Michael Gordon is Arkansas State’s top rusher (photo/astateredwolves.com)
Arkansas State will play its much-anticipated 2015 home opener Saturday at 6 p.m., when it hosts defending SEC East champion Missouri at a new-look Centennial Bank Stadium. With fans from Missouri’s Bootheel and just a short drive for Tigers’ fan, Red Wolves play-by-play guy Matt Stoltz thinks the atmosphere in the 30,000 seat stadium will be electric.
Matt joins me on a Google Hangout (watch below) and said there were a lot of encouraging signs from Arkansas State despite losing 55-6 to 8th ranked USC. The offense put up 402 yards, but turned the ball over four times, which led great field position and easy scores for the Trojans.
The experienced defensive line sacked Cody Kessler four times. While I think Missouri’s offensive line is still figuring things out and with center Evan Boehm being questionable, Saturday night’s game will be a good test for the group.
Playing their first game this season at Centennial Bank Stadium, the Red Wolves will carry a ten-game winning streak in home openers into the contest. A-State has proven highly successful at the stadium over the last decade, accumulating a 46-10 home record since 2005 for an .821 winning percentage.
Mizzou has won ten-straight true road games. One of the ten-game win streaks will end.
This season’s contest will mark the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools, which also included games in 2004 and 2005. The most recent meeting saw Missouri claim a 41-19 victory in Columbia in 2013. This was a game that Arkansas State led in the third quarter and were only down eight with 7:30 to play.
Red Wolves by the numbers:
1 100-yard rushing performance for Michael Gordon to become the 8th player in school history with 10+.
2 straight top-25 opponents to open the season for the first time since 2004.
3 players from the state of Missouri — Dalton Ford (Fr., OL), Brendan Weis (Fr.-R, OL), Jonah Hill (So., TE).
4 school records held by J.D. McKissic, including single-game (15), season (103) & career receptions (242).