GAME 2
Arkansas State (1-0) hosts
Texas Southern (0-1)
September 6, 2008  -  ASU Stadium (30,406)
Jonesboro, Arkansas   -  6:00 p.m.
Radio:  Arkansas State Radio Network (KFIN 107.9 FM, flagship)
Television:  JumpTV Webcasting (astateredwolves.com)

-Click here for PDF version of ASU game notes vs. Texas Southern-

ON TAP:  The Arkansas State football team will look for its first 2-0 start since 1986 when it hosts Texas Southern in its home opener Sept. 6.  Every Arkansas State game can be heard live on 107.9 FM in the Jonesboro area and the live radio broadcast can be accessed through the Arkansas State athletic Web site (astateredwolves.com).

THE PRINCIPALS:  Arkansas State defeated Texas A&M, which was receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, 18-14 in its season opener.  With a victory, ASU can secure its first 2-0 start as a member of the NCAA FBS.  The Texas Southern Tigers suffered a 34-14 setback in their season opener against Prairie View A&M in the 24th Annual State Farm Labor Day Classic, played at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

HEAD COACH STEVE ROBERTS:  Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts is in his seventh year at Arkansas State after leading the Red Wolves to the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Championship and their most single-season wins over NCAA FBS opponents in 2006.  During his first six seasons as the Red Wolves' head coach, he guided ASU to 31 wins for its most over a six-year span at the school since 1986-1991.  Roberts was named the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year.  Under Roberts, the Red Wolves have had 53 All-Sun Belt Conference selections, an Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, SBC Offensive Player of the Year, SBC Defensive Player of the Year and SBC Newcomer of the Year.

ROBERTS CLIMBING VICTORIES LADDER:  In his first six-plus seasons as the Red Wolves head coach, Steve Roberts already has the fifth most victories among ASU's 26 all-time head coaches with 32 wins.  Larry Lacewell (1979-89) holds the record for victories with 69 and is followed by Bennie Ellender (1963-70) with 52 wins, Bill Davidson (1971-78) with 51 and Forrest England (1946-53) with 49.

DEBUT OF THE RED WOLVES:  The Arkansas State football team is competing in its first season as the Red Wolves after changing its nickname and mascot from Indians at the conclusion of the 2007-08 athletic seasons.  More information on the Red Wolves mascot and logos, as well as the change in names can be found on page 171 of the 2008 ASU Football Media Guide.

THE ARKANSAS STATE - TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES: Saturday's game between Arkansas State and Texas Southern will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

ARKANSAS STATE vs. SWAC:  Arkansas State has played just three games all-time against current members of the SWAC.  The Red Wolves opened played in the NCAA I-AA playoffs with a 10-7 victory over Grambling State in 1985, and most recently knocked off both Mississippi Valley State (55-3) and Jacksonville State (37-6) during the 1995 season.  Both games in 1995 were played in Jonesboro.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  Texas Southern, coming off an 0-11 2007 campaign, dropped its season opener 34-14 against Prairie View A&M last Saturday in the 24th Annual State Farm Labor Day Classic.  Prairie View A&M held TSU to just 113 yards of total offense, while the Tigers gave up 349 yards of offense to the Panthers.  The Tigers return six offensive starters and 10 defensive starters from last year's team, while former Texas Southern quarterback Johnnie Cole is in his first season as the Tigers head coach.    Among Texas Southern's newcomers for 2008 is former Houston high school standout and Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid.  Reid started 27 games for Oklahoma State, passing for 3,143 yards and 28 touchdowns while with the Cowboys.

HOME OPENERS:  Arkansas State is 5-1 in home openers at ASU Stadium under head coach Steve Roberts, who has led the Red Wolves to a 22-7 record on their home field.  ASU has won its last three home openers, including a 45-28 victory over SMU last season.  The last time ASU dropped a home opener was in 2004, when it fell 47-35 to then-ranked No. 25 Memphis.  In addition to SMU last season, Roberts' teams have also won home openers over Tulsa (21-19 in 2002), Tennessee-Martin (63-6 in 2003 and 56-7 in 2005) and Army (14-6 in 2006).

OUT OF THE GATES:  ASU will try to improve to 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 1986 and the first time ever as an NCAA FBS (formerly Division I-A) member.  The 1986 team actually got off to a 3-0 start before tying Ole Miss 10-10 in its fourth contest of the season.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION:  Senior linebacker Ben Owens (Bearden, Ark.) has been named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for games of the weekend of Aug. 30 after helping lead the Red Wolves to a season-opening victory over Texas A&M.
 Owens, a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection, becomes the first player in ASU history to be named a national defensive player of the week and the first Sun Belt Conference player to receive the recognition since FAU cornerback Tavious Polo last season after the Owls defeated Minnesota on Sept. 20.  Owens, already on the Butkus Award Watch List, will be added to the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be presented to the best defensive player in college football on Dec. 7 by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Nov. 17.

RED WOLVES SWEEP WEEKLY SBC HONORS:  Junior quarterback Corey Leonard (Covington, La.), senior linebacker Ben Owens (Bearden, Ark.) and junior kicker Josh Arauco (Grand Prairie, Texas) were named the Sun Belt Conference's players of the week Monday after leading the Red Wolves football team to a season-opening victory over Texas A&M.
 Leonard was named the offensive player of the Week, Owens the defensive player of the week and Arauco the special teams player of the week, marking the first time in school history ASU swept all three awards and the first time since Nov. 5, 2007 that any school swept all three honors.  It is just the 10th time in Sun Belt Conference history that three players from the same school have swept the awards, and ASU becomes the fifth school to be awarded all three honors in the same week.

COREY LEONARD HIGHLIGHTS:  Leonard, named the league's offensive player of the week for the fifth time of his career, was responsible for 246 yards of total offense and threw the game-winning touchdown against Texas A&M with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter to help lift ASU to an 18-14 road victory.  Leonard completed 15-of-28 passes, including a 15-yard touchdown strike to Kevin Jones that gave ASU a 15-14 late lead.  He finished with 160 yards passing and added 86 more yards on the ground, including a career-long 32-yard run that set up ASU's third field goal of the game to pull ASU within 14-9 in the third quarter.  He averaged 5.1 yards per rush and 10.7 yards per completion.  His 86 yards rushing were just four shy of his career high and his 246 yards of total offense pushed him over 4,500 total yards for his career.  His touchdown pass gave him 25 for his career, tying the third most in school history, and he also went over 300 career completions during the game.

BEN OWENS HIGHLIGHTS:  Owens recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, an interception and a fumble recovery, while also helping the ASU defense pitch a second-half shutout in the game.  Owens' was responsible for stopping the Aggies last two drives of the game after the Red Wolves went ahead 15-14.  He recovered a fumble on the Texas A&M 39-yard line, setting up a field goal that gave ASU a four-point lead with 1:12 left to play.  He then intercepted Stephen McGee with 10 seconds left in the game, halting the Aggies final drive that reached the ASU 34-yard line and clinching the victory for ASU.  Owens posted the first sack of his career and his seven tackles were the second most on the team.

ARAUCO HIGHLIGHTS:  Arauco was responsible for 12 of ASU's 18 points in the Red Wolves four-point victory over Texas A&M, making a career-high four field goals in the game.  Arauco was perfect 4-of-4 on his field goal attempts, hitting twice from 37 yards out, once from 28 yards and once from 25 yards.  His four field goals ties the second most in both ASU and Sun Belt Conference history for a single game. Arauco became just the second player in ASU history and the fourth in Sun Belt Conference history to kick four field goals in a game.  Three of his four field goals came in the second half, including a 37-yarder with 1:12 left to play that forced Texas A&M to try for a touchdown on its final drive.  Arauco moved into fifth place at ASU for career field goals made, increasing his total to 31.

TURNING IT AROUND ON THE ROAD:  Arkansas State turned around its recent fortune in road games last week, snapping a seven-game skid away from ASU Stadium with its victory over Texas A&M.  The last time ASU won a season opener on the road was 1989 when it defeated Memphis 17-13.  The crowd of 78,691 for the Texas A&M game was the ninth largest to ever watch an Arkansas State game.

TEXAS A&M GAME NOTABLES:  ASU won its first ever game over a BCS school since it joined NCAA FBS.  The Red Wolves also broke Texas A&M's 20-game winning streak in home openers, handing the Aggies just their fourth loss over their last 50 non-conference home games.  ASU picked up its first victory in 15 games against current members of the Big 12 Conference

GETTING TO THE QUARTERBACK:  ASU recorded four sacks against the Aggies, topping its season-high (3) for all of last season during a game.  Linebacker Ben Owens recorded his third career sack, while corner Dominique Williams and defensive tackles Khari Mays and Bryan Hall all posted the first sack of their careers.  ASU ranked eighth in the SBC last year in sacks with 13 for the season.

WELCOME TO COLLEGE:  ASU had 10 players (two true freshmen and seven redshirt freshmen) see their first playing time in a college game Saturday night.  Kelcie McCray, Derek Lawson, Jaquan Kilcrease, Jermaine Robertson, Elroy Brown, Dorvus Woods, Jeremy Gibson, Ryan Wilbourn, Greg McCall and Graham Bates all played their first college game.

PICKING IT OFF:  The Red Wolves intercepted two passes against Texas A&M, extending their streak of at least one interception to seven games.  The Red Wolves led the Sun Belt Conference in interceptions in 2006 and ranked fifth in the league last year.  Safety M.D. Jennings and Ben Owens both intercepted a pass for the second time of thier careers.

OFFENSIVE UPRISING:  ASU surpassed 400 yards of total offense in its first game, while only reaching the 400-yard mark in three games for all of last season.  The Red Wolves rushed for 255 yards and added 160 yards on the ground.  ASU is ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in total offense after the season's first week of play.  The Red Wolves also extended their winning streak to six games when recording 400 yards of total offense

IMMEDIATE IMPACT:  It didn't take junior-college transfer Jahbari McLennan long to get involved with the offense, recording four receptions over the first three ASU drives.  The junior wide receiver finished the game with six receptions for 73 yards.

GETTING THE START:  A combined eight offensive and defensive players made their first career starts for Arkansas State tonight against Texas A&M.  OFFENSE:  Dominic Padrta (OL), Drew Hilton (OL), Brandon Ciaramitaro (OL), Mark Clemons (OL and Jahbari McLennan (WR).  DEFENSE:  Bryan Hall (DL), Darius Glover (LB) and M.D. Jennings (S).

OPENING WITH THE BIG 12:  Arkansas State opened its season with a Big 12 opponent for the fifth time in the last six years.  The Red Wolves played Texas A&M in its 2003 season opener, Missouri in 2004 and 2005 and Texas in 2006.

94th SEASON UNDER WAY:  Arkansas State kicked off its 94th season of football last week with its game against Texas A&M.  ASU holds a 403-429-37 record since the inaugural 1911 season and have played in seven bowl games.

ROBERTS AND ASU STADIUM:  Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts has led the Red Wolves to a 22-7 record at ASU Stadium over the last six years for a .759 winning percentage.  Not only that, the Red Wolves are 13-2 at ASU Stadium over the last three seasons.

ROBERTS IN CLOSE GAMES:  Seventh-year skipper Steve Roberts has seen numerous close games during his tenure with the Red Wolves, holding a 19-9 record in games decided by eight points or less (38 percent of all his games).  Roberts' teams have been especially successful recently in games decided by just one score, holding a 17-6 record in its last 23 games that ended under those circumstances.  Following is his record in close games:
Margin   Roberts record
1 point 1-0
2 points 1-0
3 points 5-4
4 points 6-1
5 points 0-1
6 points 2-1
7 points 3-1
8 points 1-1

SENIOR RECOGNITION:  Every year at ASU's Football Media Day, head coach Steve Roberts gives his seniors a chance to address those in attendance at the press conference.  This year's seniors are:  Kevin Jones (Shreveport, La.), Dominique Williams (Bastrop, La.), Brett Shrable (Hoxie, Ark.), Travis Hewitt (Ballwin, Mo.), Kansas Garrett (Covington, La.), Ben Owens (Bearden, Ark.), Brian Flagg (Ripley, Tenn.), Vernon Catlin (Culver City, Calif.), Anthony Harris (West Helena, Ark.), Brandon Ciaramitaro (Batesville, Miss.), Sean Marshall (Ashdown, Ark.), Matt Mandich (Hattiesburg, Miss.), Mark Clemons (Reno, Nev.), Zach Eichenberger (Springdale, Ark.), David Johnson (Pine Bluff, Ark.), Richard Neal (Little Rock, Ark.) and Page Gill (Dumas, Ark.).

PRESEASON ALL-SBC ACCOLADES:  Five Arkansas State football players have been tabbed Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference.  Junior running back Reggie Arnold (Little Rock, Ark.), senior tight end David Johnson (Pine Bluff, Ark.) and senior offensive lineman Matt Mandich (Hattiesburg, Miss.) all represented ASU on the offensive team, while junior defensive end Alex Carrington (Tupelo, Miss.) and senior linebacker Ben Owens (Bearden, Ark.) were named to the defensive squad . . . ASU's five players on the 28-man squad tied Troy for the second most among all the schools.  Florida Atlantic had a league-high eight players named to the team.  Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe each had three players on the team, while North Texas and Middle Tennessee both had two players.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: The Red Wolves are predicted to finish fourth in the conference according to the league's 2008 preseason coaches poll, announced Monday, July 21 at the Sun Belt's annual Football Media Days in New Orleans . . . ASU received 39 points, just seven fewer than third-place Monroe, in the poll.  Florida Atlantic received six of the eight first-place votes and a league-high 62 points, while Troy was picked to finish second with 51 points and one first-place vote.  Louisiana-Monroe picked up the final first-place vote and finished with 46 points in the voting.  Middle Tennessee was picked fifth with 32 points, Louisiana-Lafayette sixth with 26 points, North Texas seventh with 19 points and Florida International eighth with 13 points.

TELEVISION TIME:  Three Arkansas State games will be televised by ESPN Plus and another game televised by CSS in 2008.  The Red Wolves' home games against Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 11 (6:00 p.m.) and Florida Atlantic on Nov. 22 (2:00 p.m.)  and road game at Troy on Dec. 6 (6:00 p.m.) will all be televised by ESPN Plus, while their game at Alabama on Nov. 1 will be carried by CSS . . . ASU's four regular-season televised games for 2008 ties the second most in school history, matching the 2005 season.  The Red Wolves' had a school-record six televised games during the 2007 campaign.

NEW FLAGSHIP RADIO STATION ANNOUNCED:  The Arkansas State University Athletic Department, along with East Arkansas Broadcasters, announced July 16 that KFIN 107.9 FM, a 100,000-watt radio station located in Jonesboro, will become the new flagship station and home of Red Wolves' football broadcasts for the 2008 season.  KFIN's 100,000-watt signal reaches parts of Tennessee, Missouri and a large portion of Arkansas, giving more ASU football fans the opportunity to follow the Red Wolves during the upcoming season.  The full release can be found on astateredwolves.com.

ARNOLD ON DOAK WALKER WATCH LIST:  Junior running back Reggie Arnold has been named to the list of candidates for the 2008 Doak Walker Award, announced by the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum.
 Arnold is a candidate for the award, presented annually to the nation's top running back, for the second straight year and joins former ASU running back Jonathan Adams as the only two players in school history to make the watch list during two different seasons.  Adams was a candidate for the award in 2000 and 2001.
 Arnold is among 43 candidates, including two from the Sun Belt Conference, to be named to the award's 2008 watch list.  The Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons at ASU.  He was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year in 2006 and is a two-time all-conference pick.

OWENS ON BUTKUS WATCH LIST:  Senior linebacker Ben Owens has been named to the watch list for the 2008 Butkus Award, given annually to the top linebacker in college football.  Owens, a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection, was one of 66 players named to the watch list after posting a career-high 96 tackles last season that ranked fifth in the Sun Belt.  His 96 tackles were just five fewer than team-leader Koby McKinnon, who was on the 2007 Butkus Award Watch List.

MANDICH WATCH LIST:  Senior offensive lineman Matt Mandich is not only a preseason First Team All-Sun Belt Conference by a number of college football publications, he is also on a couple of prestigious watch lists.  Mandich is on both the Outland Trophy Watch List and Rotary Lombardi Watch List.  Not only that, he was named preseason Honorable Mention All-America by Sporting News.

DOUBLE-DIGIT COMEBACKS:  Arkansas State has rallied for a victory in seven games when trailing by double-digits under head coach Steve Roberts.  Following is a year-by-year list of ASU's double-digit comeback victories under Roberts:
Year Opponent Trailed by Final
2002 ULM 11 33-2
2003 ULM 14 44-41
2003 NMSU 10 28-24
2005 ULL 16 39-36
2005 UNT 10 31-24
2007 Memphis 25 31-24
2007 UNT 21 31-27
2008 TAMU 11 18-14

QUICK CLIMB:  Corey Leonard is making a quick climb up the all-time passing records at Arkansas State.  Leonard, just a junior, is already ranked sixth all-time for career completions (306), seventh for passing yards (3,716) and tied for third in passing touchdowns (25).  Leonard is also ranked sixth all-time for total offense (4,680).

FAST TRACK TO DEGREE:  Corey Leonard, just a junior on the football field, went through ASU's Summer Commencement ceremony this year after earning his bachelor's degree in just three years in Business.  Leonard is now enrolled graduate school and will begin working toward his master's degree this fall.

GAINING GROUND:  With 2,277 career rushing yards, junior running back Reggie Arnold is ranked ninth among the career rushing leaders in ASU history.  Arnold has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game 10 times, including the Texas A&M game, for his career for the sixth (tied) most in school history.

400TH VICTORY:  With its victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 13 of last year, ASU became the fifth Sun Belt Conference school with 400 all-time wins.  ASU is in its 94th season of football and holds an all-time record of 403-427-37 since its inaugural 1911 season.  The Red Wolves have played in seven bowl games, including the 2005 New Orleans Bowl.

SIX-YEAR IMPROVEMENT:  During seventh-year head coach Steve Roberts' first six seasons at Arkansas State the football program saw its win total increase by almost 100 percent over the previous six years.  ASU posted 31 wins over Roberts' first six years, 14 more than it recorded the six years prior to Roberts.  In fact, ASU's 31 wins over those six years are the most for a six-year span since 1986-91.

TEAM CAPTAINS:  ASU's senior class will alternate throughout the year as team captains.  The team will vote on permanent captains at the end of the year.

17 AND UNDER:  Arkansas State holds a 15-3 record under head coach Steve Roberts when holding its opponents to 17 points or less.  However, ASU is 11-30 over the last six seasons when allowing 17 or more points. The Red Wolves have won 12 of their last 13 games when holding their opponent to 17 or fewer points and has won 26 straight games when holding their opponents to 10 or fewer points.

TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD:  The Arkansas State football team has won the Sun Belt Conference Team Academic Award four of the past five years, including 2007.

A VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR:  Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe looked on as the Arkansas State Red Wolves went through a two-hour practice at the ASU practice fields during 2008 fall camp.  Beebe, who was the guest speaker at the ASU Touchdown Club banquet Tuesday that night, addressed the team following practice, then took time to pose for pictures with ASU players and fans.  “Obviously, it was a privilege for us to have the governor of the state of Arkansas here at our practice and to speak to our team,” said ASU Head Coach Steve Roberts.  “We are very proud of what he has accomplished and continues to accomplish as the governor and as an ASU Alumni.”

AFCA AWARD:  Prior to the start of the 2007 season, the American Football Coaches Association announced that the Arkansas State University football team was one of just 34 Division I-A football programs that graduated 70 percent or more of its student-athletes  from their freshman classes of 2001-02.

A TIME TO BOND:  When Head Coach Steve Roberts came to ASU, he brought a tradition with him which caught on in a hurry with the players.  The night before each game, team members and coaches get together for milk and cookies.  During this time, each player sits by and visits with at least three other players he has not visited with throughout the week in order to learn more about his teammates.