How Loud Will ASU Red Wolves Howl Vs. Nebraska?

The second of two home games intended to give the Nebraska Cornhuskers and their new quarterback-Zac Lee-a shot of confidence heading into an extremely dangerous road game in Blacksburg, Virginia against Virginia Tech will take place on Saturday afternoon, September 12 when Arkansas State University comes to Lincoln.

Head coach Steve Roberts, at the helm for the Red Wolves since 2002, will enter Memorial Stadium with a program that's returned much of its skill position players from a 2008 team that finished 6-6. One triumph out of those six that certainly stands out is the 18-14 victory that Arkansas State earned over Texas A&M in College Station on August 30, 2008.

Leading the upset-minded Red Wolves to what they hope will be the second straight win to start the 2009 season will be red-shirt senior quarterback Corey Leonard. Arkansas State hosts Mississippi Valley State in their season opener on September 5. Leonard threw for 2,347 yards and 16 touchdowns, against eight interceptions last fall. He also ran for 516 yards and four TD's.

Besides keeping the ball himself, Leonard has his share of veterans to rely on when he has to hand it off or put it in the air. Red-shirt senior Reggie Arnold is back after leading the team in rushing with 1,074 yards and tallying eight touchdown runs last fall. Derek Lawson, a red-shirt sophomore, returns after gaining 695 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season.

Senior wide receivers Brandon Thompkins and Jahbari McLennan each caught 32 passes in 2008 and combined for nearly 1,000 receiving yards. Tight end Trevor Gillott, who caught 15 passes for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns, is back as a red-shirt senior. Thompkins also averaged just under 20 yards per kick return last fall.

Speaking of special teams, the Red Wolves have a strong kicker in Josh Arauco (red-shirt senior) who made 17 of 20 field goals and 37 out of 38 extra points in 2008.

Arkansas State has some talent spread out when their defense steps onto the field. Red-shirt senior defensive back Daylan Walker collected 65 tackles in 2008, while fellow defensive back Evan Van Dolah (red-shirt senior) netted 52 tackles.

Darius Glover, a red-shirt junior line backer, posted 54 tackles last season and defensive end Alex Carrington (red-shirt senior) notched 53 tackles during the same span.

PREDICTION: The Red Wolves, the second straight Sun Belt Conference team that the Huskers will face to begin the season, won't come to Lincoln to be overwhelmed. But, they may not have a choice as Nebraska has simply too much firepower for the visitors. This offense can present some unique issues for the Nebraska defense to deal with, but look for those issues to be dealt with and for the Husker offense to have a big day en route to a 38-17 victory. Even with an eye toward the big match-up at Virginia Tech on September 19, the Huskers win this one in a big way.