The Arkansas State Red Wolves play a Sun Belt Conference game against the Troy Trojans on Friday, November 17th at 9:30 p.m. ET. The contest between the two undefeated teams in conference play, will be televised on the ESPNU Network. As of now, the Trojans are -9 point favorites over the Red Wolves and the game’s total rests at 55.5.
The Red Wolves were written off in the Sun Belt Conference because of their horrible 0-4 start to their 2016 campaign. But they’ve rebounded, winning five straight games and control their own destiny in the conference race to the top. Unfortunately for Arkansas State, they will have to run the table on the road.
Arkansas State (5-4):
To many prognosticators I will say this, whatever you thought you knew about the Red Wolves when the first month of the season was through, is not the case now. Arkansas State has reversed their fortunes, thanks to the efforts of running back Warren Wand and quarterback Justice Hansen.
Justice Hansen has been solid over the course of their five game winning streak. Now that Arkansas State is showing balance to their offense, his numbers are elevating. This year, Hansen has completed 124 passes for almost 1,800 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That may not seem impressive to some, but keep in mind that the youngster has six touchdown tosses and only one pick in his last three contests.
Arkansas State’s running game has also stepped-up over the course of the last month too. Tail backs Warren Wand and Johnston White are giving the Red wolves 100 yard games to balance the attack. Together in 2016, the runners have totaled over 200 carries for just under 1,000 yards and eight scores.
Tight end Blake Mack leads the receiving corps for the Arkansas State Red Wolves. The talented junior has caught just under 30 passes for a team-high 522 yards and two trips to pay-dirt. Speedy wide out Kendall Sanders, compliments Mack with another 21 catches for 306 yards and three touchdowns.
Arkansas State has yielded on 16 points per contest over their five game surge. The efforts have been buoyed by defensive ends Chris Odom and Ja’Von Rolland-Jones. In Saturday’s victory over New Mexico State, the duo combined for six tackles for loss and four sacks. The Red Wolves are also 46th in the country, giving up only 25 points a game.
Troy (8-1):
Last Saturday, Troy defeated Appalachian State in a Week 11 showdown between two of the top three remaining teams yet to lose in Sun Belt Conference play. Troy got a last-minute touchdown to run their winning streak to seven. For their efforts, they became the first-ever ranked Sun Belt team. The AP have the Troy Trojans at 25th in the country.
There’s a reason why Troy is the favorite to win their conference in 2016, is that nobody has a more complete team on both sides of the ball. Troy is balanced on offense, with the accurate passing of Brandon Silvers and the gritty running of Jordan Chunn.
Quarterback Brandon Silvers has completed 63.8 percent of his passes this season. Of those strikes, he has compiled over 2,300 yards with 19 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. The shifty kid-under-center also is a threat with his feet in the red zone. Silvers has scampered for four more touchdowns via the ground.
Running back Jordan Chunn has been the go-to guy out of the back field for the whole season. The work-horse has amassed over 1,000 yards on over 200 carries and has a team-high 10 scores to show for his efforts.
Two receivers stand-out in the Trojan’s passing attack when Justice Hansen flings it around on game day. Deondre Douglas and Emanuel Thompson have combined for just under 100 catches for almost 1,000 yards and 10 scores. Corner backs can’t key on just one of these wide outs, as both of them produce almost equally.
The Trojan defense is the most consistent in the conference, starting with the front seven. Linemen Baron Poole, Rashad Dillard and Junior Gnonkonde are as good as the Sun Belt has to offer. In fact, Troy leads the league in run defense, sacks and takeaways. Their run stop is ranked 8th in the country, giving in to only 105 yards a game.
Trends and Notes:
The Red Wolves are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Trojans are 6-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The Under is 5-1-1 in the Red Wolves last 7 games overall.
The Under is 6-1-1 in the Trojans last 8 conference games.
The Road team is 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
Game Predictions:
My what a turnaround its been for the Arkansas State Red Wolves in 2016. Who would have thought that after starting the season 0-4, that they would’ve bounced back and been one win away from bowl eligibility. That accomplishment can come to fruition with a win on the road on Thursday evening.
The Troy Trojans quietly have compiled themselves an impressive 8-1 record this season. To make matters worse for the Red Wolves, the Trojans are also 5-0 at home in the VET this season. With an offense that’s averaging 38 points a game, Arkansas State will have their hands full keeping up.
The big difference in this match-up is on the line of scrimmage. Everybody knows that is where the men are separated from the boys on the grid-iron. Troy has the superior defensive line and an offensive line that keeps their signal-caller upright for 60 minutes. Combine the two forces together, and you get a Trojans win and Arkansas State waiting another week to pull-off bowl eligibility. Why wait, take the Trojans by -6 at half-time in this Sun Belt Conference game.
