Appalachian State Mountaineers at Arkansas State Red Wolves Preview
Several weeks ago it seemed as if the Appalachian State Mountaineers were going to just eat a bad season after Liberty took them to an overtime defeat. Now the Mountaineers have bushwhacked their way through three straight Sun Belt opponents, Troy, Georgia State, and Louisiana-Monroe and find themselves back in the middle of the conference. Things are looking up again.
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Reality may strike again over the next two weeks as Sun Belt powers Arkansas State and the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette find their way onto the schedule. Yet the big names also provide an opportunity for Appalachian State to make a big statement to the rest of the conference.
Date: November 15
Time: 3:30 PM
TV: ESPN3
Venue: Liberty Bank Stadium (Jonesboro, AR)
Last Time: As with many of these games, Appalachian State has never played the Arkansas State Red Wolves prior to this year.
Sep 20, 2014; Jonesboro, AR, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves head coach Blake Anderson celebrates with tight end Darion Griswold (19) after the game against the Utah State Aggies at ASU Stadium. Arkansas State defeated Utah State 21-14 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Opponent: Arkansas State Red Wolves (6-3)
You like spread offenses? Of course you do, this is Appalachian State after all. Well, you are going to get a heavy dose of a Fedora spread variant. Coach Blake Anderson utilizes the same system that he coached last year at North Carolina as the offensive coordinator. Quick tempo is the primary weapon and then finding the open man comes next. This means that this game could last a long time as both offenses will want to move fast.
Sep 20, 2014; Jonesboro, AR, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Fredi Knighten (9) looks to pass as offensive lineman Alan Wright (69) and Tyler Greve (58) block against the Utah State Aggies at ASU Stadium. Arkansas State defeated Utah State 21-14 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Anderson has been making it work too, courtesy of junior quarterback Fredi Knighten. Knighten leads the conference with 290 yards of total offense per game. Knighton is built much like former App State quarterback Armanti Edwards at 5’11” 189 lbs. He was 2065 yards on the year with 12 touchdowns versus 4 interceptions. He has also run the ball for more than 500 yards. The guy is the key to their offense.
The Arkansas State defense also ranks high in the Sun Belt, although so did Louisiana-Monroe and the Mountaineers found a way to MacGuyver their way out of that problem.