? A season?s worth of blood, sweat and sacrifice boils down to four quarters of football for Arkansas State.
What began in the scorching heat of August concludes in the bitter chill of December with two goals still within reach: A conference championship and a trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
Arkansas State tees it up for the last time in the regular season with all kinds of implications riding as it visits Sun Belt Conference leader Troy. The winner is assured a trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
Kickoff is 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on KFIN (FM-107.9). It will also be televised by ESPN Plus on cable channel 26 in Jonesboro.
For the Red Wolves (6-5 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt) there is no tomorrow. They?re guaranteed a bid to the New Orleans Bowl with a win, but another bowl isn?t for sure, so winning is the only option to ensure prolonging the season.
?This kind of game definitely gets your blood pumping hot,? Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington said.
For the Trojans (7-4, 5-1) a victory means an outright Sun Belt title, a feat that hasn?t been achieved since 2004. Troy has gone 6-1 in the conference during each of the last two seasons, only to share the title both years.
Troy coach Larry Blakeney called it the biggest game since the Trojans joined Division I.
?As far as I am concerned, this is the biggest,? Blakeney said. ?I am not afraid to say that. There may have been some games in Division I that rank right up there with this one ... but this is a huge game.?
Arkansas State is hoping to salvage a season that took a wrong turn in the middle of October.
The Red Wolves won three of their first four games, then lost four of five before winning their last two. Arkansas State has played five of its last six games on the road, making it a difficult journey to play for the title.
?We?re looking forward to playing for a conference championship,? Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said. ?We?ve had a long road to get to this point, literally a long road to get to this point and figuratively. We?re looking forward to having something meaningful to play for in December.?
During its lowest point ASU lost three in a row, including back-to-back conference defeats in which Florida International and Louisiana-Lafayette rallied from fourth-quarter deficits. But a win over Florida Atlantic and another at North Texas has put Arkansas State back in contention.
The Red Wolves hope to maintain the same mentality that helped them out of the hole they dug four weeks ago.
?We?re trying to focus as much as we can, shore up our technique and get an understanding for what they do with their scheme,? ASU senior lineman Matt Mandich said. ?We want to play the best game we can play. There?s a bowl game and a championship at stake, so that?s a lot of incentive. We have to pull out all the stops because it might be our last.?
The Trojans are seeking redemption for an opportunity lost.
Troy suffered a 38-32 defeat to Florida Atlantic at home in the finale last year. The defeat cost the Trojans the Sun Belt title and a New Orleans Bowl bid.
The players who remain believe they?ve been given a second chance. The situation with ASU is eerily similar to last year?s scenario with FAU for the Trojans.
?That hurt more than anything last year,? Troy offensive lineman Chris Jamison recalled. ?Even though we beat them (this year), and got some so-called revenge, they took something away from us that we didn?t get last year. It?s right there for us again this year and we don?t want to let that slip through our hands again.?
Arkansas State has been a nemesis of Troy over the years.
The Red Wolves own a 5-2 edge in the series, which dates to 1951. ASU beat Troy in the first three conference meetings, all of which were decided by seven points or less, before the Trojans won 27-0 last year.
Troy is even better this year, according to Roberts.
The Trojans lead the Sun Belt in scoring offense, scoring defense and total defense. They rank in the top 10 in the nation in sacks, interceptions and tackles for loss.
?Their speed stands out,? Roberts said. ?They run to the football extremely well. They?re very quick. They get after the quarterback. They are one of the top 10 teams in the country in sacks, they?re very good at rushing the passer, and they don?t have to send pressure in order to get sacks.?
At the same time, Blakeney feels the Red Wolves may be the best in the SBC.
Arkansas State ranks second in the league in scoring defense, first in rushing defense, second in total defense, and first in passing efficiency. The Red Wolves are among the top teams in the country in turnover margin, with 12 more takeaways than giveaways.
?I?m sure they are going to be as well prepared for us as any team we have played,? Blakeney said. ?They know us and we know them. We have a lot of similarities. They are good in all three phases, and hopefully we are good enough to match that and win the game.?
Troy has traditionally been a defensively dominant team, but the Trojans are also an offensive power.
The Trojans junked their old offense a couple of years ago in favor of an open attack that averages 33 points and 429 yards a game. Troy has passed the football 455 times compared to running 383 times this season.
The Red Wolves know this isn?t the same grinding Troy team of the past.
?We are going to have to play great defense to have a chance to win,? Carrington said. ?We have to give our offense opportunities. We have to hold them three-and-out, bat balls down and create turnovers. We really have to come with it this week.?
Three weeks ago the Trojans passed 72 times at LSU, then a week later ran it 55 times against UL-Lafayette. Roberts isn?t sure what to expect from the Trojans this week.
?They are probably the best team that we?ve played all year outside of Alabama,? Roberts added.
Even with a Sun Belt title and a bowl at stake, Carrington said the Red Wolves are keeping their emotions in check. They have to play smart to win.
?We?re taking the same approach for this game that we?ve taken every game,? Carrington said. ?We?ve still got to do fundamentals, remember technique and do the little things. If you?re going harder in this game than any other then you haven?t been going hard enough the whole time.?
What began in the scorching heat of August concludes in the bitter chill of December with two goals still within reach: A conference championship and a trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
Arkansas State tees it up for the last time in the regular season with all kinds of implications riding as it visits Sun Belt Conference leader Troy. The winner is assured a trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
Kickoff is 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on KFIN (FM-107.9). It will also be televised by ESPN Plus on cable channel 26 in Jonesboro.
For the Red Wolves (6-5 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt) there is no tomorrow. They?re guaranteed a bid to the New Orleans Bowl with a win, but another bowl isn?t for sure, so winning is the only option to ensure prolonging the season.
?This kind of game definitely gets your blood pumping hot,? Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington said.
For the Trojans (7-4, 5-1) a victory means an outright Sun Belt title, a feat that hasn?t been achieved since 2004. Troy has gone 6-1 in the conference during each of the last two seasons, only to share the title both years.
Troy coach Larry Blakeney called it the biggest game since the Trojans joined Division I.
?As far as I am concerned, this is the biggest,? Blakeney said. ?I am not afraid to say that. There may have been some games in Division I that rank right up there with this one ... but this is a huge game.?
Arkansas State is hoping to salvage a season that took a wrong turn in the middle of October.
The Red Wolves won three of their first four games, then lost four of five before winning their last two. Arkansas State has played five of its last six games on the road, making it a difficult journey to play for the title.
?We?re looking forward to playing for a conference championship,? Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said. ?We?ve had a long road to get to this point, literally a long road to get to this point and figuratively. We?re looking forward to having something meaningful to play for in December.?
During its lowest point ASU lost three in a row, including back-to-back conference defeats in which Florida International and Louisiana-Lafayette rallied from fourth-quarter deficits. But a win over Florida Atlantic and another at North Texas has put Arkansas State back in contention.
The Red Wolves hope to maintain the same mentality that helped them out of the hole they dug four weeks ago.
?We?re trying to focus as much as we can, shore up our technique and get an understanding for what they do with their scheme,? ASU senior lineman Matt Mandich said. ?We want to play the best game we can play. There?s a bowl game and a championship at stake, so that?s a lot of incentive. We have to pull out all the stops because it might be our last.?
The Trojans are seeking redemption for an opportunity lost.
Troy suffered a 38-32 defeat to Florida Atlantic at home in the finale last year. The defeat cost the Trojans the Sun Belt title and a New Orleans Bowl bid.
The players who remain believe they?ve been given a second chance. The situation with ASU is eerily similar to last year?s scenario with FAU for the Trojans.
?That hurt more than anything last year,? Troy offensive lineman Chris Jamison recalled. ?Even though we beat them (this year), and got some so-called revenge, they took something away from us that we didn?t get last year. It?s right there for us again this year and we don?t want to let that slip through our hands again.?
Arkansas State has been a nemesis of Troy over the years.
The Red Wolves own a 5-2 edge in the series, which dates to 1951. ASU beat Troy in the first three conference meetings, all of which were decided by seven points or less, before the Trojans won 27-0 last year.
Troy is even better this year, according to Roberts.
The Trojans lead the Sun Belt in scoring offense, scoring defense and total defense. They rank in the top 10 in the nation in sacks, interceptions and tackles for loss.
?Their speed stands out,? Roberts said. ?They run to the football extremely well. They?re very quick. They get after the quarterback. They are one of the top 10 teams in the country in sacks, they?re very good at rushing the passer, and they don?t have to send pressure in order to get sacks.?
At the same time, Blakeney feels the Red Wolves may be the best in the SBC.
Arkansas State ranks second in the league in scoring defense, first in rushing defense, second in total defense, and first in passing efficiency. The Red Wolves are among the top teams in the country in turnover margin, with 12 more takeaways than giveaways.
?I?m sure they are going to be as well prepared for us as any team we have played,? Blakeney said. ?They know us and we know them. We have a lot of similarities. They are good in all three phases, and hopefully we are good enough to match that and win the game.?
Troy has traditionally been a defensively dominant team, but the Trojans are also an offensive power.
The Trojans junked their old offense a couple of years ago in favor of an open attack that averages 33 points and 429 yards a game. Troy has passed the football 455 times compared to running 383 times this season.
The Red Wolves know this isn?t the same grinding Troy team of the past.
?We are going to have to play great defense to have a chance to win,? Carrington said. ?We have to give our offense opportunities. We have to hold them three-and-out, bat balls down and create turnovers. We really have to come with it this week.?
Three weeks ago the Trojans passed 72 times at LSU, then a week later ran it 55 times against UL-Lafayette. Roberts isn?t sure what to expect from the Trojans this week.
?They are probably the best team that we?ve played all year outside of Alabama,? Roberts added.
Even with a Sun Belt title and a bowl at stake, Carrington said the Red Wolves are keeping their emotions in check. They have to play smart to win.
?We?re taking the same approach for this game that we?ve taken every game,? Carrington said. ?We?ve still got to do fundamentals, remember technique and do the little things. If you?re going harder in this game than any other then you haven?t been going hard enough the whole time.?
