Jonesboro, Arkansas – This non-conference Group of Five showdown tops no lists of essential games for Week Two of college football. However, based on the results of both teams’ openers last week, excitement could fill Centennial Bank Stadium from start to finish in this contest. Both squads play for coaches who both stepped down from Power Five programs the last few years. In his fourth season, Arkansas State HC Butch Jones looks to resurrect his reputation after stints at Cincinnati, Central Michigan and Tennessee. His Red Wolves (1-0) improved in 2023 from 3-9 to 6-6 before a Camellia Bowl loss to Northern Illionois, 21-19. Kevin Wilson coached Indiana from 2011-16 and returns for his second season at Tulsa. There, he looks to revive The Golden Hurricane from a 4-8 season a year ago. Both have hit the recruiting trails hard. Jones is probably ahead in that race with a two more years at ASU. He may be feeling the pressure now to bring the Red Wolves to challenge for the Sun Belt title this season.
Last week, the Red Wolves took a lead over FCS Central Arkansas early in the fourth at home by a score of 27-10. However, The Bears scored on an 81-yard TD run, finished off an 83-yard scoring drive, and recovered an ASU fumble. They drove 33 yards to take a 31-27 lead with 0:55 left to play. Led by QB Jaylen Raynor, the Red Wolves stormed back 70 yards polished of by a seven-yard TD pass to WR Corey Rucker for the victory with :02 remaining. We hope to see something similar at our first game in the state of Arkansas.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane breezed through these Demons
On the other hand, at Skelly Field in H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Frosh QB Kirk Francis completed 23 of 30 passes for 299 yards and four TDs. Tulsa triumphed in a 62-28 win over FCS Northwestern (LA) State. The win may not sound impressive, but Francis played the last four games of 2023 finishing 1-3 to allow him to redshirt. He returns this season with skilled position players like RB Anthony Watkins, WR Kamdyn Bejamin and TE Ethan Hall. However, they virtually anticipated playing behind an inexperienced line to start 2024. Maybe some questions were answered last week. Regarding special teams, the Golden Hurricane scored twice. One came on Benjamin’s 66-yard punt return for a TD in the first period. A second lit up the stadium on a 100-yard kickoff return by Lloyd Avant. We hope to see the same excitement this Saturday night at CB Stadium.
Our Tulsa and Arkansas State history
This will only be our second game seeing the Red Wolves in action. Our first and only came at a big tailgate party against Army at West Point in November 2005. We ran a bus trip for our local Lenape Arrows pee-wee football program. A lot of families with 12-year-old players attended. The Cadets won, 38-10. As for Tulsa, we saw them play for the first time a year later. They defeated Navy in Annapolis, 24-23, in the first overtime game we witnessed. Though we’ve seen them play much more often than Arkansas State, they have not won their second game since. Their record in front of us stands at 1-5. Maybe that will make them hungrier on Saturday – if they only knew. Come back and read our game review on Monday!
-ed. by Steve Koreivo Member of Football Writers Association of America ; Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly. Please click on the title for more information to read reviews, buy this book about a fun, unique story of a lifetime, and then to also submit a review. Appreciate it! Thanks.
