subject: 2010 Arkansas State Football Predictions [print this page] Arkansas State heads into the 2010 season off a very disappointing run in 2009, as the Red Wolves finished up the season at 4-8 after many had them pegged to make their first bowl game since 2005. The Red Wolves also struggled in conference play, going just 3-5 in the Sun Belt. Heading into the 2010 season the Red Wolves have just 11 starters back, and will have their work cut out for them to finish this year with a winning record. To help you get going on the upcoming season, here is a quick breakdown of what the Red Wolves will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my thoughts on where they will finish the season in the Sun Belt.
Offense:
The Red Wolves have a quarterback battle going on this fall between 2009 starter Ryan Aplin and red-shirt freshman Phillip Butterfield. Aplin started three games for the Red Wolves last season, but only had a 3-6 touchdown to interception ratio. Aplin missed spring practice to recover from a shoulder injury, and Butterfield stepped in and ran the first team offense well. It will be interesting to see who wins the job here this fall.
Arkansas State will have to make a change at running back as well this season, and it looks like it will be junior Derek Lawson taking over the starting job. Lawson carried the ball 56 times in 2009, and finished the season with 244 yards and two scores. It will be hard to replicate the numbers Reggie Arnold put up last season, but with an improved offensive line the ground game there should be plenty of holes for Lawson to break free.
A big concern for the offense is at the wide receiver positions, as the Red Wolves lost all three starting wide outs from last season. The only player back that even made a significant impact last season is sophomore Taylor Stockemer, who caught just 16 passes for 347 yards and one touchdown. Junior Dwayne Frampton and sophomore Allen Muse are expected to join Stockemer in the starting lineup this season, and I look for a drop in production from this unit in 2010.
I already mentioned that the Red Wolves figure to be very strong up front on the offensive line, and the reason for that is they have all five starters back from the 2009 season. The top two players on this unit are senior right tackle Derek Newton and senior left guard Drew Hilton, but they also have a pretty good left tackle in senior Kiano Prater.
Defense:
The Red Wolves had just six starters back in 2009 on defense and really didn't miss a beat, as they pretty much allowed the same amount of points as the season before. This year they have just five starters back, but could once again still figure to be very competitive.
The biggest concern for the Red Wolves on this side of the ball has to be the defensive line that has just one starter back. The lone returning starter is senior defensive tackle Bryan Hall, who will be a key player in keeping this unit going in 2010. Hall finished up the 2009 season with 2.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Added to the mix will be junior defensive ends Blake Chavis and Brandon Joiner, along with junior defensive tackle Dorvus Woods.
The strength of the defense comes at the three linebacker positions, as the Red Wolves bring back two of the top linebackers in the Sun Belt in junior middle linebacker Demario Davis and senior weak-side linebacker Javon McKinnon. Davis is expected to have a monster season after leading the Red Wolves with 80 tackles and also finished tied for the team lead with 3 sacks.
The Red Wolves have to replace both starting corners this season, which is a bit of a concern, but figure to have one of the best safety duos in the conference with junior Kelcie McCray and senior MD Jennings both returning to their starting spots.
Sun Belt Prediction 4th: Normally when a team has just 11 starters back it calls for a down year, but I am going against the grain and predicting the Red Wolves to have a much better season in 2010. I think the Red Wolves will have to do most of their damage in conference play, as they have to face the likes of Auburn, Louisville, and Navy in non-conference action. I call for the Red Wolves to finish the 2010 season right around the 6-7 win mark and should be back in postseason play.
For another look at how the conference will play out this season, check out our 2010 Sun Belt Predictions.
