A-State vs #25 Troy Thursday on ESPNU

[Seminole Indian]

Game at Troy with an 8:30 pm start time, with winner having inside track to SBC Championship.

Coming off a big win over Appalachian State, Troy (8-1, 5-0) is a 8-9 point favorite over the Redwolves (5-4, 5-0).

Troy's only loss was a six point loss on the road to Clemson.

Should be a fun game to watch, and a game the Redwolves need to win after their abysmal 0-4 start to what was suppose to be a big season.

[Grizzlyfan]

could that be any worse scheduling?  One the road, Thursday night, at 8:30 PM?  I assume that 8:30 is central time?

[holeinthewall]

could that be any worse scheduling?  One the road, Thursday night, at 8:30 PM?  I assume that 8:30 is central time?

It is CST.  But it gives them an opportunity to beat a good team on TV.  Win this game and ASU controls the Sun Belt.

[hawginbigd1]

Game at Troy with an 8:30 pm start time, with winner having inside track to SBC Championship.

Coming off a big win over Appalachian State, Troy (8-1, 5-0) is a 8-9 point favorite over the Redwolves (5-4, 5-0).

Troy's only loss was a six point loss on the road to Clemson.

Should be a fun game to watch, and a game the Redwolves need to win after their abysmal 0-4 start to what was suppose to be a big season.

Yeah win this one and it will almost be like 0-4 didn't happen. Might not have happened if they had played the right QB.

[Seminole Indian]

Troy is the best team they have played since Auburn, and are solid in every phase of the game, even though A-State is  probably the more talented team overall.

As far as the 0-4 start, looking back, Toledo, and UCA turned out to be pretty darn good teams, but having played both at their place, Anderson & Company  should have came out of those games  with at least one win.

Should have beaten Utah State any place any time.

With the talent they have A-State should be at least 7-2 going into this game, and that they are not IMO reflects poorly on Anderson and his approached to this season. Think it was Arnold Palmer who said something along the lines of let how you play show everyone how good you are, as opposed to telling them. Blake needs to follow Arnold's' advise.

[holeinthewall]

Toledo, and UCA turned out to be pretty darn good teams

Doesn't matter if you are a G5 conference contender you shouldn't be losing to UCA or any other FCS team. Toledo is a decent team Utah St if they had started Hansen from game 1 was probably a win also.

That's the problem with QB competition you never know how they are going to play live.

[Seminole Indian]

There is no doubt they should not have lost to Utah State or UCA.

At the QB position, other than the couple of turnovers at the start of the Utah State game Chad Voytik had played pretty well. Even in that game, eight false starts by the OL, and a ton of penalties were probably what cost them a win.

Because Voytik did not go through spring ball, he was behind in the passing game, and I think they realized after Toledo and Auburn, that the OL was not going to allow them to generate any kind of a run game, which hurt Voytik, so they were looking for a reason to switch to Hansen.

Hansen, who has the highest QB rating in the SBC, is the better passer, which allows them to better utilize the plethora of talent they have at the receivers position. Their RB, Warren Wand, is also a great receiver out of the back field.

[Seminole Indian]

Looking at their games against common SBC opponents, there is not a huge difference:
NMSU- Troy won 52-6, A-State 41-22.
GaSt-  Troy won  31-21, A-State 31-16
USA- Troy won 28-21, A-State 17-7

The biggest plus for A-State in tonight's game is probably the fact they are coming off a glorified scrimmage against NMSU, where they played everyone, and were never threatened. They did not expend a lot of energy in that game........emotional or physical.

Troy on the other hand is coming off a very physical, hard fought, emotionally draining game against Appalachian State, that was not decided until the last minute.

Hard to get that level of effort two weeks in a row, especially in a short week, so fatigue may be a big factor in the 2nd half. A-State has better depth at most positions, and plays a lot of people on defense, so it could be a plus for them.

[Biggus Piggus]

The altitude in Logan, Utah, is 4,500 feet. I would hate to play a football game there. Plus Utah State's real weakness is rushing defense, and running is not Arkansas State's strength.

[GolfNut57]

ASU is actually on TV twice tonight. At 5:30 on channel 219 (DirecTV) the men's basketball team plays at Georgetown vs the Hoyas. Then at 8:30 of course it is the football teams turn on ESPNU.

[Seminole Indian]

 Their basketball game on FS1 on my TV, and Redwolves leading 32-14  with around 6 minutes to go in 1st half.

[GolfNut57]

39-17 just before the last media timeout.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Football team ain't doing too badly.  Leading Troy 14-3 in the 3rd quarter.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Make that 21-3.  Go Curly Wolves!!

[PossumFan]

It's 28-3 after 3 quarters, but Troy is threatening and I don't like the way ASU is now playing "not to lose" _ prevent defense, and super-conservative offense. Troy is going to make a game of this and might just pull it out unless the Red Wolves somehow muster one more TD.

[PossumFan]

OK, looks like I was wrong. Nothing unusual about that, my wife would tell you. Right after my previous post, ASU intercepted in the red zone and now the Troy defense looks tuckered out. Red Wolves driving on the ground with only about 6 1/2 minutes left. GREAT win!

[razCzar]

Wow... was that ever a special treat for Thursday night!

Congrats to Red Wolves.

[hawginbigd1]

Great night to be red wolves fan! That team almost beat Clemson? Just goes to show how talented ASU really is.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 5h5 hours ago

2nd half dooms No. 25 Troy in 35-3 loss to Arkansas St. http://trib.al/KwVlEtz

Chris Humes caught a 31-yard pass on a fake punt and recovered a fumble in the end zone to help visiting Arkansas State upset No. 25 Troy 35-3 on Thursday night.

The Red Wolves (6-4, 6-0 Sun Belt Conference) gained the inside track for a fifth league title in six years after starting the season 0-4.

Four days earlier, Troy (8-2, 5-1) had become the first ranked Sun Belt team after winning seven straight games. But the league's top scoring offense committed five turnovers and couldn't reach the end zone.

Arkansas State remains the team to beat, having won 15 straight conference games...

[Seminole Indian]

From 0-4 to bowl eligible with with two to go.

Business as usual I guess, and not much different from last year where they started  1-3.

Probably will get a bowl invite with six wins but better to win at least one of the last two, both on the road, to seal the deal.

[Biggus Piggus]

Impressive performance by Arkansas State.

[DeltaBoy]

I had to go to bed so that a good win by ASTATE!

[GolfNut57]

From 0-4 to bowl eligible with with two to go.

Business as usual I guess, and not much different from last year where they started  1-3.

Probably will get a bowl invite with six wins but better to win at least one of the last two, both on the road, to seal the deal.

The game with the ULL Cajuns will be a tough game but the only way ASU loses to Texas St would be if they just went into that game with a attitude that all they got to do is just show up to win.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Probably will get a bowl invite with six wins but better to win at least one of the last two, both on the road, to seal the deal.

You know, if the bowl that gets the Sunbelt winner really wanted to stir up interest and draw a huge crowd, they'd figure out a way to invite Arkansas - especially a 7-5 or 6-6 Arkansas - as ASU's opponent.

I know, I know.....can't happen.  But it would be the '87 NIT game, part deux.

[Seminole Indian]

The game with the ULL Cajuns will be a tough game but the only way ASU loses to Texas St would be if they just went into that game with a attitude that all they got to do is just show up to win.

That's my thinking also.

You would think Anderson learned his lesson his first year when they beat a good USA team on the road and everyone associated with their program started celebrating their championship, only to lose to a painfully average Appalachian State team( who was a 17 point underdog), at home, and then to a bad Texas State team on the road.

[Seminole Indian]

You know, if the bowl that gets the Sunbelt winner really wanted to stir up interest and draw a huge crowd, they'd figure out a way to invite Arkansas - especially a 7-5 or 6-6 Arkansas - as ASU's opponent.

I know, I know.....can't happen.  But it would be the '87 NIT game, part deux.

I don't really know enough about the bowl tie-ins to know if that is possible this year, but if a bowl game involved A-State and was the best bowl available for the Razorbacks, I have no doubt whatsoever that they would play the game.

They have a policy of not scheduling in state schools, but they have shown they will play them in post season play.

[GolfNut57]

I don't really know enough about the bowl tie-ins to know if that is possible this year, but if a bowl game involved A-State and was the best bowl available for the Razorbacks, I have no doubt whatsoever that they would play the game.

There are two bowls likely wanting ASU right now. That would be the Camelia bowl in Montgomery, which I don't see the hogs ever wanting to play in and the New Orleans bowl, which MIGHT have some small interest to ARK because it is played in the Superdome. The former Go-Daddy bowl, now known as the Dollar General bowl is not a likely ASU destination due to ASU already having been there so much the last few years. The other two bowls with Sunbelt ties, making five in all, the Cure Bowl in Orlando and the fifth in AZ, not even sure what it is called are not even on the radar for ASU.