? The biggest conference game of the year may be the first conference game of the year.
Call it a September Showdown.
Arkansas State will either be behind the 8-ball or in front of it following this afternoon?s Sun Belt Conference opener with Troy. According to the league?s coaches themselves, the Red Wolves and Trojans are the top two teams in the SBC, so today?s game carries extra meaning, extra pressure and extra incentive.
?It?s always a challenge? facing the Trojans, ASU coach Steve Roberts said. ?I think it?s two teams that are fairly evenly matched year in and year out. Even last year in a game that they won by a lopsided score, I thought it was a game that was much closer than the score indicated. (It?s) two very evenly matched teams and it?s been a great series for us.?
It may be early in the season, it?s still September, but the road to a Sun Belt championship and New Orleans Bowl berth undeniably begins this afternoon for Arkansas State and Troy.
It?s also the first time the Red Wolves (1-1) and Trojans (1-2) have met in an early-season showdown since Troy joined the league in 2004. ASU won the first three meetings in Sun Belt play, but Troy has won the last two games convincingly.
So does it matter that the two teams most regarded to contend for the Sun Belt crown meet so early in the season instead of at the end?
Roberts, now in his eighth year, said it makes no difference if the game is now or November.
?It doesn?t matter when we play,? Roberts said. ?It?s on the schedule where it is and that?s all we?re concentrating on. We?re not thinking about whether it would be better or worse to play them some place else on the schedule.?
Arkansas State is coming off a 6-6 season and brings with it the league?s preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Corey Leonard and Defensive Player of the Year in defensive end Alex Carrington.
Leonard has rewritten the school record book for career total offense already this season and is on the verge of breaking a number of other marks. Carrington was named the SBC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior after recording a league-leading 101⁄2 sacks and is expected to lead a formidable front four this season.
Leonard said he likes the idea of catching Troy early before the Trojans have had time to build some momentum. He also likes playing them at ASU Stadium, where the Red Wolves are 27-8 under Roberts.
?I actually like it a little bit,? Leonard said. ?We both know each other. We?re both two good football teams. Instead of having to wait the whole year, we can just settle it now. I think it?s going to give one team a lot of momentum and hurt one team?s chances a lot.?
ASU played Troy at the end of last season, losing 35-9 in early December. It was the Red Wolves? fifth road game of their final six to end the season.
ASU running back Reggie Arnold said the Red Wolves were beat up when they played the Trojans. That won?t be a problem this year.
?I think it?s good for us? to play early, Arnold said. ?Last year, at the end of the (season), you had quite a few guys that were banged up and injured. This year, we?re a little bit healthier coming off a bye week. I feel like that?s going to help us out a lot. We?ll be a little bit fresher.?
Carrington believes playing Troy at home is equally important.
?I?m pumped about it. Playing this early in the season at home, it doesn?t get any better than that,? Carrington said. ?We?ve got a great home crowd and I think that?s going to make for a great game.?
Troy is coming off an 8-5 campaign that included its third straight Sun Belt title. Troy has last year?s Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year back in quarterback Levi Brown.
The Trojans have won or shared three straight Sun Belt crowns starting with 6-1 league records in each season. Brown stepped in at quarterback last year following an injury to the Trojans? starter and passed for more than 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Much like Roberts, Troy coach Larry Blakeney appeared nonchalant about an early meeting between league favorites.
?You can dictate where you are at the end of the season by what you do in the league,? Blakeney said. ?I?m not sure how we stack up yet, but we?re going to get an early indication through playing Arkansas State.?
Troy lost its first two games, including a surprising 31-14 setback at Bowling Green. But the Trojans bounced back last week with a 27-14 victory over rival UAB.
Brown passed for 413 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Blazers.
While Troy has earned the respect of ASU and the rest of the Sun Belt, Trojans safety Courtland Fuller said the Red Wolves have earned their respect. ASU won three straight conference games against the Trojans, including a 33-26 victory in 2006 that kept the Trojans from a perfect run in the league.
?Every game counts. It starts with Arkansas State,? Fuller said. ?I know they like to say it goes through us, but we think it goes through them. We?re up for the challenge. We?re going to a hostile environment.?
The team that wins will take an important step in the league race. The loser will not only be a full game back in the standings, but also be at a disadvantage if the two teams tie for first.
And, there are still seven other conference games to be played that will determine a champion. Even so, the Red Wolves understand the importance of a home game against the 3-time defending champion.
?Every week is big to me, but this being Troy, it does add to the level of play,? Carrington said.
Call it a September Showdown.
Arkansas State will either be behind the 8-ball or in front of it following this afternoon?s Sun Belt Conference opener with Troy. According to the league?s coaches themselves, the Red Wolves and Trojans are the top two teams in the SBC, so today?s game carries extra meaning, extra pressure and extra incentive.
?It?s always a challenge? facing the Trojans, ASU coach Steve Roberts said. ?I think it?s two teams that are fairly evenly matched year in and year out. Even last year in a game that they won by a lopsided score, I thought it was a game that was much closer than the score indicated. (It?s) two very evenly matched teams and it?s been a great series for us.?
It may be early in the season, it?s still September, but the road to a Sun Belt championship and New Orleans Bowl berth undeniably begins this afternoon for Arkansas State and Troy.
It?s also the first time the Red Wolves (1-1) and Trojans (1-2) have met in an early-season showdown since Troy joined the league in 2004. ASU won the first three meetings in Sun Belt play, but Troy has won the last two games convincingly.
So does it matter that the two teams most regarded to contend for the Sun Belt crown meet so early in the season instead of at the end?
Roberts, now in his eighth year, said it makes no difference if the game is now or November.
?It doesn?t matter when we play,? Roberts said. ?It?s on the schedule where it is and that?s all we?re concentrating on. We?re not thinking about whether it would be better or worse to play them some place else on the schedule.?
Arkansas State is coming off a 6-6 season and brings with it the league?s preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Corey Leonard and Defensive Player of the Year in defensive end Alex Carrington.
Leonard has rewritten the school record book for career total offense already this season and is on the verge of breaking a number of other marks. Carrington was named the SBC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior after recording a league-leading 101⁄2 sacks and is expected to lead a formidable front four this season.
Leonard said he likes the idea of catching Troy early before the Trojans have had time to build some momentum. He also likes playing them at ASU Stadium, where the Red Wolves are 27-8 under Roberts.
?I actually like it a little bit,? Leonard said. ?We both know each other. We?re both two good football teams. Instead of having to wait the whole year, we can just settle it now. I think it?s going to give one team a lot of momentum and hurt one team?s chances a lot.?
ASU played Troy at the end of last season, losing 35-9 in early December. It was the Red Wolves? fifth road game of their final six to end the season.
ASU running back Reggie Arnold said the Red Wolves were beat up when they played the Trojans. That won?t be a problem this year.
?I think it?s good for us? to play early, Arnold said. ?Last year, at the end of the (season), you had quite a few guys that were banged up and injured. This year, we?re a little bit healthier coming off a bye week. I feel like that?s going to help us out a lot. We?ll be a little bit fresher.?
Carrington believes playing Troy at home is equally important.
?I?m pumped about it. Playing this early in the season at home, it doesn?t get any better than that,? Carrington said. ?We?ve got a great home crowd and I think that?s going to make for a great game.?
Troy is coming off an 8-5 campaign that included its third straight Sun Belt title. Troy has last year?s Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year back in quarterback Levi Brown.
The Trojans have won or shared three straight Sun Belt crowns starting with 6-1 league records in each season. Brown stepped in at quarterback last year following an injury to the Trojans? starter and passed for more than 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Much like Roberts, Troy coach Larry Blakeney appeared nonchalant about an early meeting between league favorites.
?You can dictate where you are at the end of the season by what you do in the league,? Blakeney said. ?I?m not sure how we stack up yet, but we?re going to get an early indication through playing Arkansas State.?
Troy lost its first two games, including a surprising 31-14 setback at Bowling Green. But the Trojans bounced back last week with a 27-14 victory over rival UAB.
Brown passed for 413 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Blazers.
While Troy has earned the respect of ASU and the rest of the Sun Belt, Trojans safety Courtland Fuller said the Red Wolves have earned their respect. ASU won three straight conference games against the Trojans, including a 33-26 victory in 2006 that kept the Trojans from a perfect run in the league.
?Every game counts. It starts with Arkansas State,? Fuller said. ?I know they like to say it goes through us, but we think it goes through them. We?re up for the challenge. We?re going to a hostile environment.?
The team that wins will take an important step in the league race. The loser will not only be a full game back in the standings, but also be at a disadvantage if the two teams tie for first.
And, there are still seven other conference games to be played that will determine a champion. Even so, the Red Wolves understand the importance of a home game against the 3-time defending champion.
?Every week is big to me, but this being Troy, it does add to the level of play,? Carrington said.
