• GAME 5:  Arkansas State (1-3) vs. Louisville (1-2)
• Oct. 2, 2010  -  ASU Stadium (30,406)  -  Jonesboro, Ark.  -  6:00 P.M.
• RADIO:  EAB Sports Network (KFIN 107.9 FM, Flagship)
• TELEVISION:  espn3.com
• LIVE STATS:  AStateRedWolves.com, A-State TAPSTATS

-CLICK HERE FOR PDF VERSION OF ASU GAME NOTES vs. LOUISVILLE-

ON TAP: Arkansas State takes a break from Sun Belt Conference play this week to host Louisville on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in its 2010 Homecoming game, which is also both its second non-conference game and second home contest of the season.  Saturday's game will be televised by ESPN3.com, while every A-State game can be heard live on 107.9 FM in the Jonesboro area.  The live radio broadcast can also be accessed through the Arkansas State athletic website (AStateRedWolves.com).

THE PRINCIPALS: Arkansas State's last three games have all been against Sun Belt Conference opponents, but the Red Wolves will face Louisville in their second of four non-conference games this season.  A-State dropped a 35-28 decision to Troy its last time out, one game after defeating ULM 34-20 to break into the win column for the first time this year.  Louisville also enters the game with one victory under its belt, a 23-13 home win over Eastern Kentucky.  The Cardinals are coming off an open week, but will play their second straight road game after falling 35-28 at then-ranked No. 25 Oregon State their last time out.

HEAD COACH STEVE ROBERTS: Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts is in his ninth year at Arkansas State after leading the Red Wolves to the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Championship and to bowl eligible seasons three of the last five years.  During his first eight seasons as the Red Wolves' head coach, he guided ASU to 41 wins for its most over an eight-year span at the school since 1985-1992.  Roberts was named the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year.  Under Roberts, the Red Wolves have had 70 All-Sun Belt Conference selections, a Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, SBC Offensive Player of the Year, two SBC Defensive Players of the Year and an SBC Newcomer of the Year.

DOUBLE DUTY:  A-State head coach Steve Roberts is one of just 12 coaches in the FBS that in addition to handling responsibilities as a head coach, also works as a position coach.  Roberts has coached special teams since his arrival at ASU in 2002.  Below is a list of head coaches in the FBS who also are position coaches:
ASU, Steve Roberts (Special Teams)
Ball State, Stan Parrish (Quarterbacks)
BYU, Bronco Mendenhall (Def. Tackles)
UConn, Randy Edsall (Safeties)
Kent State, Doug Martin (Quarterbacks)
Louisiana, Rickey Bustle (PK, LS and PR)
UL Monroe, Todd Berry (Quarterbacks)
Nevada, Chris Ault (Quarterbacks)
San Diego St., Brady Hoke (Defensive Line)
Tulsa, Todd Graham (Safeties)
Utah State, Gary Andersen (Def. Tackles)
Virginia Tech, Frank Beamer (Kickers)

ROBERTS CLIMBING VICTORIES LADDER:  Through his first eight-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 42 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.

ROBERTS AND ASU STADIUM:  Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts has led the Red Wolves to a 30-10 record at ASU Stadium over the last eight years for .750 winning percentage.  Not only that, the Red Wolves are 21-5 at ASU Stadium over the last six seasons . . . Arkansas State is 15-4 in home conference games since 2005, its only setbacks coming against Troy in 2007 and 2009, Middle Tennessee in 2006 and Louisiana-Lafayette in 2009. The Red Wolves are 21-8 in home conference games all-time under Roberts.

ROBERTS IN CLOSE GAMES:  Ninth-year skipper Steve Roberts has seen numerous close games during his tenure with the Red Wolves, holding a 23-19 record in games decided by eight points or less (42 percent of all his games).  Following is his record in close games:
Margin   Roberts record
1 point 1-1
2 points 1-0
3 points 5-8
4 points 8-1
5 points 1-2
6 points 2-2
7 points 3-3
8 points 2-2

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
2009 WKU 17 24-20

17 AND UNDER: Arkansas State holds a 19-4 record under head coach Steve Roberts when holding its opponents to 17 points or less. The Red Wolves have won 16 of their last 18 games when holding their opponent to 17 or fewer points and have won 28 straight games when holding their opponents to 10 or fewer points.

THE ARKANSAS STATE-LOUISVILLE SERIES:  Arkansas State and Louisville are playing each other for the second consecutive year, but also for just the second time ever.  The Red Wolves suffered a 21-13 setback at Louisville last year at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

THE LAST TIME vs. THE CARDINALS LOUISVILLE, Ky. (10/31/09):  The Arkansas State Red Wolves rallied to within a touchdown and a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter but could not punch the ball into the end zone on their final drive as the Louisville Cardinals held on for a 21-13 non-conference victory Saturday afternoon at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
 Senior kicker Josh Arauco put the Red Wolves within eight points when he booted a 21-yard field goal with 7:47 remaining, but Arkansas State came up 14 yards short of the tying score on its final drive.
 Arkansas State's final possession began at its 24 yard line with 2:42 remaining, and the Red Wolves drove as deep as the Cardinals' eight yard line in the final minute.  Senior quarterback Corey Leonard's fourth-down pass from the Louisville 14 yard line was just out of the reach of tight end Trevor Gillott ending the final Red Wolves threat.
 Louisville got on the board first, scoring on a 26-yard rush by Darius Ashley in the first quarter.  ASU answered with a 24-yard field goal from Arauco to start the second quarter.
 The Cardinals stretched their lead to 21-3 with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown by Brandon Heath just before the half and a one-yard rushing touchdown by Ashley with 8:23 remaining in the third.
 The Red Wolves cut the lead to 21-10 on a four-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to Brandon Thompkins with just over a minute to play in the third quarter, then used Arauco's 21-yarder to pull within a score with 7:47 to play.
 Arauco's two field goals on the day made him the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leader in field goals made with 51, while Thompkins became the SBC all-time leader in kickoff return yards when he returned three kickoffs on the day for 56 yards, giving him 2,357 for his career.
 Leonard passed for a season-high 303 yards and a touchdown to lead the Arkansas State offense on the day, completing 23-of-42 passes to become ASU's all-time completions leader with 565.
 Junior safety M.D. Jennings had a season-high 11 tackles against the Cardinals to lead the Red Wolves defense.

ARKANSAS STATE vs. THE BIG EAST:  Including Louisville, Arkansas State has played just two teams all-time that are currently a member of the Big East Conference.  ASU split a pair of games with Cincinnati, defeating defeating the Bearcats 14-9 in 1975 before playing them again in 1998 and dropping a 51-7 decision in that game. Both games were played at Cincinnati.

HOMECOMING HISTORY:  Arkansas State is 55-26-1 all-time in Homecoming contests.  The Red Wolves have won their last seven Homecoming games dating back to the 2003 season.

WELCOME TO ASU STADIUM:  Louisville will become the 54th A-State opponent to ever play a game at ASU Stadium.  The Cardinals will be the first Big East opponent to ever play a game at ASU Stadium as well.  The last time ASU hosted a team from a BCS conference was 2001 when it played Ole Miss at ASU Stadium.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS:  ASU holds an 11-2 non-conference record at ASU Stadium under head coach Steve Roberts.  The Red Wolves' hold victories over teams such as Tulsa, Army, SMU and Memphis over that span, while its only two setbacks came 27-24 against Southern Miss in 2008 and 47-35 against then-ranked No. 25 Memphis in 2004.

20 SOMETHING:  Arkansas State has scored at least 24 points in each of its first four games and is averaging 28 points a game, which ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference.  The last time A-State scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games was the 1995 season when it did so in five straight.

AN ASU VICTORY WOULD . . . improve its non-conference home record under head coach Steve Roberts to 12-2 . . . give it eight consecutive Homecoming victories . . . give the Red Wolves its second win over a BCS conference school since joining the FBS . . . give the Red Wolves their third consecutive home victory . . . snap a four-game skid against non-conference opponents.

PLAY AFTER PLAY:  Arkansas State has run at least 80 offensive plays in three of its first four games, including a season-high 84 at Auburn.  Prior to this season, the last time ASU had run at least 80 plays in a game was Oct. 13, 2007 when it ran 85 against Louisiana-Monroe. If the Red Wolves maintain their average 77.5 plays per game, they would finish the regular season with 930 total plays to easily break the school record of 848 set in 2007.

WRAPPING UP:  Junior safety Kelcie McCray and senior linebacker Javon McKinnon both recorded a career-high 12 tackles against Troy last week.  The 12 tackles are the most by an ASU player this season, just ahead of the 11 recorded by M.D. Jennings in the season opener at Auburn.  McKinnon is ranked tied for ninth in the Sun Belt Conference in tackles with 7.5 per game, while McCray is 27th with 5.5 stops per game.

FORCING TURNOVERS:  The Red Wolves posted one interception and a fumble recovery against Troy, giving them back-to-back games with at least one pick and two games this year with a fumble recovery (Auburn and Troy).  Sophomore defensive back Tausean Holmes recorded his first career interception against the Trojans, while sophomore cornerback Chaz Scales posted his first career fumble recovery.

PLAYING IN THE BACKFIELD:  Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Amos Draper recorded his second sack of the season and a career-high three tackles for loss against Troy.  His two sacks are the second most on the team and his 5.5 tackles for loss rank not only second in the Sun Belt Conference, but also 55th in the nation.

SULLIVENT HAS CAREER GAME:  Junior Neely Sullivent set new career highs for punting yards (258) and average yards per punt (43.0) against Troy, while also recording three punts inside the opponent's 20 to tie the most of his career.  Sullivent also had two punts that traveled at least 50 yards against Troy, including a career-long 57 yarder.  Prior to the Troy game, the longest punt of his career was 49 yards.

ZALUD STEPPING UP:  True freshman kicker Bobby Zalud is ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring by kick despite not attempting a field goal in the Red Wolves' season opener and last week against Troy.  However, Zalud is 11-of-11 on extra point attempts and 3-of-5 on field goal attempts over the last three games to give him 20 points.

IN THE ZONE:  The Arkansas State offense is almost perfect in the red zone, scoring on 15 of 16 opportunities for a 93.8 percentage.  That percentage is ranked first in the SBC and 12th in the nation in red zone offense.

IN THE ZONE (PART II):  The Arkansas State defense is second in the Sun Belt Conference and 11th in the nation in red zone defense, holding opponents to a 63.2 scoring percentage.  A-State's four opponents this season have turned just 12 of their combined 19 red zone opportunities into points (9 TD, 3 FG).

BIG PLAY:  Arkansas State has run 24 plays (6.0 per game) this season that have covered at least 20 yards, including eight last week against Troy and a season-high nine against Louisiana-Lafayette.  The Red Wolves have already ran four plays that covered at least 53 yards with a long play of 65 yards (Ryan Aplin pass to Taylor Stockemer) against ULL.

MUSE CONTINUING TO PUT UP BIG NUMBERS:  Allen Muse caught a career-high seven passes for 119 yards and his first career touchdown last week against Troy, two weeks after posting five receptions for a career-high 133 yards against UL Lafayette.  Muse's 133 receiving yards against the Ragin' Cajuns were the 21st most in school history for a single game.  The last time an A-State player had recorded more receiving yards was in 2000.

NCAA HIGH:  Ryan Aplin's school-record 438 passing yards against Louisiana-Lafayette remains the most by any NCAA FBS player this season.  T.J. Yates of North Carolina has the second highest total with 412 yards passing against LSU on Sept. 4.  Aplin's 438 yards not only broke the ASU single-game record, but also tied UCF's Daunte Culpepper's total in 1998 for the most ever by an opponent at Cajun Field.

APLIN NOTABLES:  Ryan Aplin is ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in total offense (335.5 ypg) and second in passing yards (299.0 ypg).  He is also ranked fifth in the nation in total offense and ninth in passing yards.  Aplin has thrown for at least 237 yards in every game this season and has posted a completion total that that ranks among the top 10 in school history at both Auburn (28, tied for 3rd most) and ULL (25, tied for sixth most).

300-PLUS:  Arkansas State posted at least 366 yards of total offense in each of its first four games, marking the first time since its last four games of the 2008 season to do so.  The last time A-State posted over 300 yards of total offense in five straight games was games 3-7 of the 2008 campaign as well.  The Red Wolves recorded over 300 yards of offense in six games last season.  ASU is currently ranked second in the SBC and 29th in the nation in total offense with 436 yards per game.

APLIN EARNS SBC HONOR FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK:  Sophomore quarterback Ryan Aplin was named the Sun Belt Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 20, marking the second straight week he earned the league's offensive honor.  Aplin recorded 318 yards of total offense with a rushing and passing touchdown against ULM, while he threw for a school-record 438 yards and two touchdowns the week prior against Louisiana-Lafayette.

RIVALS.COM RECOGNIZES APLIN:  Rivals.com recognized sophomore quarterback Ryan Aplin for his play against ULM, naming him its Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week following the Red Wolves game against the Warhawks.

JENNINGS AMONG CFPA WEEKLY WINNERS:  Senior safety M.D. Jennings was selected a national Honorable Mention Defensive Back of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) for his outstanding play in the Red Wolves' 34-20 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.  Jennings recorded six tackles and a career-high two interceptions against ULM.  Jennings' six tackles were the third most on the team and he returned his two interceptions a career-best 62 yards.

JENNINGS TAKES WEEKLY SBC AWARD:  Senior safety M.D. Jennings was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6 for his performance against nationally-ranked Auburn.  Jennings posted double-figure tackles (11), including a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss, in a game for the fourth time of his career.  He also recorded his second career forced fumble, fourth fumble recovery of his career and his third career sack.

ANOTHER TV GAME:  The Arkansas State Athletic Department announced last week that ESPN selected the Arkansas State-Louisville football game scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Oct. 2 at ASU Stadium to be televised exclusively on ESPN3.com. The addition of the Louisville game gives the Red Wolves an ASU record-tying eight televised games during the 2010 season and sets a new record for five consecutive games televised.    

BIG BLOCK:  Sophomore defensive end Tim Starson recorded a career-high three blocked kicks against ULM to tie the most in school history for a single game.  Starson blocked two extra points and a field goal to tie Stacy Price's total against UT Arlington in 1981 and Clevon Johnson's total against UT Martin in 1980.

NICE CROWD:  The crowd of 23,176 in attendance for ASU's home opener against ULM was the ninth largest ever at ASU Stadium.  Out of the 17 crowds of over 20,000 all-time at ASU Stadium, 12 have been played within the last 10 years.  The top three attendance averages at ASU Stadium for a single season have all been set over the last four seasons.

EARLY START TO CONFERENCE PLAY:  Prior to this season, the earliest A-State had ever played a Sun Belt Conference opponent was the third game of the season (Troy in 2009).  A-State has not played three of its first four games against league foes since the 1995 season when it was a member of the Big West Conference.  ASU's first three SBC games include outings against two of the top four teams in the conference's preseason coaches poll (UL Lafayette, 4th; Troy, 2nd).

NEW FACES:  Twenty-three players competed in their first career game at A-State over the first four games, including four true freshmen, eight redshirt freshmen, two sophomores, seven junior-college transfers (all juniors) and two juniors . . . . . Additionally, 10 players started their first career game at ASU, including Dorvus Woods (DL), Justin Robertson (DE), Walter Moody (CB), Darron Edwards (CB), Tim Starson(DE), Greg McCall (DL), Najel Byrd (LB) and Tausean Holmes (DB) on defense and Anthony Robinson (WR) and Dwayne Frampton (WR) on offense.

96th SEASON UNDER WAY:  Arkansas State kicked off its 96th season of football on Sept. 4 at nationally-ranked Auburn. ASU holds a 413-446-37 record since the inaugural 1911 season and has played in seven bowl games.  A-State did not field a football team from 1942-44 due to World War II.  ASU also didn't have a team in 1918 as World War I was ending.

HOME OPENERS: With a 34-20 win over ULM two weeks ago, Arkansas State improved to 8-1 in home openers at ASU Stadium under head coach Steve Roberts.  A-State has now won its last six home openers.  In addition to ULM, Roberts' teams have also won home openers over Mississippi Valley State (61-0 in 2009), Texas Southern (83-10 in 2008), SMU (45-28 in 2007), Tulsa (21-19 in 2002), Tennessee-Martin (63-6 in 2003 and 56-7 in 2005) and Army (14-6 in 2006).

STRESSING ACADEMICS:  The Arkansas State football team won the Sun Belt Conference Team Academic Award for the 2009-10 academic year, marking the seventh time over the last eight years it has accomplished the feat.

THE TOP 25:  Auburn was the 12th ASU opponent ranked among the nation's top 25 teams at the time of a game with the Red Wolves under head coach Steve Roberts. Following is a list of ranked opponents that ASU has played under Roberts:
No. 2 Alabama (2008), L, 0-35
No. 4 Texas (2007) L, 13-21
No. 4 LSU (2004) L, 3-53
No. 6 Auburn (2006) L, 0-27
No. 13 Iowa (2009) L, 21-24
No. 16 Virginia Tech (2002) L, 7-63
No. 17 Missouri (2004) L, 20-52
No. 18 Nebraska (2009) L, 9-38
No. 22 Auburn (2010) L, 26-52
No. 25 Memphis (2004) L, 35-47
No. 25 Mississippi (2002) L, 17-52

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 21 seniors are:  Jeff Blake, Tom Castilaw, Sifa Etu, Adam Gaston, Derious Glover, Bryan Hall, Lucious Henderson, Drew Hilton, Tyson Holligan, M.D. Jennings, Alex Kautai, Alfred Louis, Javon McKinnon, Walter Moody, Derek Newton, Dominic Padrta, Kiano Prater, Anthony Robinson, Isaiah Shepard, Jonathan White and Marquette Williams.

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.  Following is a list of captains for each game:
Auburn:  Etu, Robinson, Gaston, Hall
ULL:  Moody, Newton, Williams, Prater
ULM:  Williams, White, Blake, Henderson
Troy:  Castilaw, Jennings, Hilton, McKinnon

PRESEASON ALL-SBC ACCOLADES:  Three Arkansas State football players were tabbed Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference, including Defensive Player of the Year Bryan Hall, offensive lineman Derek Newton and linebacker Demario Davis.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: The Red Wolves are predicted to finish third in the conference according to the league's 2009 preseason coaches poll, announced July 19 as part of the Sun Belt Conference Media Days.  ASU received 53 points, while first-place Middle Tennessee won the vote with 75 points.

STRONG D:  Arkansas State has ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference and among the top 50 teams in the nation each of the last four years in total defense.  Below is a break down of ASU's defensive statistical rankings for the last four years:
Year SBC Rank National Rank YPG
2009 1 41 340.5
2008 2 46 336.5
2007 1 43 362.3
2006 2 32 309.4

NATIONAL COVERAGE: Arkansas State will play at least two nationally televised games for the second consecutive year in 2010.  The Red Wolves will catch Middle Tennessee at home on Nov. 2 in a game televised by ESPN2 and Navy on the road on Nov. 20 in a game televised by CBS College Sports.  Prior to last season, the last time ASU had played a nationally televised game was in the 2005 New Orleans Bowl.

TELEVISION TIME:  Arkansas State currently has eight televised games scheduled for the regular season, tying the most in school history.  A-State played eight regular-season games on television last season as well.  The Red Wolves have four league games (UL Lafayette, ULM, Troy, FAU) televised on the Sun Belt Network, while the Auburn game was carried by Fox Sports South. The Louisville game will be carried by ESPN3.com, while the Middle Tennessee game by ESPN2 and the Navy game by CBS College Sports.

TURF INSTALLATION COMPLETED:  Installation of a new and state-of-the-art field turf surface inside ASU stadium was completed as scheduled after a final inspection of the project was conducted in late July. The field is in practice and playing condition for the beginning of the Red Wolves fall camp today. The new GeoSurfaces field turf is slightly thicker than the previous product, which was installed when ASU originally transitioned from a grass field to an artificial playing surface prior to the 2006 season. The field also has a sand base for the first time in addition to the "no fly-out" rubber installed.  The field also has a new look with two new Red Wolves logos, white Sun Belt Conference logos and black trim around the outside of the playing field.