South Alabama Jaguars at Arkansas State Red Wolves
Thu Oct 8 · 6:30 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 7d ago·2 min read
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South Alabama hits the road for a Thursday night Sun Belt clash with an Arkansas State team that's been quietly building something since last October.
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Best BetArkansas State
Arkansas State enters this stretch with more continuity than South Alabama, returning 10 starters off a team that closed last season on a five-of-seven run and a bowl win. That kind of returning production plus a healthy home crowd makes the Red Wolves the safer side to back outright, even with a new quarterback under center.
South Alabama
+Bishop Davenport returns after 2,072 yards, 12 total TDs
+Added DC Todd Orlando to fix the defense
−Coming off a 4-8 season
−Defensive line got raided in the portal, backfilled with FCS depth
Arkansas State
+Closed 2025 on a 5-2 run capped by a bowl win
+Returns 10 starters, top-2 rushers and leading receiver
−Replacing 3-year starter Raynor with an unproven transfer QB
−Limited returning production on defense
This one's about direction. Arkansas State stumbled to 1-4 last year before ripping off five wins in seven games and capping it with a bowl win, and now Butch Jones brings back 10 starters trying to turn that finish into a full season. South Alabama is coming off a 4-8 year under Major Applewhite that ended with more questions than answers, and Thursday, October 8 is an early measuring-stick spot for both.
The Red Wolves spent the offseason picking a new quarterback, running four transfers through the competition after Jaylen Raynor's departure emptied out the position. Texas transfer Trey Owens carries the pedigree as a former four-star, but Southern Miss transfer Ethan Crawford already has Sun Belt snaps under his belt. Whoever wins the job inherits a backfield that returns its top two rushers in Devin Spencer and Kenyon Clay, plus leading receiver Chauncy Cobb, so the pieces around the new starter aren't the problem.
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USA South Alabama
ARST Arkansas State
South Alabama's fix is on the other side of the ball. Bishop Davenport is back at quarterback after throwing for over 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago, and he's the one holdover the Jaguars can build around. The bigger swing is defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, brought in after a defense that got picked apart in the transfer portal last offseason — South Alabama leaned hard into FCS additions along the line to patch the damage.
South Alabama Jaguars
Oct 2?vs UL Monroe—
Sep 26?@ Kentucky—
Sep 19?vs Ohio—
Sep 12?@ Tulane—
Sep 5?vs SE Louisiana—
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Oct 2?@ Louisiana—
Sep 26?vs Kennesaw State—
Sep 19?@ TCU—
Sep 12?vs West Georgia—
Sep 5?@ Memphis—
Recent form.
Arkansas State's defense is the flip side of that same coin. The Red Wolves return limited production up front but do have both starting safeties, AG McGhee and Brandon Barnes, back after playing every game last season, and they went out and added transfer corners to stabilize the secondary. It's a retooling job on both sidelines, which is why this game probably hinges less on scheme and more on which new pieces settle in fastest.
Neither roster is finished being figured out, and that's the honest read here. South Alabama has the steadier quarterback situation with Davenport back, but Arkansas State has the better recent trajectory and more continuity across its skill positions. Books have the Red Wolves projected around a 6-win floor for the season, which tells you where the industry expects this program to land even with a new starter under center.
