Arkansas St Red Wolves 2016 NCAA Football Preview
ARKANSAS ST RED WOLVES
Sun Belt Conference
2015 Record – 9-4
ATS – 8-5
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
Conference #2
2015 Recap
The Red Wolves started out 1-3 after a tough non-conference schedule and then rattled off an impressive 8 (!) straight conference wins to take the Sun Belt Title. In fact, they pretty much steamrolled the entire way. They had a disappointing game against Louisiana Tech in the New Orleans Bowl to finish up 9-4 on the season.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
Arkansas St had the #1 scoring offense in the conference last season (#12 FBS), and while they lose some key skill position players, the great news is that the offensive line is excellent and returns all FIVE starters to the group. That is bad news for the defenses in the Sun Belt.
The Red Wolves have now rushed for over 200 yards per game in four consecutive seasons. Leading rusher Michael Gordon departs but they still have some talent in the group including two players that averaged 6 yards per carry (Warren Wand, Johnston White – 14 TDs).
The QB competition is still being decided. Pitt transfer Chad Voytik appears to have a slight edge based on his experience and a decent season in 2014. Oklahoma transfer Justice Hansen is also in the mix. Three of the top four WRs depart including the school’s all-time leading receiver (JD McKissic) but Dijon Pascal returns and he averaged 19 yards a grab last year. The unit will probably be fine.
DEFENSE
The 2015 team featured a well-rounded defense that was 2nd in the FBS in turnovers gained (34 !) and ranked highly in the conference vs the run and in pass efficiency defense. They also came up with 31 sacks.
This season the unit looks loaded with seven returning starters including 1st Team SBC performer Ja’Von Rolland-Jones (9 sacks) and almost the entire secondary that intercepted a Sun Belt record 26 balls last year. Leading tackler LB Khari Lane is also back. They may not force as many turnovers as last season, but they do have an aggressive philosophy, and the overall talent level is excellent.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Red Wolves are going to miss their talented punter Luke Ferguson but return accurate kicker JD Houston who nailed 12/14 FGs last year. PR Blaise Taylor did a great job averaging 13 yards per return and ranking 11th overall in the FBS. They will need to find a replacement on kickoff returns as JD McKissic is gone.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 7.0
MEGALOCKS says:
This team looks really good once again. The first three games are not going to be easy. They start with Toledo at home and then play Auburn and Utah St in back-to-back games on the road. Come to think of it, the back-end of the docket is not easy either as they finish with three straight road games. The good news is that they are still more talented than any other conference team on the schedule as they avoid Appalachian St.
Overall, we give the RED WOLVES a 7.0 ATS Value Rating (Good) this season. They are going to be favored in a lot of games so that keeps their rating a bit lower than you might think. Eventually it becomes more difficult to find value if they keep winning and covering games as a favorite.
Amaze your friends with this tidbit. Arkansas St has had approximately 29 head coaches in the past six years and yet have dominated when it comes to covering the point spread (overall record of 47-30 – 61%). They will have to be considered most weeks as an addition to your card.
Want more Arkansas St football ?
Website
http://www.astateredwolves.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7200&SPID=2798&KEY=
Forum
http://www.scout.com/college/arkansas-state/forums/4551-the-den
https://arkansasstate.forums.rivals.com/forums/the-vault.8/
News
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/sports/college/asu/
http://bleacherreport.com/arkansas-state-football
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/arkansas-st-red-wolves
https://arkansasstate.rivals.com/
https://twitter.com/RedWolvesFBall @RedWolvesFBall