Ohio State's season opener is the one getting a lot of attention. But after the Buckeyes' primetime matchup with Notre Dame Sept. 3, they still have 11 games left in the 2022 regular season.
And after the Fighting Irish comes Arkansas State at noon Sept. 10 on Big Ten Network.
One hundred days before Ohio State takes on the Red Wolves in Ohio Stadium, here are three things to expect from that matchup.
New era in Jonesboro
Butch Jones knows big time football, spending three years as the head coach at Central Michigan, three years as the head coach at Cincinnati and five years as the head coach at Tennessee.
After three seasons as an offensive analyst and special assistant to the head coach under Nick Saban at Alabama, Jones returned to the head coaching ranks, replacing Blake Anderson as the head coach at Arkansas State in 2021.
That first season didn't go according to plan.
While the Red Wolves finished in the middle of the pack in the Sun Belt offensively, averaging 25.3 points per game, the defense was dreadful, allowing 38.6 points per game, 505.9 yards per game and 7.2 yards per play. Opposing run games averaged 261.2 yards per game and 6.4 yards per rush against the Red Wolves in 2021.
Other than a 19-point win against Central Arkansas in the season opener and a three-point win against Louisiana Monroe, Arkansas State lost 10 games by an average of 18.2 points, skewed by a 49-point loss at Washington. The Red Wolves had five losses determined by less than 10 points, including a one-point loss to Louisiana and a two-point loss to Texas State.
Offensive dichotomy
Arkansas State had one thing going for it in 2021: it had one of the better passing games in the country.
The Red Wolves had the best passing offense in the Sun Belt, averaging 313.9 passing yards per game despite their quarterbacks completing 59.2% if their pass attempts for 7.2 yards per try. Arkansas State was also one of five teams in the conference to record more than 20 passing touchdowns, but led the league with 17 interceptions.
In 2022, Arkansas State will have a new leader at quarterback.
With Layne Hatcher transferring to Texas State this offseason after throwing for more than 7,000 yards in his career at Arkansas State, former Florida State transfer James Blackman will take the reins of the passing game, completing 59.6% of his passes last season for 1,344 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
Blackman is not the only former transfer that has made a name for himself in Jones' offense.
Transferring from TCU, Te'vailance Hunt finished second on the team in receiving yards (758), catches (52) and touchdowns (6) last season.
For as much as the passing game shined last season, the run game set the Red Wolves back dramatically.
With Lincoln Pare at the helm last season, who also transferred to Texas State this offseason, Arkansas State finished last in the Sun Belt averaging 81.8 rushing yards per game — third worst in the country — 2.8 yards per rush and four rushing touchdowns: the worst total in college football.
Nowhere to go but up
The Arkansas State defense could not stop a soul in 2021.
The Red Wolves gave up 38.6 points and 505.9 yards per game — 261.1 rushing and 130.1 passing. But they do have some key pieces returning in 2022.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman and former Tennessee transfer Kivon Bennett will be back after finishing with 15.5 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks last year, while junior cornerback Samy Johnson, who led the team with three interceptions, will be back too.
However, since 2012, Arkansas State has allowed an average of 44.6 points in each of its 14 games against Power Five opponents, each of which was a loss except a four-point win at Kansas State in 2020.
