GAME 3:  Arkansas State (1-1) at No. 24 Nebraska (1-1)

September 15, 2012 l  Memorial Stadium

Lincoln, Neb.  l   11:00 a.m.

Radio:  EAB Sports Radio Network (107.9 FM, flagship)

TV:  ESPN2

LIVE STATS:  AStateRedWolves.com

ON TAP: The Arkansas State football team will play its second Top-25 opponent of the season Saturday when it faces No. 24 Nebraska at 11 a.m. in an ESPN2-televised game in Lincoln.  Every A-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 evened its record to 1-1 last week with a 33-28 victory over Memphis at Liberty Bank Stadium.  The Red Wolves posted 619 yards of total offense to the Tigers' 293, but needed a fourth-quarter rally to win the game after giving up a pair of special teams touchdowns earlier in the game.  The Huskers are coming off a 36-30 setback at UCLA, but topped Southern Miss 49-20 in its season opener at Memorial Stadium.  Both teams are ranked among the top 20 in the nation in total offense after two games, including Arkansas State at No. 7 and Nebraska at No. 16.

BY THE NUMBERS . . .

0 sacks allowed by the ASU offensive line the first two games.

1 ASU's 2012 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the Sun Belt by Rivals, ESPN.com, Scout and 247Sports.com.

1 reception needed by Taylor Stockemer to become the sixth player in school history to record 100 catches.

2 ASU was picked to finish second in the preseason Sun Belt Coaches Poll with 85 points and 2 first -place votes.

2 touchdown passes needed by Ryan Aplin to become ASU's career leader in the stat.

3 touchdown receptions needed by Taylor Stockemer to become ASU's career leader in the stat.

3 ASU players named to the Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team.

4 ASU players named Preseason All-SBC, including Ryan Aplin, Josh Jarboe, Zack McKnight and Don Jones.

4 of the last seven seasons have seen Arkansas State achieve bowl eligibility with at least six victories.

5.5 games improved from 2010 to 2011 by the ASU, giving it a tie for nation's second biggest turnaround in 2011.

6 ASU players named to Athlon's Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team.

7 Josh Jarboe's national rank in receptions per game (9.5 avg.).

7 game home winning streak by the Red Wolves.

7 consecutive winning seasons at Liberty Bank Stadium, including a 6-0 mark in 2011.

7 ASU's national rank in total offense (574.5 yards per game).

8 A-State games are currently scheduled to be televised by ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3.com.

8 game conference winning streak currently held by ASU, which is tied for the longest in the nation with NIU.

8 ASU players named to CollegeSportsMadness.com Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team.

8 Ryan Aplin's national rank in total offense (367.5 yards per game).

9 of the last 10 years the football team has won the Sun Belt Conference Team Academic Award.

10 Brian Davis' national rank in field goals made (2.0 per game)

12 consecutive games Ryan Aplin has thrown at least one touchdown pass.

12 A-State players named to Phil Steel'es Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team.

13 receptions by Josh Jarboe against Oregon, tying the most in school history.

17.0 Rocky Hayes' average per rush this season (4 carries for 68 yards).

18 combined single game, season and career school records held by Ryan Aplin heading into his senior season.

22 seniors on the 2012 roster, including 12 redshirt seniors.

33 consecutive games with a reception by Taylor Stockemer, the second most in the nation.

34 yards needed by Taylor Stockemer to take over fifth place at ASU for career receiving yards.

34 first downs recorded by ASU last game, the most in school history and fifth most in SBC history.

37 David Oku's national rank in rushing yards (96.0 ypg).

51 returning lettermen on the 2012 A-State team, including 6 starters on offense and four on defense.

98 plays ran by the A-State offense last game -- the most by an ASU team since 1975.

300 yards or more of total offense recorded by ASU in 26 of its last 27 games, inlcuding the last 12 in a row.

309 yards needed by Ryan Aplin to take over second place for career total offense in Sun Belt history.

500+ yards of total offense recorded by A-State in each of its first two games.

21,257 was ASU's school-record average home attendance last season.

HEAD COACH GUS MALZAHN: Gus Malzahn was named the Red Wolves' 28th head football coach at Dec. 14 press conference, bringing him back to his home state after most recently enjoying highly successful stints as a top assistant coach at three NCAA FBS universities that garnered him national acclaim.  A name highly recognized throughout Arkansas and the nation, Malzahn comes to Arkansas State after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Auburn for the past three seasons.  A native of Fort Smith, Malzahn was named the winner of the 2010 Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate assistant coach.

COACHING RECOGNITION:  First-year Arkansas State Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn was recognized as one of the top hires in the nation this offseason, named as the No. 4 best hire and No. 2 most intriguing hire in the nation by CBSSports.com.  He was also one of two head coaches in the nation to receive a grade of A+ among new hires for the 2012 season by the Sporting News.  Bleacher Report's "Over/Under Victories" for every new head coach places A-State at nine victories, one of the tops listed in the report.

HALL OF HONOR:  A-State head coach Gus Malzahn will be one of seven inductees into Henderson State University's Reddie Hall of Honor on Oct. 6.  The event will take place at the Garrison Center Day Gym on the Henderson campus with festivities beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday.  A two-year letterman, Malzahn averaged 35.3 yards per punt his first year at Henderson and 37.7 yards his senior year, including a long of 64 yards. He also caught 24 passes for 288 yards for an average of 12.0 yards per catch. He earned All-AIC Honorable Mention honors in 1989.

ASU ANNOUNCES FOOTBALL FACILITY PROJECT:  Arkansas State University announced a $22 million football facility project, including a two-level football operations building and 76,000 square-foot indoor practice facility in ASU Stadium's north end zone, at an 11 a.m. press conference held Sept. 6 at the current ASU Football Facility . . . The new football operations building's first floor will house A-State's locker room, state-of-the-art strength and conditioning and sports medicine centers, a players lounge and equipment room.  The second floor will feature coaching and administrative offices, team meeting rooms, a history and heritage showroom and a team film room with theatre seating.  The indoor practice facility will run east and west and be connected to the north side of the operations building . . . The facility will have a brick exterior and feature an outdoor plaza facing the field on the building's second level.  The interior will have a strong Red Wolves' theme with black and red dominating the esthetic appearance.

IT'S ALL IN THE NAME:  In recognition of a $5 million contribution by Liberty Bank, the ASU Board of Trustees announced last Saturday that Liberty Bank Stadium is the new name of the football stadium at Arkansas State University. The naming rights to the stadium are for the next 15 years, as announced at the newly-named facility just prior to kickoff of the Red Wolves' home football game against the Memphis Tigers.

THE ASU-NEBRASKA SERIES: Saturday's game will be the second meeting ever between Arkansas State and Nebraska.  The two teams first met in 2009, when the Huskers claimed a 38-9 victory at Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of 85,035, the fifth largest to ever watch an Arkansas State game.

A-STATE vs. BIG TEN: This year marks the fourth consecutive season A-State has played a current member of the Big Ten Conference after facing Iowa in 2009, Indiana in 2010 and Illinois in 2011. The Red Wolves stand 0-9 against current members of the league with their most games against Illinois with three.

AN A-STATE VICTORY WOULD . . . :  Give the Red Wolves their first victory over a Big Ten Conference opponent . . . Give the Red Wolves their second win over a team from an automatic qualifying BCS conference since joining the FBS . . . Give the Red Wolves their best record through three games since 2008 when it started 2-1 . . . Snap an 11-game slide in road games versus non-conference opponents.

HOME OPENERS: Arkansas State defeated Memphis last week to extend its winning streak in home openers played in Jonesboro to eight games dating back to the 2005 campaign.  The Red Wolves now stand 28-11 all-time in home openers at Liberty Bank Stadium and are also 15-6 in such games since moving to Division I-A (FBS) in 1992.

HOME SWEET HOME:  With a 6-0 home record last season, Arkansas State secured its seventh consecutive winning record at ASU Stadium dating back to 2005.  ASU is now 32-7 at ASU Stadium since the 2005 season.  The Red Wolves actual on-field record all-time at Liberty Bank Stadium is 124-70-1 since it opened in 1974.  ASU's six home wins last season were its most since 1985.

98th SEASON UNDER WAY:  Arkansas State kicked off its 98th season of football Sept. 1 at Oregon. ASU now holds a 417-455-37 record since the inaugural 1911 season and has played in eight 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.

SENIOR BOWL WATCHLIST: ASU has two players on the inaugural Senior Bowl Watch list. Senior quarterback Ryan Aplin and senior wide out Josh Jarboe were added to the watch list on August 24.

300-PLUS:  Dating back to the 2010 season, Arkansas State has posted at least 300 yards of total offense 26 of its last 27 games.  ASU's school-record 14 consecutive games with over 300 yards of total offense came to an end against Virginia Tech last season, but it has now reached the total in 12 straight games.

TWO MORE SCHOOL RECORDS:  Senior quarterback Ryan Aplin set two new school records for both total offense and passing yards during the Oregon game, giving him 17 combined game, season and career records at ASU . . . His single-game records include most plays, total offense, most average yards per game,  passes attempted and completions . . . His single-season records include most plays, total offense, passes attempted, completions, touchdown passes, highest completion percentage and most passing yards per game . . . His career records inlcude total offense, most average yards per game, completions, highest completion percentage and most passing yards per game.

I'M NOT JOSHING YOU:  Senior wide receiver Josh Jarboe hauled in a career-high 13 receptions against Oregon, which tied the school record set by Dwayne Frampton last season, and had six catches against Memphis to give him 19 total in two games.  That total places Jarboe tied for seventh in the nation and second in the Sun Belt Conference in receptions (9.5 per game).  Jarboe also finished the Memphis game with 101 yards receiving, giving him three career 100-yard receiving games.

HERALDED PEFORMANCE:  Senior linebacker Nathan Herrold recorded a team-high 11 tackles last against Oregon, marking the fourth time of his career he reached a double-figure tackle total, and he narrowly missed double figures again with nine against Memphis.  Herrold's 20 total tackles places him tied for second in the Sun Belt and tied for 47th in the nation in the stat.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE:  A-State's 619 yards of total offense against Memphis were the eighth most in school history and its most against an FBS opponent since recording a school-record 681 against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2007.  The Red Wolves' also ran 98 plays, which tied the second most in school history and were the most in a game since 1975.  Additionally, the Red Wolves set the school record for first downs in a game with 34, topping the previous total of 28 set against Southern Illinois in 1982.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD:  With 34 and 33 points scored in its first two games this season, A-State has now posted at least 30 points in their last eight consecutive games dating back to last season.  The Red Wolves scored 30 or more points in eight games during the 2011 season, the most since 1951 when it hit the total 10 times.

THEY CALL HIM THE STREAK:  Senior quarterback Ryan Aplin has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games, has thrown for at least 300 yards the last four in a row and recorded over 300 yards total offense in his last five outings.  Aplin has now passed for at least 200 yards 24 times in his career and all 24 have come over ASU's last 29 games.  He also has 15 career games with over 300 yards of total offense.

IN A RUSH:  Senior running back David Oku led A-State in rushing each of its first two games and recorded a career-high 111 yards against Memphis.  Oku became the first ASU player to rush for 100 yards in a game since Frankie Jackson ran for 101 yards against Memphis as a freshman in 2011.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:  A-State held Memphis to 293 yards total offense, the fewest by an ASU opponent since FAU recorded 281 last season.  The Red Wolves recorded six tackles for loss against the Tigers as well, matching their total from the Oregon game.

CAREER HIGHS:  Senior defensive lineman Ryan Carrethers recorded a career-high 10 tackles and safety Cole Lorigan a career-best eight last game against Memphis.  Senior defensive end Tim Starson also posted a career-high 2 tackles for loss in the game.

KICK IT INTO GEAR:  Junior kicker Brian Davis moved into a tie for the sixth most field goals made in a career last time out, ending the Memphis game with two field goals to run his three-year total to 28.  He was 2-of-3 on field goal attempts for the second straight game and is tied for 10th in the nation in field goals made with six.  He has now made multiple field goals in seven career games.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE:  Senior quarterback Ryan Aplin was named Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and one of four A-State players named to the all-conference team at the league's Media Day in New Orleans.  Aplin, senior wideout Josh Jarboe, senior offensive lineman Zack McNight and senior defensive back Don Jones were all named to the Preseason All-SBC Team.

RED WOLVES TABBED SECOND IN PRESEASON SBC POLL:  The Red Wolves were picked second in the preseason coaches poll announced as part of the league's annual Media Day.  Arkansas State received 85 points and two first place votes, just behind Florida International, which received five first place votes and 92 points to earn the nod as the preseason favorite in the league race.  The Red Wolves won the Sun Belt Conference Championship a year ago after posting a perfect 8-0 record in league play during the 2011 season.  Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Kentucky and Troy rounded out the top five in the poll, and FIU defensive lineman Tourek Williams was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

HIGHLY TOUTED RECRUITING CLASS:  With a Parade All-Amercian, Under Armour All-American, NJCAA All-American, 23 players that earned either junior college all-conference or high school all-state recognition and 18 players rated at least three stars by one or more of the major recruiting sources, the 2012 ASU signing class could be considered one of the best in the history of the ASU football program.  Arkansas State had the top-rated class in the Sun Belt Conference by Rivals.com, Scout.com, ESPN.com and 247Sports.com.

RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS:  A-State returns five 2011 All-Sun Belt Conference players this season, including the league's Player of the Year in senior quarterback Ryan Aplin.  Aplin was a first-team selection and was joined by second-team choices Josh Jarboe (Sr., WR) and Nathan Herrold (Sr., LB).  Returning as honorable mention choices are senior wideout Taylor Stockemer and senior punter Neely Sullivent.

GODADDY.COM BOWL:  Arkansas State accepted an official invitation to the GoDaddy.com Bowl last season following its victory over Middle Tennessee on Nov. 19, placing the Red Wolves in a bowl game for the first time since 2005 when they played Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl in Lafayette, La.  ASU was bowl eligible for the first time since 2008, but for the fourth time over the last seven seasons.  ASU reached bowl eligibility after just eight games, making last year the earliest ASU had ever been bowl eligible as an FBS member (since 1992).

SUN BELT CHAMPIONS:  Arkansas State claimed its first ever outright Sun Belt Conference championship last season.  Including 2011, Arkansas State has won eight conference championships all-time.  ASU won the Southland Conference seven times (1986, 1985, 1978, 1975, 1970, 1969, 1968).  ASU also won the 2005 Sun Belt Conference championship, but it was later vacated due to NCAA sanctions.

IN THE POLLS:  Arkansas State received as many as 18 votes in the AP Top 25 Poll and 13 votes in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll, while also ranking as high as No. 35 in the BCS and reaching No. 30 in the CBSSports.com 120 rankings during the season.

APLIN ON NUMEROUS WATCH LISTS:  An All-America and Heisman candidate, senior quarterback Ryan Aplin has garnered a significant amount of national attention this preseason as he is listed on the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List, Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, Johnny Unitas Award Watch List and the Manning Award Watch List.  Video, action photos and biographical information for Aplin are all available on a Facebook Page, maintained by the ASU Sports Information Department, called "Ryan Aplin All-America and Heisman Campaign."  Fans and media will be able to follow Aplin's 2012 season on the page, where updates will be posted throughout fall camp and the upcoming season.

ATHLON'S PRESEASON HONORS:  The Red Wolves had six players named to Athlon's preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team, including senior quarterback Ryan Aplin (first team), senior wide receiver Josh Jarboe (first team), senior offensive lineman Zack McKnight (first team), senior linebacker Nathan Herrold (first team), junior defensive lineman Ryan Carrethers (second team) and senior safety Don Jones (second team).

PHIL STEELE'S PRESEASON HONORS:  Phil Steele's preseason All-Sun Belt team featured 12 A-State players, including first team selections Ryan Aplin (Sr., QB) and Josh Jarboe (Sr., WR).  ASU's 12 selections tied the fourth most in the league with Troy.  Earning a spot on the second team were Taylor Stockemer (Sr., WR), Zack McKnight (Sr., OL), Nathan Herrold (Sr., LB), Chaz Scales (Sr., DB) and Andrew Tryon (So., DB), who made the team as a kick returner.  The Red Wolves' third-team choices were Frankie Jackson (So., RB), Ryan Carrethers (Jr., DL) and Brian Davis (Jr., K), while Ishamail Hayes (Jr., DE) and Qushaun Lee (So., LB) were fourth-team selections.

COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS PRESEASON HONORS:  CollegeSportsMadness.com has announced its preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team, which includes Offensive Player of the Year Ryan Aplin (Sr., QB).  Along with Aplin, Zack McKnight (Sr., OL) was named a first team choice.  Second team selections included Josh Jarboe (Sr., WR), Brian Davis (Jr., K) and Nathan Herrold (Sr., LB).  A-State's third team picks included Taylor Stockemer (Sr., WR), Andrew Tryon (So., DB) as a kick returner and Chaz Scales (Sr., DB).

BLUE RIBBON PRESEASON HONORS:  The Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team included Arkansas State players Josh Jarboe (Sr., WR), Ryan Aplin (Sr., QB) and Nathan Herrold (Sr., LB).