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South Alabama Jaguars at Arkansas State Red Wolves

Oct 8, 20266:30 PM CTESPN2Jonesboro, AR
By JR·2 min read
South Alabama(3-2)
Arkansas State(2-3)
6:30 PM

TLDR: South Alabama will outscore you or die trying, and it has gone both ways. On Thursday, October 8, the Jaguars take that act on the road to Arkansas State, a team that has won every game it has played in Jonesboro and none of the ones it hasn't.

Week 6 · THU OCT 8, 6:30 PM CTESPN2
South Alabama
(3-2)
WLWLW
Arkansas State
(2-3)
LWLWL
Kickoff78°

South Alabama (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) scores a lot and gives up a lot, and has yet to win on the road. Arkansas State (2-3) is unbeaten in Jonesboro but has struggled to score away from it. The Jaguars' depleted receiver corps against the Red Wolves' home defense and uncertain backfield health should decide this Thursday night game. No line has posted yet.

South Alabama Jaguars
  • Scored 39-plus in 3 of 5 games
  • Put up 52 on ULM with D. White out
  • Already 1-0 in Sun Belt play
  • Allowed 35-plus in 3 of last 4
  • 3 WRs and a TE lost, 3 for the season
  • 0-2 on the road this year
Arkansas State Red Wolves
  • 2-0 in Jonesboro, including a 52-7 rout
  • Defense held Kennesaw State to 14
  • Offense ranked 98th in yards going into Louisiana
  • Kenyon Clay questionable (ankle), Spencer out for season
  • Scored 7 at TCU, 17 vs Kennesaw State

This is the Thursday night standalone in the Sun Belt, and both teams come in on a short week after playing Saturday. Arkansas State is in Butch Jones' sixth season, with redshirt sophomore Trey Owens taking the snaps through the early schedule. The Red Wolves came back from Lafayette at 2-3. South Alabama is 3-2 and 1-0 in league play after putting 52 on UL Monroe, and the offense has scored 39 or more in 3 of its 5 games.

The availability picture is lopsided on paper. South Alabama has lost WRs K. Marion and B. Barnes and TE M. Lynch, all expected to miss the rest of the season, and WR D. White was out for the ULM game. That's a lot of pass catchers gone from one room, and the Jaguars scored 52 anyway. Arkansas State's worry is in the backfield. RB D. Spencer is done for the year with a knee injury, and Kenyon Clay, a preseason All-Sun Belt pick, is questionable with an ankle injury. No line has posted yet.

The split that matters most is home and road. South Alabama is 3-0 at home and 0-2 away, losing at Tulane and at Kentucky. Arkansas State's 2 wins, 52-7 over West Georgia and 17-14 over Kennesaw State, both came at Centennial Bank Stadium. Its losses came at Memphis, at TCU and at Louisiana. Something gives on Thursday.

South Alabama Jaguars
(3-2)
10/03WvsUL Monroe52-35
09/26L@Kentucky21-45
09/19WvsOhio41-36
09/12L@Tulane24-28
09/05WvsSE Louisiana39-14
Arkansas State Red Wolves
(2-3)
10/04L@Louisiana20-23
09/26WvsKennesaw State17-14
09/20L@TCU7-31
09/12WvsWest Georgia52-7
09/05L@Memphis24-42

The question for the Red Wolves is whether the offense can keep up in a track meet. Arkansas State managed 7 points at TCU, scraped past Kennesaw State with 17, and averaged 362.3 yards per game going into the Louisiana trip, 98th in FBS. South Alabama's defense is soft, though. It gave up 36 to Ohio, 45 to Kentucky and 35 to ULM in its last 4. If Owens can't cash in against that defense, the problem is the Arkansas State offense, not the matchup.

The forecast says 76 degrees, clear skies and 8 mph of wind in Jonesboro, so weather won't be an excuse for either offense. That leaves the Jaguars' thinned-out receiver room against a home defense that held Kennesaw State to 14. Watch the Clay news this week. A healthy lead back gives Arkansas State a way to shorten the game and keep South Alabama's offense on the sideline.

South Alabama Jaguars at Arkansas State Red Wolves — South Alabama Takes Its Point Machine to Jonesboro on Thursday Night | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush