Behind Enemy Lines: Arkansas State
Tulsa hosts Arkansas State on Saturday evening at H.A. Chapman Stadium in a very important contest for both teams. The Golden Hurricane players and coaches feel like they let one slip away last week in a narrow 28-21 loss at Texas, and to gain their initial goal of bowl eligibility, a win at home against the Red Wolves is important.
Arkansas State is the projected favorite in the Sun Belt Conference, and with a slew of returning starters, including quarterback Justice Hansen, they will provide a strong challenge. To learn more about the Red Wolves, Luke Matheson of the Red Wolf Report on Rivals.com joined Inside Tulsa Sports for a brief Q&A session.
Question: What did Arkansas State learn from their game at Alabama that should help them going forward?
Matheson: The one big thing is they know they will not face another team of that caliber for the rest of this year. They appeared shell shocked at times against Bama, but that experience should help them moving forward. They had success in the running game, something that Blake Anderson was happy with considering Louisville only ran for 16 yards against the Crimson Tide. Arkansas State ran for 157 yards. No, it isn't much, but considering a ranked team only got 16 yards and an unranked Sun Belt team put up over 150 on the same team, you have to take your victories where you can find them in a situation like that.
Q: Who are the key players on offense for the Red Wolves?
Matheson: It all begins with quarterback Justice Hansen. When he is having a good day, he will wreak havoc on opposing defenses. When he is having a bad day, Arkansas State will have a bad day. Warren Wand, Armond Weh-Weh and Marcel Murray are a three-headed monster at running back. Arkansas transfer Kendrick Edwards, Boise State transfer Bubba Ogbebor, Jonathan Adams Jr., Justin McInnis and Omar Bayless are guys to watch at wide receiver.
Q: Who are the key players on defense for the Red Wolves?
Matheson: Ball State transfer Kevin Thurmon is a threat on the interior defensive line along with Donovan Ransom and Forrest Merrill. Merrill had a big game against Alabama, and frankly was quite a surprise to Blake Anderson and defensive line coach Brian Early. Ronheen Bingham and William Bradley-King are defensive ends to keep an eye on. Caleb Bonner and Tajhea Chambers are ones to watch at linebacker. Justin Clifton, Brandon Byner, Darreon Jackson and Demari Medley have been playmakers in the secondary.
Q: What are the biggest question marks that remain for Arkansas State after two games?
Matheson: First and foremost is how will they bounce back after the loss to Alabama. They have had struggles in the first half of both games so far, but that has been typical of a Blake Anderson team where the Red Wolves have had success in wearing teams down in the second half, and they take the game over from there. Can the Red Wolves win on the road against a solid Group of Five opponent before heading into conference play? Can they continue to show better discipline and not make stupid penalties? These are all questions that the Red Wolves must find answers for before starting the conference schedule.
Q: How do you see the game turning out on Saturday?
Matheson: If Justice Hansen and the offense are having a good day, I could see a shootout happening. If they are still phased by the loss to Alabama, I could see Tulsa taking advantage and walking away with it. As noted above, it all depends on Justice Hansen and how good of a day the offense has. If they are having a good day, this game is going to be a lot of fun to watch.