Arkansas State (0-0) hosts Mississippi Valley State (0-0)
September 5, 2009
ASU Stadium (30, 406)
Jonesboro, Ark. - 6 p.m.
Radio: ASRN (KFIN 107.9 FM, flagship)
Television: Jump TV Webcasting (AStateRedWolves.com)
Live Stats: AStateRedWolves.com
-CLICK HERE FOR PDF VERSION OF GAME NOTES-
ON TAP: Arkansas State will open its 95th season of football when it hosts Mississippi Valley State on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Every Arkansas State game can be heard live on 107.9 FM in the Jonesboro area and the live radio broadcast can be accessed through the Arkansas State athletic Web site (AStateRedWolves.com).
THE PRINCIPALS: Arkansas State opens its 2009 season at home against Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 5 at 6:00 p.m. The Red Wolves return 47 lettermen and 17 starters (6 off./8 def./3 spec.), including the Sun Belt Conference's 2009 Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year Corey Leonard (Sr., QB, Covington, La.) and Defensive Player of the Year Alex Carrington (Sr., DE, Tupelo, Miss.). The Red Wolves are picked to finish second in the 2009 Sun Belt Conference race according to the preseason coaches poll, released July 20 as part of the Sun Belt Conference Media Days.
HEAD COACH STEVE ROBERTS: Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts is entering his eighth year at Arkansas State after leading the Red Wolves to the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Championship and to bowl eligible seasons three of the last four years. During his first seven seasons as the Red Wolves' head coach, he guided ASU to 37 wins for its most over a seven-year span at the school since 1985-1992. Roberts was named the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Under Roberts, the Red Wolves have had 64 All-Sun Belt Conference selections, an Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, SBC Offensive Player of the Year, two SBC Defensive Players of the Year and an SBC Newcomer of the Year.
ROBERTS CLIMBING VICTORIES LADDER: In his first seven seasons as the Red Wolves head coach, Steve Roberts already has the fifth most victories among ASU's 26 all-time head coaches with 37 wins. Larry Lacewell (1979-89) holds the record for victories with 69 and is followed by Bennie Ellender (1963-70) with 52 wins, Bill Davidson (1971-78) with 51 and Forrest England (1946-53) with 49.
ROBERTS AND ASU STADIUM: Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts has led the Red Wolves to a 26-8 record at ASU Stadium over the last seven years for .765 winning percentage. Not only that, the Red Wolves are 17-3 at ASU Stadium over the last four seasons.
THE ARKANSAS STATE-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark just the second meeting ever between ASU and Mississippi Valley State. ASU defeated the Delta Devils 55-3 at ASU Stadium in the first meeting in 1995.
ARKANSAS STATE vs. SWAC: ASU has played four opponents that are currently a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and stands 4-0 in those games. ASU defeated Grambling 10-7 in 1985, Jackson State 35-32 in 1987, Mississippi Valley State 55-3 in 1995 and Texas Southern 83-10 last season.
SEASON OPENERS: The Red Wolves have won two of their last three season openers, including an 18-14 victory at Texas A&M last season. The 2007 team dropped a tough 21-13 decision to then-ranked No. 4 Texas to open the year, but the 2006 team defeated Army 14-6 in its season opener at ASU Stadium to snap a 10-game skid in season-opening games. ASU is 44-44-6 all-time in season openers.
STARTING AT HOME: ASU will open its season at ASU Stadium for the first time since the 2006 campaign when it defeated Army 14-6. ASU started just two of the previous 13 seasons with a game at ASU Stadium. The Red Wolves will also play a member of the SWAC in its home opener for the second straight season, defeating Texas Southern 83-10 in their first game at home last year.
HOME OPENERS: Arkansas State is 6-1 in home openers at ASU Stadium under head coach Steve Roberts, who has led the Red Wolves to a 26-8 record on their home field. ASU has won its last four home openers, including an 83-10 victory over Texas Southern last season. The last time ASU dropped a home opener was in 2004, when it fell 47-35 to then-ranked No. 25 Memphis. In addition to Texas Southern last season, Roberts' teams have also won home openers over SMU (45-28 in 2007), Tulsa (21-19 in 2002), Tennessee-Martin (63-6 in 2003 and 56-7 in 2005) and Army (14-6 in 2006).
ASU-TV REPLAYS OF RECENT ASU FOOTBALL GAMES AIRING THIS WEEK: Determined by the results of a fan poll located on AStateRedWolves.com, the official Web site of ASU Athletics, this week's ASU-TV replay schedule of some of the most thrilling Arkansas State football games in recent history began Monday, Aug. 31 at 7:00 p.m. The replays continue at 7:00 p.m. each night this week leading up to the Red Wolves season opener against Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 5 in Jonesboro. The games will be replayed on ASU-TV Channel 18 in ascending order of the votes they received in the poll.
Red Wolves to Participate in AFCA/NCAA Respect WeekenD: In cooperation with the NCAA and the American Football Coaches Association, Arkansas State University will participate in the AFCA/NCAA Respect Weekend when the Red Wolves kick off the season Saturday against Mississippi Valley State University. Prior to kickoff, the teams, head coaches and administrators from both schools will meet at midfield to shake hands, illustrating and emphasizing respect for the opponent.
Mean Green Marching Machine to Perform At ASU-MVSU Game: Arkansas State will welcome the Mean Green Marching Machine of Mississippi Valley State to ASU Stadium Sept. 5 to perform during the ASU-MVSU game. The Mean Green Marching Machine, a 140-member band, will join ASU's Sound of the Natural State Marching Band in performing during the game and at halftime. In its 51 years of existence, the Mean Green Marching Machine has participated in three concert band tours, two Rose Bowl parades, two Indianapolis 500 Festival parades, two Presidential Inaugural parades and, most recently, the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament.
RED WOLVES TAKE TIME TO SHOW APPRECIATION TO LOCAL BUSINESSES: While their fall camp was in full swing, members of the Arkansas State football team and head coach Steve Roberts took some time away from the meeting rooms and practice fields to visit local businesses and thank them for their support of the Red Wolves. A number of the players and coach Roberts divided up into groups early on the morning of Aug. 20 and left the ASU Football Complex with not only orange juice, doughnuts and gift bags in hand, but also looking forward to the opportunity to show their appreciation for all the ways area businesses have backed the program.
BOWL ELIGIBLE: Arkansas State's 6-6 record last year made it bowl eligible for the third time over the last four seasons. The Red Wolves have made eight bowl appearances all-time, the last being the 2005 New Orleans Bowl. The 2005 New Orleans Bowl is the Red Wolves only appearance in a bowl game as an NCAA FBS member.
TEAM CAPTAINS: ASU's senior class will alternate throughout the year as team captains. The team will vote on permanent captains at the end of the year.
95th SEASON SET TO BEGIN: Arkansas State will kickoff off its 95th season of football Saturday. ASU holds a 408-435-37 record since the inaugural 1911 season and has played in seven bowl games.
TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD: The Arkansas State football team has won the Sun Belt Conference Team Academic Award five of the past six years.
PRESEASON ALL-SBC ACCOLADES: Five Arkansas State football players have been tabbed Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference, including Co-Offensive Player of the Year Corey Leonard (Covington, La.) and Defensive Player of the Year Alex Carrington (Tupelo, Miss.). Joining Leonard and Carrington on the all-conference team are Reggie Arnold (Little Rock, Ark.), Josh Arauco (Grand Prairie, Texas) and Drew Hilton (Batesville, Ark.).
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: The Red Wolves are predicted to finish second in the conference according to the league's 2009 preseason coaches poll, announced July 20 as part of the Sun Belt Conference Media Days. ASU received 69 points, just three fewer than defending Sun Belt champion Troy.
TELEVISION TIME: Arkansas State will play in its first nationally televised game since the 2005 New Orleans Bowl when it faces Louisiana-Monroe at Malone Stadium on Oct. 13. The Red Wolves currently have four other games set to be televised, including the Nebraska (Fox Sports Net PPV), Troy (Sun Belt Network), LouIsiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt Network) and Western Kentucky (Sun Belt Network) games. The Red Wolves five regular-season televised games in 2009 is the second most in school history, just one game behind its school-record six televised games during the 2007 campaign.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER BACK FROM RECORD-BREAKING TEAM: ASU returns its top passer, top three rushers and top two receivers from last year's team that piled up 4,786 yards last season to break the 57-year old school record for total offense. ASU posted 4,722 yards of total offense in 1951 for the previous record.
CARRINGTON WATCH LIST: Senior defensive end Alex Carrington is not only the preseason Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, he is currently on three prestigious watch lists. Carrington is on the Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy and Ted Hendricks watch lists.
THREE'S COMPANY: Senior running back Reggie Arnold and senior kicker Josh Arauco are keeping good company entering the 2009 season. Arnold and Arauco are ranked among the top three active players in the nation in career rushing yards and field goals made, respectively.
ELITE EIGHT: After rushing for over 1,000 yards each of his first three seasons, senior Reggie Arnold can become the eighth player in NCAA history to hit the rushing mark all four years of his career. The seven players who have currently achieved the feat are Tony Dorsett of Pitt (1973-76), Amos Lawrence of North Carolina (1977-80), Denvis Manns of New Mexico State (1996-99), Cedric Benson of Texas (2002-05), Ron Dayne of Wisconsin (1996-99), DonTrell Moore of New Mexico (2002-05) and Tyrell Fenroy of Louisiana-Lafayette (2005-08).
ARNOLD ON DOAK WALKER AWARD WATCH LIST: Senior running back Reggie Arnold has been named to the list of candidates for the 2009 Doak Walker Award, released by the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum. Arnold, one of 45 players on the list, is the first player in ASU history to be named a candidate for the award three different seasons.
LEONARD ON JOHNNY UNITAS AWARD WATCH LIST: Senior quarterback Corey Leonard is one of 21 candidates listed on the 2009 Johnny Unitas Award Watch List. The award is given to the top senior quarterback in the nation.
ASU's Arauco Named to Lou Groza Award Watch LisT: Arkansas State senior kicker Josh Arauco has been named to the 2009 Lou Groza Award Watch List, announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. Arauco, a 2008 finalist for the award, is one of 30 players that have been named to the watch list for the top place kicker in college football's FBS division.
Butterfield Helps USA to IFAF Junior World Championship: Arkansas State freshman quarterback Phillip Butterfield completed 11-of-18 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown to help the United States to a 41-3 victory over top-seeded Canada in the gold medal game of the International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship Saturday at Fawcett Stadium. For the tournament, Butterfield completed 30-of-45 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns. The incoming freshman from Hot Springs (Lake Hamilton HS), Ark. was one of 45 graduating high school seniors to be selected to play on the United States' first national team comprised of players ages 19 and under.
ABOVE AVERAGE: Running back Derek Lawson impressed his freshman season, rushing for 695 yards with a 7.2 average per carry. Lawson's 7.4 yards per rush was the fifth highest in the nation among all running backs ranked in the top-100 for rushing yards. He ranked No. 9 in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing yards, led all SBC freshmen in rushing and ranked No. 10 in the nation in rushing among all freshmen.
BREAKING 1,000: Junior wide receiver Brandon Thompkins recorded 511 receiving yards last season to give him 1,103 career yards and make him just the 12th player in school history to record over 1,000 career receiving yards. With 81 career receptions, Thompkins is tied for the 10th most receptions in ASU history as well.
LEONARD MILESTONES: Corey Leonard has hit several milestones last season. The junior quarterback became just the third player in school history to pass for over 5,000 career yards (5,903), the second player to throw at least 30 touchdowns (40) and the second player to record over 7,000 yards of total offense (7,297). Leonard is already ranked second all-time at ASU for passing touchdowns, completions (457), passing yards and total offense.
GAINING GROUND: With 3,210 career rushing yards, junior running back Reggie Arnold is ranked second among the career rushing leaders in ASU history. Arnold has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game 14 times for his career for the fourth most in school history.
INTERIOR TERROR: Sophomore defensive lineman Bryan Hall not only ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in sacks and 115h in tackles for loss among all players, his 8.5 tackles for loss were the second most in the league among interior defensive linemen and his six sacks tied the most in the league among interior defensive linemen.
DISRUPTING THE BACKFIELD: Alex Carrington had a Sun Belt Conference-high 19.0 tackles for loss, which more than tripled his previous career best for a single season (5 in 2007). Carrington had 10.5 sacks that ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference as well, which easily topped his total of two for his freshman and sophomore seasons combined. The junior defensive end ranked seventh in the nation in tackles for loss and tied for 14th in sacks.
ASU EXTENDS RADIO CONTRACT WITH EAB: The Arkansas State University Athletic Department recently announced it has extended its radio contract with East Arkansas Broadcasters. ASU teamed up with EAB last year to make KFIN 107.9 FM, a 100,000-watt radio station located in Jonesboro, the new flagship station and home of Red Wolves' football broadcasts. Along with affiliate station KABF 88.3 FM in Little Rock, the Red Wolves will have two 100,000-watt anchor stations broadcasting the games in 2009. The Arkansas State Network's full list of affiliates can be found on the media information page located at the back of the notes package.
ASU ANNOUNCES FOOTBALL GAME REPLAY PACKAGE: ASU has reached deals with several cable providers, which have a total subscriber count of over 100,000 households and businesses, to replay its football games in 2009. The replays will be televised on the ASU campus and in over 110 towns and cities across northeast and central Arkansas as well as Missouri. ASU replays could only be seen in Jonesboro, Bay and on campus last year, marking an increase of over 100 towns and cities in 2009. The full list of cable providers that will air the replays, along with the dates and times of the replays, are located on the media information page located on page 11.
