. that’s not good.

Guess they’ll have to score touchdowns every time. But will it be enough for the defense?

Next: Defensive Breakdown