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Arkansas State Red Wolves Football: 2015 Season Preview

By Caleb Calhoun

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Sep 20, 2014; Jonesboro, AR, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves head coach Blake Anderson celebrates with tight end Darion Griswold (19) after the game against the Utah State Aggies at ASU Stadium. Arkansas State defeated Utah State 21-14 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Final Thoughts

Arkansas State returns enough talent to be competitive once again, particularly on offense, and the return of their head coach for the first time since 2010 is something to be incredibly excited about.

They will probably be locked in many shootouts given the amount of weapons they return to an already elite offense and the amount they lost from an already bad defense. So can they continue to outscore other teams? That will be the key to success this year.

With a second year in Blake Anderson’s system and enough talent returning, there is no reason to expect they can’t improve significantly all over the field though, including on defense.

So what does that say about the season?

Prediction

The Red Wolves avoid Georgia Southern on the schedule this year and get Texas State and Louisiana-Lafayette at home. They should NOT lose to Texas State this year, like they did last year.

And despite playing Appalachian State on the road, I have a hunch they can find a way to beat either the Ragin’ Cajuns or the Mounaineers this time around with so much improvement. USC, Missouri, and Toledo on the road are probably all non-conference losses, but they should expect to compete for the Sun Belt Conference championship this year.

The bare minimum this year has to be a road win against South Alabama. If they can do that and meet the other expectations, then they can accomplish a lot.

At the absolute worst, this team should be 7-5 again. The best-case scenario is 10-2. I’m leaning toward 8-4, which is an improvement to a degree over last year.

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