NCAA Football Preview - Arkansas State Red Wolves

Aug 21, 2012 - 3:16 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - 2011 SEASON IN REVIEW: In Hugh Freeze's first season as head coach of the Arkansas State Red Wolves, the team exceeded expectations to become the Sun Belt Conference champions.

The season started off a bit rough, as ASU suffered hard-fought losses on the road against Illinois (33-15) and No. 12 Virginia Tech (26-7) in its first three games, but once the Red Wolves began conference play they were unstoppable. They finished the regular season on a nine-game win streak to end a perfect 8-0 in the Sun Belt.

Their hard work landed them a berth in the GoDaddy.com Bowl, but they wound up losing to Northern Illinois, 38-20. Still, their 10-3 overall record was a vast improvement from the 4-8 mark posted in 2010.

After the season, Freeze left the program to accept the head coaching job at Ole Miss, with former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn being named as his replacement.

2012 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Although the offensive scheme is sure to change with the transition from Freeze to Malzahn, the Red Wolves have plenty of returning talent after leading the Sun Belt in both scoring offense (33.5 ppg) and total offense (453.4 ppg) a season ago.

Leading one of the nation's most prolific offenses yet again this season will be quarterback Ryan Aplin, who earned First Team All-Sun Belt honors for the second year in a row after completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 3,588 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2011. Aplin is just as big a threat with his legs as he is with his arm, rushing for 588 yards and adding 10 touchdowns on the ground.

With Aplin at the helm, Malzahn feels comfortable implementing his up-tempo style offense.

"We're going to be a no-huddle team," Malzahn said. "We want to play with great pace, but there's different kinds of pace. We're trying to go two-minute pace the whole game...I think you have a big advantage in college football nowadays if you can do that."

Though the loss of fellow First Team All-SBC honoree Dwayne Frampton at wide receiver certainly hurts (94 catches, 1,156 yards, 6 TDs), Aplin still has a pair of reliable targets to throw to in Josh Jarboe (54 catches, 730 yards, 2 TDs) and Taylor Stockemer (48 catches, 756 yards, 7 TDs).

While Freeze's offense never really highlighted the running back position, Malzahn's time at Auburn and Tulsa suggests that the tailback will be much more prominent in the Red Wolves' attack this season, which is good news for Frankie Jackson (355 yards, 6 TDs) and Sirgregory Thornton (120 yards, 6.3 ypc).

DEFENSE: Arkansas State was more than just a potent offensive team a year ago. The defensive unit allowed just 325.7 yards per game, and the 19.3 points permitted per game was tops in the conference. However, losing the top three defenders in Kelcie McCray (70 tackles, 4 interceptions), Brandon Joiner (19 tackles for loss, 13 sacks), and Demario Davis (70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss) could cause those numbers to go up.

Senior linebacker Nathan Herrold appears to be the anchor of the Red Wolves defense in 2012, as he is the top returning defender from a year ago (66 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss). Nick Nelms (41 tackles) also returns as a veteran member of the linebacking corps.

Ryan Carrethers (29 tackles, 1.5 sacks) is one of the few returning members of an effective defensive line rotation which helped contribute to the team's 35 sacks. Don Jones (54 tackles, 1 interception) and Sterling Young (51 tackles, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries) bring experience to the secondary. A pair of three-star recruits -- Chris Humes and Derek Keaton -- also expect to make an impact in the defensive backfield.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Placekicker Brian Davis was effective last year, connecting on 18-of-23 field goal attempts, though he missed three extra points. Ryan Wilbourn was granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA, and he is expected to share punting duties with Neely Sullivent.

Frampton was the team's top punt returner in 2011, while departed senior Rod Hall was the primary kickoff return man, so the competition for these jobs will continue throughout camp.

OUTLOOK: Freeze was able to build this program up from obscurity to Sun Belt champions during his brief stay, but now that he's gone, there is some concern that the Red Wolves could suffer through a transition phase.

However, with the return of Aplin, much of the high-powered offense and the hiring of Malzahn, expectations have never been higher in Jonesboro. Coming from the SEC, Malzahn is used to high-pressure situations, and he is up for the challenge in his first season as head coach.

"We want to have high expectations, but this league is tough," Malzahn said. "There's no gimmes on that schedule. After they won 10 games last year and won the conference, we've got our work cut out for us. There's no way we're sneaking up on anybody."

Expect a few stumbling blocks early in the season, particularly on the road at Oregon and Nebraska, but Malzahn and company should be ready to go once the Sun Belt schedule starts on Sept. 29 against Western Kentucky. While expecting another undefeated conference season may be setting the bar too high, the Red Wolves are certainly one of the favorites to win the Sun Belt once again.