Countdown to Kickoff: Arkansas State returns to San Marcos

Arkansas State has been one of the most consistent teams in the Sun Belt Conference under head coach Blake Anderson, winning between seven and nine games in each of the past six seasons.

Last year was especially tough for the Red Wolves, as Anderson’s wife, Wendy, passed away after a two-year battle with breast cancer. Yet the team prevailed, closing out the end of its schedule going 5-1 to finish 8-5 overall, including a 5-3 record in Sun Belt play. The program is set up to have similar success in 2020, with a large group of starters returning on the offensive side of the ball.

It’s rare that a team loses its starting quarterback mid-season and gets better, but that’s what happened to Arkansas State last year. Logan Bonner opened the first four games on the schedule for the Red Wolves completing 59.5% of his passes for 1,052 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception (137.5 passer rating) before being sidelined for the remainder of the year with a hand injury. Former Alabama walk-on Layne Hatcher took over behind center and improved on Bonner’s numbers, completing 65.8% of his passes for 2,946 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions (167.9 passer rating), earning the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year award. Both QBs are back this season and currently entrenched in a competition for the starting job.

The team lost the conference’s Player of the Year in wide receiver Omar Bayless, who signed with the Carolina Panthers. Senior Jonathan Adams Jr. remains, though, and could see an uptick in targets after catching 62 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns. The Red Wolves’ run game could also see a lot of improvement after averaging 3.6 yards per carry and 126.8 rushing yards per game, both being the second-worst marks in the league. Last year’s top two rushers, junior Marcel Murray and senior Jamal Jones, combined for 1,195 yards and nine touchdowns and will run behind a line that features four offensive linemen who received All-Sun Belt honors.

The defense could be in trouble this year, ranking second-to-last in 2019, allowing 480.6 yards per game and losing many of its top performers. The secondary will be almost entirely new with just junior defensive back Anthony Fletcher, who posted 58 tackles, five pass deflections and one forced fumble, still on the roster. The defensive line lost its top two pass rushers and will now rely heavily on redshirt senior Forrest Merrill, who racked up 21 stops and 3.5 sacks. All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention linebacker Caleb Bonner will be back for his senior season as well after putting up 66 tackles and snagging a 66-yard pick-six.

Arkansas State also boasts the potential best kicker in the league in redshirt junior Blake Grupe, who received all-conference First Team honors after making 19-of-22 field goals and 53-of-54 extra points.

The Red Wolves lead Texas State 6-1 in the all-time series, winning the past five meetings. The last Bobcat win came on Nov. 20, 2014, in a 45-27 victory in San Marcos. Last year’s contest between the two teams in Jonesboro, Arkansas, ended in a 38-14 win for Arkansas State on Oct. 26.

Texas State is scheduled to host the Red Wolves inside Bobcat Stadium on Nov. 21. ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly's SP+ projections rank Arkansas State 86th in the FBS, ahead of Texas State at No. 123, and predicted a 6-6 season for the Red Wolves, including a 5-3 record in Sun Belt play, before the team had its games against Howard and Michigan canceled and had those dates rescheduledfor matchups against Kansas State and Central Arkansas.