With a little more than eight minutes left in the second quarter, Red Wolves quarterback Jaylon Raynor connected with sure-handed wide receiver Reagan Ealy for a 22 yard pick-up, placing the offensive in a very rare place – inside Iowa State territory. Down 17-0, the Arkansas State offense had finally arrived to Ames. At last, the Red Wolves were playing to their promise.

Raynor, who had completed fewer than a handful of passes and had already thrown one interception, organized the offense for the next play. The team lined up for the first down with Raynor in the shotgun. Red Wolves fans watched in horror as the ball was snapped over Raynor’s head. The sophomore quarterback scrambled backwards to catch up to the ball. But when he reached down to retrieve the football, he inadvertently booted it for an additional ten yards. By the time the dust settled, the Red Wolves were sitting on their own 24, forty-four yards from a first down.

For lack of a more eloquent phrase, the Red Wolves offense has been “not good” in its four out-of-conference game, averaging just 23 points per game and ranking 106th in total offense. Jaylen Raynor, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and second team all-conference quarterback for 2024, has just three TD passes on the season. As a freshman, he was known for his delivery of “catchable balls.” This season, Raynor’s passes come in too late, are under-thrown, or are hurled short distances at untenable velocity.

Saturday against Iowa State, Raynor threw two interceptions (both into double coverage with Corey Rucker as the intended target) and completed just five of 16 passes for 68 yards. Before the half ended, Raynor’s day was over; he was replaced by more seasoned QB transfer Timmy McClain, who didn’t fair too much better against the Cyclones defense, but he did account for the only touchdown scored by A-State.

While the defense was expected to have its issues in 2024, the offense was supposed to bear all the experience, talent, size and speed necessary to find the end zone. The offensive line was said to have size and depth. The wide receivers were observed to be among the Sun Belt’s best. The running back room was bursting with studs, and Raynor was a year wiser after a stellar freshman campaign. But apart from a burst of offense against Tulsa in the game’s second half. the unit has few memorable moments after four games of football.

Iowa State, ranked 18th in total defense, will make a lot of offenses look bad this year – it certainly make the Red Wolves look foolish, with the team managing to barely eek over 200 yards of offense. It’s not all on Raynor. The running game – which had seemed so promising – was held to 98 yards against the Cyclones and to less than 60 against the Wolverines. It feels like ages since the Red Wolves have seen a game dominated by the “explosive play” (plays resulting in 20 or more yards). Currently, the Red Wolves rank 117th in this category. Arkansas State isn’t bad at converting on third down (58th), but the red zone offense is stuck in the turf.

What ails these Red Wolves? Why isn’t the team clicking? Where’s the disconnect? Obviously the competition has been stout, playing two ranked programs in two weeks and opening the season against what is currently ranked the 8th best FCS program in the nation. Perhaps we’re expecting too much for A-State to acquit themselves well enough in a loss to Michigan only to be blown away by the Cyclones. Teams, good and bad, get beat soundly sometimes.

What irks Red Wolves fans isn’t necessarily the lopsided score, but the way the lopsided score came to fruition. The moments of competence were so few and far between against Iowa State that every offensive possession generated anxiety, and every defensive stand seemed doomed. Is it lack of execution or a failure of imaginative play calling? Is it too much to ask that a ball not be snapped over the QB’s head in Week 4 of the season? When do we finally face the fire and put 70 on a P4 opponent the way James Madison put 70 on North Carolina?

Listen, Readers, it’s bad all over the Sun Belt. Appalachian State was defeated 48-14 at home to a Sun Belt team supposedly on the rebuild. Southern Miss was destroyed 44-7 by previously winless Jacksonville State. Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, Texas State and Louisiana have missed opportunities to close out high-quality wins a home. Troy began the season 0-3 and was ecstatic to come away with a 22-point victory over FCS Florida A&M. The Red Wolves do not suffer alone.

But we are suffering (as much as a college football fanbase can suffer). The Red Wolves enjoy a bye week before hosting the suddenly frightening South Alabama Jaguars for homecoming on October 5. That gives Butch Jones and his staff some time to figure out what’s wrong with their starting quarterback and perhaps even close some defensive gaps. But it’s also two weeks for Red Wolves fans to stew in their own gastric acids.

Stew and stew and stew.

Image is my own