Arkansas State Red Wolves (0-2) vs. Stony Brook Seawolves (0-2)

KICKOFF: 6:00 PM

BROADCAST: ESPN+

It’s telling that ESPN Matchup Predictor gives a visiting, winless FCS program a 17.8% chance of beating the Red Wolves on Saturday evening. After all, a team that has scored 3 points in eight quarters is underserving of confidence and perhaps even respect. Fair enough. Stony Brook, Albany’s greatest rival and past winner of five CAA championships, is coming off a nine loss season and hasn’t won a game this year. Arkansas State and Stony Brook are the Pointing Spiderman meme given football program form.

The Quarterback Position is Now in a Fluxed-up State

If you endured the last four quarters of Red Wolves football, you witnessed a team that played heroically on defense and spastically on offense. Despite enjoying an offensive line that provided plenty of pass protection, starting quarterback JT Shrout rarely found his open receivers (and when he did, odds were even that the pass would be dropped). Shrout, who tossed a pair of picks to Memphis, injured his ankle in the third quarter, offering an entry portal for backup Jaxon Dailey to give it a go.

Dailey delivered as many touchdowns as Shrout against the Tigers (zero), but his mustachioed presence did seem to elevate the team’s spirits. That may not be an intangible that leads to victory, but quite frankly, elevated spirits may be the only thing the Red Wolves have at this moment. Coach Butch Jones was unrevealing as to who would start against the Seawolves – he said all three QBs would be granted equal practice snaps this week. But don’t be surprised to see #15 trotting onto the field when the Red Wolves offense huddles up on Saturday.

The Red Wolves Announced Some Grim Injuries on Tuesday

Defensively, the game against Memphis was competitive, bruising, and ultimately costly. Defensive lineman Terion Sugick is out for the season, and defensive end Ethan Hassler is out for at least four weeks. Also dinged, massive nose tackle Micah Bland. The Red Wolves defensive line entered the season short on depth. The injuries only lend to the program’s growing anxiety, they pressure freshmen like Ashtin Rustemeyer and Timothy Gulley to grow up fast.

According to Butch Jones, It’s All Mental

Coach Jones is not one to be succinct behind the podium, and he was as loquacious as ever during his Tuesday presser. The problem with the offense, according to Jones, lies in a lack of focus and a missing “champion’s mentality,” which is a mystical state of mind Jones has pursued since arriving to Jonesboro.

Jones was also quick to remind us all the the team is young, and he even commented on the “sideline etiquette” for which he noted a dispiriting lack of high-fives and chest-bumps. Critical fumbles and crushing pick-sixes will do that to a sideline, but Jones stressed that negative plays need to be forgotten immediately.

Maybe it is all mental, I don’t know! If so, then youth is a reasonable culprit. However, Shrout has been quarterbacking since the 1980s, so it can’t all be youth. Somebody in the locker room needs to lead by providing the “champion’s mentality” Jones is so desperate to uncover.

Can the Red Wolves Get Their Shit Together?

Stony Brook first fielded a football team in 1984. Arkansas State has played football for more than a century. I mention this only because the passage of time often brings with it experience and skills. This alone should make the Red Wolves a solid favorite.

Unfortunately, the only densely solid thing about the Red Wolves right now are the pretzels sold in the concession stand. Arkansas State has been within 20 yards of the opposing goal line just one time all year (only Sam Houston brings to bear a worse offense).

But you must admit that now is a good time to be hosting Stony Brook, a program down on its luck and a generous surrenderer of points. Perhaps once the Red Wolves sniff the end zone, the scent will stick to them. My spirits are elevated by the mere thought.

GRAPHIC: My own