Arkansas State Won’t Be A Pushover For The Miami Hurricanes
When Arkansas St. popped up on the Miami Hurricanes’ 2014 schedule, many thought this game would be a cupcake, but the Red Wolves aren’t exactly Red Velvet.
Arkansas St. is one of the better teams outside of the power five conferences and has had a history of playing tough against big time programs. The football program at Arkansas St. has really excelled over the last three years and is arguably the best in the Sun-Belt conference. The Red Wolves bring into Miami a very explosive offense led by dual-threat quarterback Fredi Knighton.
Before I dive further into the problems that Arkansas St. can cause Miami, I would like to point out that the Canes are clearly the more talented team. Even the Head Coach of Arkansas State, Blake Anderson admitted that his team will be outmatched, talent and size wise, at nearly every spot on the field. However, it is not always about how talented a team is, it’s how they use those talents. Arkansas St. has thrived on developing lower tier recruits and getting the most out of them. If the Canes manage to lose this Saturday, the talent excuse will have nothing to do with it.
Now, to get to know Arkansas State and their football program a little better, here’s some of their recent history. In the last three years, the Red Wolves have won the Sun-belt conference outright two times, and were co-champions the other. Arkansas St. is 28-11 overall and 20-3 in conference over the past three seasons. The Red Wolves are 2-1 in bowl games over that same three year span.
While Arkansas St. has dominated their conference opponents over the last few seasons, they’ve also gone toe-to-toe with many larger programs. In 2009, Arkansas St. went to Texas A&M and won. In 2010, Arkansas St. played Louisville and only lost 34-24. In 2011, Arkansas St. destroyed Memphis 47-3(This was the year that Ryan Williams sat out as he transferred from Memphis to Miami). In 2012, the Red Wolves traveled to play Oregon, the #5 ranked team in the country at that time. Arkansas St. lost to Oregon, but managed to put up 34 points. Just last week, Arkansas St. hung right with Tennessee, being down only 12 points for a majority of the fourth quarter.
A large part of Arkansas State’s recent success has been their offense. In the last 5 years, Arkansas St. has put up over 50 points 6 times, including an 83 point performance against Texas Southern. Their offense is similar to Auburn’s and includes many of the same play designs as Auburn. Arkansas State uses the mobility of their QB often and runs many misdirection plays that will keep the Canes’ defense on its toes. The coaches for Arkansas State also like to throw in some trick plays, including their famous “Hide The Midget” play that you can view below.
The one player the Canes will need to watch for is Arkansas State’s quarterback, Fredi Knighten. Knighten was a 1st team all conference preseason selection and is very dangerous in space. Last week, Knighten led the Red Wolves in both rushing yards and passing yards against Tennessee. Through two games this year, Knighten has completed nearly 65% of his passes with 385 yards and two TDs. Knighten has been just as dangerous running the ball. He has over 150 yards on the ground and a rushing TD so far this year. If the Canes stop Knighten, they stop the Red Wolves offense.
Miami’s defense needs to continue to play well this Saturday. The Red Wolves struggle defensively and usually rely on their offense to win them games. If the Canes’ defense shows up like it has so far this year, the Canes’ offense should be able to put up the points needed to tame the Red Wolves.
My prediction for this Saturday is Miami 37 – Ark. St.24
Come out and support the Hurricanes at SunLife Stadium this Saturday for what should be a fun game. Kickoff is at 3:30. If you can’t make it out to the game, you can watch it live on ESPNU.