JONESBORO – The Arkansas State football team’s game this Saturday, Sept. 12, against Kansas State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium has been moved to an 11 a.m. kickoff and will be televised nationally on FOX.

The Red Wolves and Wildcats, set to meet for the first time since 1980, move into the new time and TV slot previously occupied by the Louisiana Tech at Baylor game before it was postponed.

One week after playing Memphis in its season opener, the Red Wolves will face their second straight opponent receiving votes in the top-25 Coaches Poll.  A-State will be one of just 15 FBS teams to have played a game this season entering Saturday’s slate of games.

The Wildcats are set to play their season opener after finishing their 2019 campaign with an 8-5 record and appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

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JONESBORO – The Arkansas State Athletics Department announced Wednesday it has added another game to its 2020 football schedule as the Red Wolves are now slated to play Big 12 Conference-member Kansas State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Sept. 12.

The Red Wolves now once again have 12 games on their 2020 schedule after also announcing last week the addition of a Sept. 19 home game against UCA.  A-State’s contests against the Bears and Wildcats replace its games against Michigan and Howard that were previously on its schedule.

Arkansas State will face Kansas State for just the third time in school history, last meeting 40 years ago in 1980.  The two programs first played in 1948 and each of the two previous contests were played in Manhattan, Kan.

The last time A-State played a Big 12 opponent was 2009 when it faced then-member Nebraska before the Huskers moved to the Big Ten Conference.  While the Red Wolves haven’t faced a Big 12 opponent the last 10 seasons, it played at least one opponent from the league every year from 2003-09.

The Wildcats completed the 2019 season with an 8-5 overall record and 5-4 mark in league play.  They ended the year with a narrow 20-17 setback against Navy in the Liberty Bowl.  K-State has appeared in a bowl game nine of the last 10 seasons, including the 2012 campaign when it finished ranked 12th in the nation in the Associated Press Poll.

The 2019 season saw A-State make its ninth consecutive bowl-game appearance, capping off an 8-5 campaign by defeating Florida International in the Camellia Bowl. The Red Wolves’ bowl streak is the 14th longest in the nation.A-State has piled up 75 victories over the last nine years to tie the 24th most in the nation over that span.  The Red Wolves have also strung together 15 consecutive years with a winning record at Centennial Bank Stadium dating back to 2005.  The program is 68-17 (.800 winning percentage) at the stadium since the 2005 campaign and has won 43 of its last 53 home outings.

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JONESBORO – The Arkansas State football team’s Leadership Council, consisting of multiple players on the team, has issued the following statement presented as a unified message from the players comprising the Red Wolves’ roster:

Representing our fellow teammates at Arkansas State University, our football team’s Leadership Council can say with overwhelming conviction that not only do we want to play the 2020 season, but that we are also confident the appropriate steps are being taken to ensure we do so in a safe manner with everyone’s health and well-being the top priority.

We understand very important national conversations taking place at this time will determine the future of our season.  We are respectfully issuing this unified message advocating to play the season so that our opinions and feelings on the matter may be heard by those making the decisions on how best to proceed.

We want it to be understood that our Arkansas State coaching staff, administration, doctors and trainers have been entirely transparent through this process, explaining the risks involved and the appropriate steps and measures being taken to reduce those risks.  We 100 percent believe that these precautions have been effective and would allow for us to play with health and safety being at the forefront of everything we do.

We feel that our campus, and specifically our athletics facilities, are the safest place we can be during this time as we have access to additional safety protocols and health officials.  Even if we suspend the season, there is no guarantee that we won’t contract the coronavirus and face risks, just like many others have who don’t play sports.

However, being in a structured environment with a daily health-and-prevention routine provides us peace of mind that our campus is doing everything possible to consider our safety first while still playing.

It is a privilege and honor to be a football player and student-athlete at Arkansas State, and to represent the state of Arkansas!  We thank the coaching staff and administration for their constant consideration for care and prevention.

Go Red Wolves!

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JONESBORO – The Arkansas State Athletics Department announced Friday it has added a Sept. 19 home game against Southland Conference member Central Arkansas to its 2020 football schedule.

While the contest being played is still subject to change, A-State is now slated to face UCA for the 26th time in school history.  The two programs last met during the 2016 season.

The Red Wolves’ contest against UCA will replace one of the two games against Michigan and Howard that were previously on their 2020 schedule.  While there is still potential for A-State to add an additional opponent, the UCA contest on Sept. 19 gives A-State 11 games on its regular-season schedule.

UCA finished last season ranked 11th in the nation in the FCS and is this year’s preseason favorite to win the Southland Conference according to the league’s preseason poll.  The reigning Southland Conference champions completed last year with a 9-4 overall record and 7-2 conference mark.

The 2019 season saw A-State make its ninth consecutive bowl-game appearance, capping off an 8-5 campaign by defeating Florida International in the Camellia Bowl. The Red Wolves’ bowl streak is the 14th longest in the nation.

A-State has piled up 75 victories over the last nine years to tie the 24th most in the nation over that span.  The Red Wolves have also strung together 15 consecutive years with a winning record at Centennial Bank Stadium dating back to 2005.  The program is 68-17 (.800 winning percentage) at the stadium since the 2005 campaign and has won 43 of its last 53 home outings.

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JONESBORO – The Arkansas State men’s basketball team used a strong defensive effort to get past Missouri State 71-63 Tuesday night at First National Bank Arena.

A-State (5-6), winners of three of its last four outings, held Missouri State (4-7) to .396 (19-48) from the floor and just .200 (4-20) from 3-point range. Grantham Gillard led A-State with a 17 points and eight rebounds while Christian Willis added a career high 13 points. Marquis Eaton added 13 points while Ty Cockfield had a game-high five assists. Keandre Cook had 18 points to lead Missouri State.

“First off, I want to say hats off to Missouri State,” said A-State head coach Mike Balado. “Coach Dana Ford has some really good players and watching film this week I knew it was going to be a tough game. They are going to be a tough opponent in their conference, but I was very proud of our effort and our defensive work. Our offensive numbers weren’t great and we’re trying to figure that out, but we’re taking good shots. I’m most proud of the way we’ve guarded these last two games. We’ve taken ownership on the defensive end, as a team not individually, as we go into late December.”

The Red Wolves shot just 34 percent (16-47) from the field, but drained 9-of-20 (.450) from 3-point range and 30-of-35 (.857) at the free throw line. A-State held a 36-31 advantage on the glass, but Missouri State had a 30-14 advantage on points in the paint. Missouri State also shot above 80 percent at the line, hitting 21-of-26 (.808).

A-State raced to an 8-0 lead hitting 3-of-5 from the field, but the Red Wolves missed their next 13 attempts from the floor. Willis drove to basket and laid it in to end a 10-plus minute drought without a field goal for the Red Wolves, tying the score at 16-16 with 7:14 to play in the half.  A-State closed the half on a 13-1 and led 35-24 at the break, hitting 4-of-6 from the field over the last three minutes of the period.

Gillard drained one of his four 3-pointers to open the scoring in the second half and the Red Wolves eventually built a 16-point advantage, 46-30, with 12:40 to play. Missouri State out-scored A-State 14-6 over the next four minutes, but A-State withstood the Bears run and didn’t allow the margin to get closer than seven points. The Red Wolves knocked down 18-of-22 (82 percent) at the charity stripe in the second half.

A-State travels to face Syracuse on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. (CT) on the ACC Network and Watch ESPN. Fox Sports Southwest in Jonesboro is scheduled to carry the game live, but fans should check their local listings to see if the game is available through their cable or satellite provider. For the latest on A-State men’s basketball, follow the Red Wolves on Twitter @AStateMB, at Facebook.com/AStateMB and on Instagram at ‘AStateMB’.

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JONESBORO – The Arkansas State football team was upended by Appalachian State 35-9 Tuesday night at Centennial Bank Stadium.

Appalachian State (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) racked up 390 total yards behind 246 yards on the ground while forcing three A-State (3-3, 0-2 Sun Belt) turnovers and limiting the Red Wolves to 3-of-17 on third down. Thirteen of the Red Wolves’ 16 drives consisted of five or fewer plays, but the Red Wolves amassed 336 yards of offense with 219 yards coming in the aerial attack.

“I am obviously disappointed in how we played and it is real simple; we are not playing good football right now and that falls on me,” said A-State head coach Blake Anderson. “We have to find some consistency and balance, and we have not played well this season yet. Offensively, we move the ball, but we can’t finish while defensively we’ve got to make them kick field goals and create some turnovers. Those things aren’t happening consistently in any of those phases.”

Justice Hansen was 25-of-40 passing for 209 yards while Marcel Murry led A-State’s rushing attack with 11 carries for 37 yards. Hansen connected with nine different receivers with Kirk Merritt leading the way catching nine passes for 73 yards. Defensively, Tajheha Chambers led the Red Wolves with 10 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

Blake Grupe connected on three field goals in the first half, the first two staking the Red Wolves to a 6-0 lead. His second field goal was a career long 47-yard boot.  Appalachian State grabbed a 7-6 advantage on a 26-yard touchdown scamper, but Grupe put his third FG attempt through the uprights as A-State regained the lead at 9-7 with 4:37 to play in the half. The Mountaineers answered with a four-play, 74-yard drive to lead 14-7 with 2:57 to go in the half.

Appalachian State picked off two passes in the last four minutes of the half, the first of which set up the Mountaineers inside the A-State five yard line. Appalachian State expanded the advantage to 21-9 with a one-yard touchdown scamper and the second pick ended the Red Wolves chances of a score before the halftime break.

A-State held the Mountaineers off the scoreboard on the first possession of the second half, but Appalachian State’s defense continued its strong play in limiting the Red Wolves. The Mountaineers increased their advantage with a five-play, 86 yard scoring drive to lead A-State 28-9 heading to the fourth quarter. A 62-yard quarterback keeper capped the scoring for Appalachian State and the Mountaineers sealed the 35-9 defeat for A-State.

“It’s just time for us to dig deep and find out what we can do to put the guys in a position to be successful,” said Anderson. “I have to look and see what I am doing offensively and what we are trying to run and we have to find out what we can pass. I don’t care if I have to revamp the whole thing, and it doesn’t matter what groups in the past have done, I’ve got to find out what this group can do and find some confidence.”

A-State hosts Georgia State on Thursday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m. in a nationally-televised contest on ESPNU.

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JONESBORO – One day after reporting for fall camp, conducting its annual Media Day activities and also receiving 19 votes in USA Today’s Amway Coaches Poll, the Arkansas State football team hit the practice fields Friday morning for its first fall-camp practice of the 2018 season.

The preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference Coaches’ Poll to win the league, A-State took the field in shorts and helmets for the first of 15 practices leading up to the first day of classes at Arkansas State University on Aug. 20.

“(The players) bounced around pretty well and the energy was good, as it always seems to be day one,” said head coach Blake Anderson following the workout.  “The new guys looked new, and we didn’t get out on the grass during the spring, so being out here is a little different. It was energetic, though, and it was fun to get out there and let the grass fly a little bit.

“It was sloppy at times, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.  We’ve just got to knock the rust off a little.  I know they’ve had good practices in the summer on their own, but it’s different with everybody else out there.”

The Red Wolves will hold four additional practices every day at 8:50 a.m. before using next Wednesday, Aug. 8, as a recovery day.  The team will resume its practice schedule with 8:50 a.m. workouts on back-to-back days before conducting its first fall-camp scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 11, at 10:00 a.m.

As part of its media day activities yesterday, the squad took new photos, videos and more for promotional purposes while also spending time conducting interviews with numerous radio, print, online and television outlets.

A-State has been tabbed as the No. 25 team in the nation in Phil Steele’s preseason top-25, and was also picked to win the Sun Belt Conference for the first time in the history of the league’s preseason coaches’ poll.  With A-State tying fellow Sun Belt Conference member Troy for the most points by a team in league history in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, Anderson addressed the attention the Red Wolves’ have received leading up to this season during a press conference yesterday.

“The 2018 season is here and the excitement and anticipation may be higher than it has ever been here.  That is what we want to be a part of, and hopefully we have something to do with why the expectation-level is as high as it is.

“I’m just anxious to get out there and see what this group of guys can become.  We’re excited about the athletic ability that we’ve put together with this team.  We’ve recruited every young man that is a part of program at this point over the last four-and-a-half years to go into season five, and we feel like we’re going to be putting our most athletic team on the field.  We have more experience than we did a year ago.  This group has worked extremely hard, and I think they’ve approached January to now the right way to go into this fall and have what could be a special year.”

Arkansas State will kickoff its 2018 campaign Sept. 1 at Centennial Bank Stadium with a 6 p.m. game against Southeast Missouri State. Season tickets can be purchased through the A-State Ticket Office, located at First National Bank Arena’s lower red entrance, in person, by phone at 870-972-2781 or online by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets.

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The list includes Arkansas State senior Warren Wand, who has led the Red Wolves’ running game for two consecutive seasons, last season picking up 715 yards.

Two Razorbacks made the list as well. Arkansas junior Devwah Whaley and sophomore Chase Hayden rushed for 588 and 338 yards, respectively, in 2017.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced on November 20. The committee will cast a second vote beginning November 26 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.

The award, which will name its 29th recipient in 2018, is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.

University athletic departments nominate candidates for the award and can continue to do so through October. The complete list of candidates is below.

Cam Akers (So.), Florida State
Darius Anderson (Jr.), TCU
Rodney Anderson (Jr.), Oklahoma
Ryquell Armstead (Sr.), Temple
Alex Barnes (Jr.), Kansas State
LeVante Bellamy (Jr.), Western Michigan
Eno Benjamin (So.), Arizona State
KirVonte Benson (Jr.), Georgia Tech
Jamauri Bogan (Sr.), Western Michigan
Tony Brooks-James (Sr.), Oregon
Brittain Brown (So.), Duke
Spencer Brown (So.), UAB
Squally Canada (Sr.), BYU
Stephen Carr (So.), USC
Michael Carter (So.), North Carolina
Andrew Clair (So.), Bowling Green
Matt Colburn, II (Sr.), Wake Forest
Jeremy Cox (Sr.), Old Dominion
Damarea Crockett (Jr.), Missouri
AJ Dillon (So.), Boston College
J.K. Dobbins (So.), Ohio State
Rico Dowdle (Jr.), South Carolina
Ian Eriksen (Sr.), Eastern Michigan
Travis Etienne (So.), Clemson
Wesley Fields (Sr.), Georgia Southern
Myles Gaskin (Sr.), Washington
Darrin Hall (Sr.), Pittsburgh
Damien Harris (Sr.), Alabama
Chase Hayden (So.), Arkansas
Darrell Henderson (Jr.), Memphis
Karan Higdon (Sr.), Michigan
Justice Hill (Jr.), Oklahoma State
Travis Homer (Jr.), Miami
Xavier Jones (Jr.), SMU
Patrick Laird (Sr.), Cal
Jeremy Larkin (Jr.), Northwestern
Bryce Love (Sr.), Stanford
Izzy Matthews (Sr.), Colorado State
Alexander Mattison (Jr.), Boise State
David Montgomery (Jr.), Iowa State
Jalin Moore (Sr.), Appalachian State
Kelton Moore (Jr), Nevada
Zack Moss (Jr.), Utah
Jacques Patrick (Sr.), Florida State
Emmanuel Reed (Jr.), Buffalo
Miles Sanders (Jr.), Penn State
LJ Scott (Sr.), Michigan State
Devin Singletary (Jr.), Florida Atlantic
Rodney Smith (Sr.), Minnesota
Benny Snell (Jr.), Kentucky
D’Andre Swift (So.), Georgia
J.J. Taylor (So.), Arizona
Jonathan Taylor (So.), Wisconsin
Lexington Thomas (Sr.), UNLV
Tavares Thomas (Sr.), Mid Tennessee
Warren Wand (Sr.), Arkansas State
Da’Leon Ward (So.), Texas Tech
Devwah Whaley (Jr.), Arkansas
Aeris Williams (Sr.), Mississippi State
Trayveon Williams (Jr.), Texas A&M
Kenny Young (Sr.), Miami (Ohio)
Marquis Young (Sr.), Massachusetts

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JONESBORO– Arkansas State pitcher Bradey Welsh has signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves and has reported to the Danville Braves, the organization’s Rookie League affiliate in the Appalachian League.

A junior this past season, Welsh will forego his senior season and becomes the second A-State hurler to enter professional baseball this summer after Peyton Culbertson was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of the MLB Draft. He is now the 13th pitcher (10 drafted and three undrafted free agents) during head coach Tommy Raffo’s tenure to go on to play affiliated baseball.

“I just want to thank my family and friends for supporting me my whole life to get me to where I am today,” Welsh said. “They all have been there for me through everything and I couldn’t be more blessed. It has been an amazing journey at Arkansas State and I want to thank all the coaches for being there for me and showing me how to get better every day. I can’t wait to start a new chapter in my life with the Braves and continuing playing the game I love.”

A native of Marshfield, Mo., Welsh tossed 149 innings in his career with 23 starts in 38 career appearances. The last 130.2 innings pitched were after he became a starter during the 2017 campaign and he posted a 6-6 record with a 4.55 ERA and 102 strikeouts in that time frame. He ends his collegiate career with 120 strikeouts and a 7-7 mark.

“Congratulations to Bradey first of all,” stated Raffo. “Bradey continues a strong tradition of pitchers into the professional ranks from Arkansas State. We wish him the best of success.”

Welsh started 14 games in 2018, tied for most on the team, and led the Red Wolves with 82.2 innings pitched. The right-hander punched out a team-high 70 batters against 19 walks and held opposing hitters to a .263 batting average.

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