The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Arkansas State – INSIDE SLANT
Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn knows his team is catching Louisiana-Monroe at the correct time this week after the Warhawks lost their starting quarterback this past week against Lousiana-Lafayette.
The only thing though is the quarterback replacing Kolton Browning is former starter Cody Wells.
“We expect to get their best regardless. Like I’ve said, we have a lot of respect for their quarterback (Cody Wells). He is a veteran guy, and can run the complete offense. We feel like they will rally around him.”
“He’s played quite a bit in the past, and he is a veteran guy,” Malzahn said of Browning. “He is used to running their offense, and we don’t think their offense will change as far as sometimes you have back-ups that you have to shorten your playbook. We don’t think that will happen, and we know we are going to get their best effort.”
Malzahn added that the good thing about this current ASU team is that they don’t need a pep rally for this game, knowing without being told that the game has title implications.
“They are a savvy group, especially the older guys that have won the conference championship before,” Malzahn said. “They’ve been through this process, and we are relying on those guys to show the younger guys what it takes in practice.”
Malzahn also knows his ASU offense is clicking at the right time averaging 6.2 yards per play and 460.1 yards per game, both of which would break the school record for a single season.
“As a coach you are greedy, of course you want it to be earlier and it didn’t happen. Our guys understand our strengths and weaknesses, but we are gaining more confidence each week, especially when you have an inexperienced team,” Malzahn said. “In college football there is so much that goes into the mental part. I think that is the biggest difference between college football and high school football. The mental part of college football is huge. Our guys are confident, and we need to be against the group we are playing. They are extremely talented and a good football team.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Arkansas State – NOTES, QUOTES
–Winners in five of its last six games, A-State moved its overall record to 6-3 and Sun Belt Conference mark to 4-1 with a 37-19 road victory over North Texas its last time out.
–The Red Wolves’ four-game winning streak is their longest since ending the 2011 regular season on a nine game winning streak.
–With a least three games remaining, ASU is one victory away from securing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1986-87.
SERIES HISTORY: ASU has played ULM 33 times, which is the fifth most in school history among all opponents. Arkansas State leads the all-time series with ULM 19-14 since the first meeting in 1959. As Sun Belt foes, ASU leads the series 7- 4 after picking up a win over the Warhawks the last two seasons, including a 24-19 victory in Monroe last year.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Led by junior running back David Oku with nine scores, Arkansas State has seen 15 different players score at least one touchdown this season. ASU’s 15 players with a touchdown is tied for the fifth most in the nation with Georgia Tech, Florida State, Fresno State and Louisiana Tech, while Navy and Marshall have the most in the nation with 17. After scoring 33 or more points in seven games this year, A-State has now posted at least 30 points in 15 of its last 20 regular-season games dating back to last season.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: While the A-State defense recorded only one interception over its first three games, it has now posted eight picks over the last six games. The Red Wolves have recorded at least one interception in five of the last six games, including a season-high three against Louisiana- Lafayette. Senior cornerback Chaz Scales and sophomore safety Sterling Young have a team best two interceptions each.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We are going to keep the same plan as far as preparation time. Last time, we were home on a short week, so it’s little bit different. However, our coaches did a solid job of grading our film on the plane and all that. So we are just trying to keep our routine that we had success with last time.” — ASU head coach Gus Malzahn.
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NCAAF Team Report – Arkansas State – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEKS GAME: Arkansas State vs. Louisiana-Monroe, Nov. 8 — As Sun Belt foes, ASU leads the series 7-4 after picking up a win over the Warhawks the last two seasons, including a 24-19 victory in Monroe last year.
KEYS TO THE GAME: This game could potentially be for the Sun Belt championship so the team who puts the ball on the ground may be in trouble. ASU’s offense seems to have taken flight the last few games getting balance from the rushing and passing game. The Red Wolves need to stay disciplined on defense and put pressure on a ULM quarterback making his first start after the injury to the ULM starter last week against Lafayette.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–WR Taylor Stockemer has recorded at least one reception in his last 38 games played, ranking tied for the second most in the NCAA among all players along with Baylor’s Lanear Sampson and Central Michigan’s Cody Wilson. Duke’s Conner Vernon leads the nation with a catch in 45 straight games. Twelve of Stockemer’s 18 receptions and 178 of his 214 receiving yards have come over ASU’s last three games.
–RB David OKU Just eight games into the season, senior running back David Oku’s 698 rushing yards and nine touchdowns are both already the most by an ASU running back since Reggie Arnold recorded 723 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2009. Oku leads the team in rushing yards and is ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference.
–QB Ryan Aplin has set five new school records this year, giving him 21 combined game, season and career records at ASU. His single-game records include most plays, total offense, most average yards per game, passes attempted, completion percentage and completions. His single-season records include most plays, total offense, passes attempted, completions, touchdown passes, highest completion percentage and most passing yards per game. His career records include total offense, total plays, most average yards per game, completions, pass attempts, highest completion percentage, touchdown passes and most passing yards per game.
ROSTER REPORT
–Junior offensive lineman Cliff Mitchell returned to the lineup last week after being injured in the first half of the season opener against Oregon. Mitchell helps provide protection for senior quarterback Ryan Aplin and help pave the way for a rushing attack that ranks among the nation’s best.
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