Click here for PDF version of Arkansas State game notes vs. Florida International
ON TAP: Arkansas State will open Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at Florida International. Every Arkansas State game can be heard live on 103.9 FM in the Jonesboro area and the live radio broadcast can be accessed through the Arkansas State athletic web site (ASUIndians.com).
THE PRINCIPALS: Arkansas State will play its second consecutive road game and third straight game away from Indian Stadium when it faces Sun Belt foe Florida International on Saturday. While the game marks ASU's Sun Belt opener, FIU already has one league game behind it after falling to Middle Tennessee 7-6 in its season opener. The Golden Panthers are hosting their second game at FIU Stadium, dropping a 33-28 decision to Bowling Green in its third outing of the year.
THE COACHES: Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts is in his fifth year at Arkansas State after leading the Indians to the Sun Belt Conference championship and New Orleans Bowl last year. He has guided ASU to 21 wins since his arrival. The football programs 20 victories during Roberts' first four years at the helm are its most over a four-year span since winning 21 games from 1987-1990. Roberts was named the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. FIU's Don Strock is in his fifth season as the Golden Panthers head coach and holds a 15-29 record at the school. Strock is FIU's first and only head football coach as the program played its inaugural season in 2002. Strock played with three NFL teams (Miami, Cleveland, Indianapolis) from 1973-1989.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN PANTHERS: While FIU is 0-4, it has not lost a game by more than five points and dropped all four games by a combined 11 points. The Golden Panthers most recently dropped a 14-10 decision at Maryland. FIU fell to both Middle Tennessee and South Florida by one point and lost its only home game 33-28 against Bowling Green. FIU is ranked No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference in nine statistical categories, including scoring defense, pass defense, pass defense efficiency, sacks and red zone defense. Offensively, the Golden Panthers are ranked No. 2 in pass offense and total offense. The defense is led by Keyonvis Bouie and Chris Smith, the top two tacklers in the conference, while Lionell Singleton is ranked second in the nation in interceptions with five picks to his credit. Quarterback Josh Padrick leads the Sun Belt in passing yards (184.0 ypg) and his favorite target, Chandler Williams, leads the league in receptions (6.5 rpg) and receiving yards (73.5 ypg). Running back Ned A'mod is ranked third in the conference in rushing yards (73.2 ypg).
THE FIU SERIES: Arkansas State and Florida International met for the first time ever last season in Jonesboro and the Indians walked away with a 66-24 victory in its Sun Belt Conference opener.
THE LAST TIME vs. THE GOLDEN PANTHERS: JONESBORO (9/24/05) ?Arkansas State's running attack spoiled Florida International's hopes of its first conference victory as five different Indian running backs scored touchdowns in a 66-24 win over the Golden Panthers Saturday.
The Indians were paced by Antonio Warren's 143-yard performance in just two quarters of action on the ground while the ASU defense picked off FIU five times on the day.
Warren got the scoring going for the Indians in ASU's first possession of the game. Warren took the handoff from Noce and rushed 50-yards for the touchdown with 11:48 left in the first quarter. After the defense forced a punt, ASU scored quickly again when Noce connected on two pass attempts for 39 yards and Oren O'Neal scampered in from a yard out to make it 14-0 with 9 minutes left in the first quarter.
FIU cut the score to 28-14, but could not get any closer.
The 66 points were the most ever by an ASU team against a team from Division 1, eclipsing the 55 scored against Louisiana Tech in 1996. Warren and Shermar Bracey rushed for over 100-yards each in the game. The five interceptions ranks second in school history and the 238 yards on interception returns is a school record.
Placekicker Eric Neilhouse connected for 12 more points on the night giving the senior 199 points in his career and taking over ASU's top spot for career points by a kicker.
The Golden Panthers were led by Josh Padrick's 270-yards passing on 24-37 passing, but threw four interceptions on the day. Noce utilized a very workman-like 11-of-13 passing while connecting for two touchdowns on the day.
ARKANSAS STATE vs. SUN BELT CONFERENCE: Arkansas State is 45-44-1 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference. Since the league's inaugural football season in 2001, the Indians are 16-17 against all opponents that have been a member of the league. Against current members of the conference, ASU is 11-13 since 2001. The Indians hold their most all-time victories against Louisiana-Lafayette with 16, while its most victories against a Sun Belt opponent since 2001 is Louisiana-Monroe with three. The Indians have defeated every team in the Sun Belt Conference since the football league was formed in 2001.
ON THIS DATE: Arkansas State has played six times on September 30 since the 1955 season and holds a 4-2 record in those games. The last time the Indians played on the date was 2000, falling 30-27 against Richmond. ASU dropped its last two games played on the date, its last victory coming 28-23 over Southern Illinois in 1989. ASU also holds victories over Louisiana-Lafayette (21-18 in 1972), Tennessee Tech (15-7 in 1967) and Florence State (14-6 in 1961).
THE LAST TIME OUT: DALLAS, Texas (9/23/06) - ASU could not pick up a win in its first road game of the season, falling 55-9 to the SMU Mustangs last Saturday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mustang quarterback Justin Willis connected with tight end Ryan Kennedy on three first-half touchdown passes as SMU built a 38-6 halftime lead. Reggie Arnold led the ASU rushing attack with 89 yards on 16 carries, while Leonard completed 6-of-14 passes for 110 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, and Hewitt completed 7-of-14 passes for 83 yards with one interception. Darren Toney returned four kickoffs for 101 yards for the Indians, and Marcus Brown led the ASU defense with five tackles.
ROBERTS CLIMBING VICTORIES LADDER: In just a little over four seasons as the Indians head coach, Steve Roberts already has the fifth most victories among ASU's 26 all-time head coaches. 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 IN CLOSE GAMES: Fifth-year skipper Steve Roberts has seen numerous close games during his tenure with the Indians, holding a 12-6 record in games decided by eight points or less (35 percent of all his games). Roberts' teams have been especially successful recently in games decided by just one score, holding a 10-3 record in its last 13 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 3-3
4 points 2-1
5 points 0-1
6 points 2-0
7 points 2-1
8 points 1-0
ROBERTS AND INDIAN STADIUM: Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts has led the Indians to a 15-5 record at Indian Stadium over the last five years for a .750 winning percentage. Not only that, the Indians have won their last six home games for their longest home winning streak since capturing 17 in a row from 1984-86.
17 AND UNDER: Arkansas State holds an 11-2 record under head coach Steve Roberts when holding its opponents to 17 points or less. However, ASU is 10-28 over the last five seasons when allowing 17 or more points.
UNBUCKLE THE BELT: Arkansas State is in its sixth year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, joining the league for its inaugural 2001 season. ASU is a perfect 5-0 in Sun Belt openers with wins over Louisiana-Lafayette (2001), Louisiana-Monroe (2002-2004) and Florida International (2005).
EFFICIENT OPERATION: Arkansas State redshirt freshman Corey Leonard got his first career start last Saturday and completed 6-of-14 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown. Leonard, who has connected on 52 percent of his passes for 163 yards, leads the Sun Belt Conference in pass efficiency with a rating of 120.0.
SPECIAL TEAMS THREAT: Defensive back Darren Toney became the seventh player in school history to surpass 1,000 kickoff return yards in a career earlier this season and is now ranked fifth all-time at ASU with 1,107 yards to his credit. Toney needs 69 yards to take over fourth place. James Hickenbotham (1999-02) is the all-time leader with 1,746 yards to his credit.
LOOKING TO MATCH 2005 START: If Arkansas State picks up a victory on Saturday, it will have a 2-2 record through its first four games for the second consecutive year and third time in five years under head coach Steve Roberts.
CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: Arkansas State has won the time of possession in each of its first three games this season, holding the ball for a Sun Belt Conference best average of 33:12 per game. ASU is 11th in the nation for fewest plays ran by an opponent. ASU's opponents are averaging 56.0 plays per game.
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND: A season-high eight different players caught a pass against SMU and 13 different ASU players have now caught at least one pass this season. ASU has completed a pass to at least seven different players in all three games this year.
VINCENT'S CATCH STREAK ONE GAME AWAY FROM DOUBLE FIGURES: Senior wide receiver Gary Vincent has caught at least one pass in all three games this season and dating back to the 2005 campaign, has now caught a pass in nine consecutive games.
SOLID COVERAGE: ASU has intercepted six passes in its first three games combined, which is tied for the 12th most in the nation. At the same time, ASU's six interceptions are tied for the most in the nation among all teams that have played just three games. Linebacker Koby McKinnon and cornerback Dominique Williams lead the team with two interceptions each.
FORCING TURNOVERS: Arkansas State's defense has forced eight turnovers in its first three games, which is tied for the 36th most in the nation.
FAN INTEREST: The Indians opened its season at Indian Stadium for the first time since 1995 and the crowd of 23,426 in attendance for the Army game was the fourth largest in Indian Stadium history. The largest crowd in school history was 30,427 when ASU played Memphis in 2004 . . . The 23,816 fans on hand to watch ASU's game against Oklahoma State was the largest ever to watch an Arkansas State game at War Memorial Stadium.
AT THE TOP OF THE RANKINGS: While the season is still young, ASU is ranked among the top three teams in the Sun Belt Conference in nine statistical categories and in the top half of the league in 12 categories. The Indians are No. 1 in opponent first downs and time of possession.
JOHNSON PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: Junior safety Tyrell Johnson, who led the Indians it tackles last season, has picked up where he left off with a combined 17 tackles in ASU's first three games to rank second on the team. Johnson recorded 112 tackles last season, including a career-best 25 against North Texas in ASU's regular-season finale.
STANDOUT LINEBACKER MAKES RETURN: Linebacker Josh Williams is back after missing the entire 2005 season and recorded 19 tackles in his first two games, the most on the team. As a freshman in 2004, Williams started all 11 games, led the team in tackles with 110, and was the top freshman tackler in the nation. He was also named first-team Freshman All-America by CollegeSportsReports.com and second-team Freshman All-America by the Sporting News and by Rivals.com. The 6-1, 255-pound junior from Beaumont, Texas, was the only freshman in the nation in 2004 to finish among the top 50 tacklers in the country.
ARNOLD NAMED SUN BELT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt freshman running back Reggie Arnold was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 after rushing for a game-high 140 yards and one touchdown to help lead ASU to a 14-6 victory over Army. In his first collegiate game, Arnold carried the ball 25 times for a 5.6 average and had six rushes that went for at least 10 yards. His longest run went for 22 yards, while his touchdown rush covered 17 yards.
JAMES NAMED SUN BELT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior defensive lineman Jamarrow James was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 after recording a career-tying seven tackles, including three for a loss of 12 yards, in a 14-6 victory over Army. His seven tackles tied the second most on the team and his three tackles for a loss led all players. Out of his seven tackles, five were solo.
THE ROCK CLASSIC: Arkansas State returned to War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for the first time since 2003 when it played Oklahoma State on Sept. 9. ASU's games played at War Memorial Stadium have been branded “The Rock Classic” and there is a trophy that lists the scores from each previous ASU game at the stadium. Following is a list of “The Rock Classic” games:
1967, ASU vs. The Citadel (L, 7-20)
1968, ASU vs. Trinity (W, 31-14)
1969, ASU vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (W, 26-0)
1970, ASU vs. The Citadel (W, 24-7)
1971, ASU vs. Abilene Christian (W, 35-9)
1972, ASU vs. Louisiana Tech (L, 17-38)
1973, ASU vs. Xavier (W, 37-0)
1975, ASU vs. Southern Illinois (W, 35-12)
1978, ASU vs. Southern Miss (L, 6-21)
1983, ASU vs. North Texas (L, 0-17)
2002, ASU vs. San Jose St. (L, 14-33)
2003, ASU vs. Louisiana-Monroe (W, 44-41)
2006, ASU vs. Oklahoma State (L, 35-7)
FOR STARTERS: Arkansas State won its season opener for the first time since 1995 with a 14-6 victory over Army. The game also marked the first time the Indians had opened the season at Indian Stadium since 1995 and the 11th time that ASU had ever opened its season at Indian Stadium since it opened in 1974. ASU improved to 9-2 in season opening games at Indian Stadium. ASU is now 43-43-6 all-time in season openers.
92nd SEASON UNDER WAY: Arkansas State kicked off its 92nd season of football with its game against Army. The Indians hold a 392-417-37 record since the inaugural 1911 season and have played in seven bowl games. With eight more victories, ASU can become the fifth Sun Belt school with 400+ wins.
BREAKING THE TREND: ASU's victory over Army was its first over a non-conference Division I-A opponent since defeating Tulsa 21-19 in 2002. Arkansas State has not defeated two Division I-A non-conference opponents in the same season since returning to D-IA in 1992.
ON A ROLL AT HOME: ASU has now won its last six home games, its longest home winning streak since capturing 17 in a row from 1984-1986.
STRONG DEFENSE: The ASU defense held Army to just 164 yards of total offense, which is the Indians fewest offensive yards allowed since holding Sam Houston State to 150 yards in 1986, in its season opener. Dating back to last season, ASU has not given up a touchdown in its last three home games.
TEAM CAPTAINS: ASU's senior class, made up of 15 players, will alternate throughout the year as team captains. The team will vote on permanent captains at the end of the year.
PRESEASON PICKS: Defending Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State has been picked to finish second in the 2006 Sun Belt Conference football race according to a preseason poll of the league's eight head coaches. The Indians received 50 points, just eight fewer than preseason favorite Louisiana-Lafayette, and picked up two first-place votes. Troy followed Arkansas State with 48 points, while North Texas was selected fourth, Louisiana-Monroe fifth, Middle Tennessee sixth, Florida Atlantic seventh and Florida International eighth.
FOUR-YEAR IMPROVEMENT: Since head coach Steve Roberts arrival in 2002, Arkansas State's football program has seen its win total increase by almost 100 percent over the previous four years. ASU has posted 20 wins over the last four years, nine more than it recorded the four years prior to Roberts. In fact, ASU's 20 wins over the last four years are the most for a four-year span since it collected 21 victories from 1987-90.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE BELT: Since the first season of Sun Belt Conference football in 2001, Arkansas State has recorded the third most conference victories (16) and overall wins (23) among all teams to have ever played in the league. North Texas is No. 1 with 27 conference victories and 30 overall victories, followed by MTSU with 19 conference wins and 27 overall victories. Louisiana-Lafayette follows the Indians with 15 conference wins and 21 overall.
JENKINS & JOHNSON NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT: Arkansas State safety Tyrell Johnson and center Tanner Jenkins were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Football Team, the league announced Monday at its 2006 Media Day. Johnson was an All-Sun Belt Conference selection his first two seasons with the Indians, actually leading the team in tackles last year as a sophomore with 112 stops to his credit . . . Jenkins, the Indians player representative at the Sun Belt Media Day, continued to pile up his accolades with his selection to the preseason All-Sun Belt Team. The senior standout has also been named to the Dave Rimington Trophy List and the Rotary Lombardi Watch List. He was a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2005 . . . Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Jerry Babb was named the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Florida International linebacker Keyonvis Bouie was picked as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
SUN BELT ANNOUNCES TV SCHEDULE: The Sun Belt Conference office released its 2006 football TV schedule on Monday at its annual Football Media Day and defending league-champion Arkansas State will play five televised games during the upcoming season.
The Indians TV schedule features two non-conference games, including its game against Oklahoma State on Sept. 9 in Little Rock and its game at Auburn on Nov. 4, and three games against Sun Belt opponents . . . Two of ASU's three televised conference games will be played at Indian Stadium. The first of those two will be against Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 7 and the other will be against North Texas on Oct. 21. The Indian's final televised game will be on Nov. 18 at Troy . . . All five ASU games be seen on Cable Channel 22 in the Jonesboro area.
Arkansas State's Televised Games
Sept. 9 Oklahoma St. at ASU.+ ESPNU
Oct. 7 L.-Monroe at ASU ESPN Regional
Oct. 21 North Texas at ASU ESPN Regional
Nov. 4 ASU at Auburn CSS
Nov. 18 ASU at Troy ESPN Regional
+War Memorial Stadium (Little Rock, AR)
A NEW LOOK: Arkansas State will play four games on brand new ProGreen turf in Indian Stadium during 2006. The Indians host Army (Sept. 2), Louisiana-Monroe (Oct. 7), North Texas (Oct. 21), and Middle Tennessee (Nov. 11). ASU's fifth “home game” is set for Sept. 9 in Little Rock against Oklahoma State.
HIGHLY DECORATED: Center Tanner Jenkins is looking to be one of the most decorated players ASU has had. He has been selected to the 2006 Dave Rimington Trophy Watch List, the Outland Trophy Watch List, and to the Rotary Lombardi Watch List. The Sporting News has tabbed him as a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference performer and NationalChamps.net has picked Jenkins to its 2006 preseason All-america team. Jenkins has also been chosen to the preseason All-America list by Street & Smith. He is also a selection to the CollegeFootballNews.com preseason All-SBC team.
SAFETY WORTH MORE THAN TWO POINTS: Safety Tyrell Johnson was named to The Sporting News 2006 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference football team and the publication's Defensive Player of the Year.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE BELT: Eight members of ASU's football team have been named to the CollegeFootballNews.com preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team and four are listed in the organization's Top 30 players in the Sun Belt. LB Josh Williams and S Tyrell Johnson are ASU's representatives on the first team defense. The second team includes WR Levi Dejohnette, C Tanner Jenkins, OL Matt Mandich, DL Jamarrow James, LB Devrett Wade and DB Khayyam Burns. Williams is rated the third-best player in the SBC followed by number four by Johnson. Burns is ranked 22nd and FB Oren O'Neal is 30th.
SPECIAL DATES: Several promotional events are being featured during the 2006 season. On Sept. 2, former ASU football players will return to campus for the “Larry Lacewell Era” reunion. Homecoming is set for Oct. 21 versus North Texas. And, on Nov. 11, in addition to Senior Day,” Indian Stadium is the site of the Jazz in Jonesboro festivities as well as the Memphis in May barbeque qualifying event.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY: Fullback Oren O'Neal, a walk-on who overcame serious medical problems to come back and earn a scholarship, has been recognized in a special feature for “Walk-on of the Year” on CBSSportsLine.com. The 6-0, 248-pound senior from Stuttgart was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after ASU filed an appeal for the extra year due to medical reasons. After arriving in 2001, O'Neal was diagnosed with chylothorax, a condition that produces a buildup of fluid in the chest through a duct. Surgery repaired the duct and O'Neal returned to the team and worked on getting stronger and earned a scholarship.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION: Speaking of O'Neal, he was the named the recipient of the 2006 Terry Gwin Award at a special senior recognition ceremony in April. The Gwin Award is the highest award an ASU senior may receive and recognizes the academic and athletic accomplishments along with character and leadership qualities.
LETS SEE THAT AGAIN: XOS Technologies, a leading provider of sports technology and media solutions to professional and collegiate teams and conferences, has been selected by the Sun Belt Conference to provide in-game instant replay capabilities during all of its conference and non-conference football games in 2006. XOS Replay is a fully integrated digital video recording solution that will enable replay officials to watch, and simultaneously record, live feeds from the various cameras mounted in the stadium.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROOM: The Indian football team has won the Sun Belt Conference team academic award twice in the last three years, including 2005. This marks the first time the team GPA award and conference title went to the same football team in the Sun Belt. Along the academics line, ASU traveled 98 players to the New Orleans Bowl in 2005. In a recognition ceremony at the hotel, 41 of those players were cited as having grade point averages of 3.00 or better.
RETURN TO CHAMPIONSHIP FORM: ASU's conference championship in 2005 was the first for the Indians since 1986 when ASU finished the season with a record of 12-2-1 and earned a trip to the Division I-AA national championship game?the Diamond Bowl. The last time ASU played in a Division I bowl game prior to 2005's New Orleans Bowl was in 1970.
ROBERTS RECEIVES LEAGUE'S TOP COACHING HONOR: Head Coach Steve Roberts is the 2005 Sun Belt Conference “Coach of the Year.”
“RED” RECOGNIZED: ASU's spirit character “Red” finished second overall at the national mascot competition in January 2006.
THERE IS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Arkansas State faces two opponents in 2006 for the first time ever. The Sept. 23 game at Southern Methodist marks the first these two schools have met on the football field and the matchup with Auburn Nov. 4 is a first for the Indians. SMU will come to Jonesboro in 2007.
TWO-SPORT STARS: Darren Toney and Evan Van Dolah also compete as members of ASU's track and field team. Toney competed both indoors and outdoors with Van Dolah competing indoors only. Toney, had an indoor season best of 6.56 in the 55-meter dash while Van Dolah clocked 6.83. In the 60-meter dash, Toney ran 7.01 and then 22.70 in the 200. Van Dolah turned in his best of 8.60 in the 60-meter hurdles. Outdoors, Toney posted the fastest 100-meter time on the team with 10.85 and third in the 200 with 22.12. He also ran the anchor leg on the 4x100-meter relay which ran a best of 41.35 and the third leg on the 1:26.96 4x200-meter squad.
FAMILY TIES: Players Chris James and Jamarrow James are cousins. Quarterback Travis Hewitt's father is the equipment supervisor for the NFL St. Louis Rams.
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.
FIVE INDUCTED INTO ASU HALL OF HONOR: Five Arkansas State University athletic legends joined the ASU Hall of Honor Friday, Sept. 1, when induction ceremonies were held at the Fowler Center. The inductees, which bring the Hall total to 114, are former football coach Mike Malham, Sr., football All-American Charlie Fredrick, track and field NCAA All-American Jerald Spencer, volleyball record holder and 1994 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Margie Kolat McGee, and football standout Major General James E. Simmons. The group was recognized during halftime of the ASU-Army football game Saturday (Sept. 2).
NFL Great Ray Brown SpeakS To ASU Touchdown Club: Former Arkansas State and National Football League great Ray Brown was the featured speaker at the ASU Touchdown Club meeting at the Holiday Inn in Jonesboro Thursday evening. Brown, who played at ASU from 1983-85, recently retired after 21 years in the NFL. After being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986, he went on to an illustrious career with the Washington Redskins and the San Francisco 49ers. He joined the Detroit Lions in 2002 and immediately earned a starting spot and won the Eric Andolsek Top Offensive Lineman Award. He rejoined the Redskins in 2004 and played in all 16 games and started 13. Brown played in the Pro Bowl in 2001. At ASU, Brown was an All-Southland Conference selection and the first player in conference history to be named first-team all-conference at two different positions in same season (OL and TE).
Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce Hosting Paint the Town Red: The ASU Committee of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting “Paint the Town Red,” last week celebrating the first ASU home game of the season. The committee organized several events leading up to the ASU vs. Army game last Saturday. Now in its 10th year, “Paint the Town Red” began with a balloon launch at Indian Stadium. Businesses around Jonesboro decorated both inside and out to show their support for the Indians. The decorating contest judging was held from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31. The “Big, Great A-State Tailgate” will took place Friday, Sept. 1 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in downtown Jonesboro. The tailgate party featured live music, free food and activities for children. Coach Steve Roberts and the ASU football team will be downtown, along with Red, the ASU cheerleaders, A-team and band. The week-long celebration will come to a close with Paint the Stadium Red, when the Indians faced the Black Knights of Army Saturday at Indian Stadium.
ASU ROTC ALUMNI CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY: The ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) Program at Arkansas State University observed its 70th anniversary recently. In celebration, all former ROTC participants were invited to join a reunion full of festivities Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1 and 2.
Participants enjoyed two tailgate parties, the "Great A-State Tailgate" in downtown Jonesboro at Main St. and Monroe St. on Friday, Sept. 1, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and the ROTC tailgate at Indian Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 2, from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Alumni were also invited to the ROTC Reunion Hospitality Room at the Holiday Inn Holidome Friday from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Campus tours were given on Saturday at 10 a.m.
The reunion was scheduled in conjunction with ASU's football game against Army during Labor Day weekend.
