December 4th’s morning announcement went something like this: “Arkansas State to play Missouri State in a bowl game in Frisco, Texas.” One might infer (as I did) that the Red Wolves had been assigned to the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, held December 23 in the Ford Center. One might be terribly wrong. As we learned later that morning, the bowl game in question was actually the newly anointed XBox Bowl, which was replacing the now defunct Bahamas Bowl, and would also be played in the Ford Center, “a massive indoor athletic facility and the Dallas Cowboys’ corporate headquarters, serving as a shared practice venue for the Cowboys, City of Frisco, and Frisco ISD high schools for their varsity football games.”
Amusingly, it appeared that Microsoft was also made aware of this news only recently. At the time of the announcement, there was no official website or social media account from which to draw key details. To the massive technology firm’s credit, a serviceable website was hastily assembled, as was a social account on Twitter. Later, when the teams started to arrive in Texas, Xbox was there with the high-end goodies.
Sure, Red Wolves safety Brandon Greil is 100% playing it cool here, but not many bowls out there are handing out such sweet gaming tech like the XBox Bowl. Couple the sponsor with the venue – known as The Star – the player and fan experience of the XBox Bowl promises to be fantastic. Also, there’s going to be a football game.
What Do We Know About These Bears of Missouri State?
For starters, I know the Bears finished the season 7-5 in their first year as an FBS program in Conference USA. In week two, Missouri State stunned Sun Belt Champion Marshall 21-20. At one point in the season, Missouri State was rolling on a five-game win streak, humbling conference foes like Liberty, Middle Tennessee and FIU before closing out the season with losses to future SBC member Louisiana Tech and eventual CUSA champ Kennesaw State (who, as you may recall, also defeated Arkansas State).
How did Missouri State manage seven wins in their first season in the big leagues? Senior quarterback Jacob Clark, a 6’5″ former 3-star who was originally recruited to Minnesota, is not without considerable skills. This year, Clark posted 27 total touchdowns on 2,895 yards passing – metrics that are slightly down from last year’s 27 total TDs on 3,650 yards passing. Clark’s wingmen are Jmariyae Robinson, a 6’1″ junior with six touchdown catches on 536 yards receiving and freshman Tristian Gardner, who also recorded six TD passes. Gardner has added his name to the transfer portal.
Clark is aided in the run game by stud senior running back Shomari Lawrence, a runner who doesn’t add much to the passing game but did plow for 7 touchdowns on 964 yards. You can expect the Red Wolves defense to see plenty of Lawrence, the All-CUSA 2nd Team RB.
Defensively, Missouri State doesn’t particularly stand out and has given up more than 28 points per game. However, quarterback pressure can come from anyone or more of four defensive linemen: DJ Wesolak, Caleb Dietlin, Mitchell Toney and Davon Townley Jr.
Is Arkansas State 100% Ready for the XBox Bowl?
The Red Wolves haven’t seen significant bails to the transfer portal (yet) and should face the Bears with a fully operational battle station. The Sun Belt doesn’t require an injury report for games outside of the conference, and Coach Butch Jones is never one to disclose an injury willingly, so we won’t know if anyone is dinged and sidelined until minutes before the coin flip.
Emotionally speaking, it was a long season with an unsatisfying result – tied for second in the Sun Belt West with a 6-6 record. However, the year had its share of ups, including a win over quasi-rival Appalachian State in the thin air of Boone to conclude the regular season. Look for the Red Wolves upper management to set the tone, with junior quarterback Jaylen Raynor and senior wide receiver Corey Rucker putting the huddle in the proper mindset.
How Does Arkansas State Win This Game?
Statistically speaking, the Bears and Red Wolves are fairly matched, scoring and surrendering a similar number of points. Eerily, both teams fell to Kennesaw State by a single touchdown. The bowl-matchup committees know their stuff.
Still, one would be tempted to look at Arkansas State’s roster and see enough talent to overcome the Bears, a middling CUSA program. But bear in mind that this is Missouri State’s first bowl game appearance – a chance to distinguish themselves on a national stage in the shadow of the NFL’s most celebrated football franchise. Arkansas State will have to overcome a level of “been-there-done-that” to power through Missouri State’s newbie enthusiasm.
Of course, the game is determined less by vibes and more by skill. The Red Wolves have won three games this season by one point, which is tempting chance far too many times. (It’s appropriate that Vegas favors the Red Wolves by a mere 1.5 points.) The XBox Bowl would be a fine opportunity for the offense to finally put together four quarters of solid play, never allowing the foot to slip off the gas. A Raynor-to-Rucker Show would be ideal, and fans would very much like to receive one last blast of Ruck n’ Roll.
However, if the season is any indicator, it will be the defense that determines the outcome at The Star. Clark is a very seasoned quarterback for the Bears, and he won’t be intimidated by the moment or rattled by Arkansas State’s aggressive front line. The ball carrying abilities of Shomari Lawrence will keep Red Wolves linebackers busy and leery. It may be the safeties and corners that save the day – Brandon Greil, Brandon Barnes, AG McGhee and Avante Dickerson. A couple of timely interceptions (of which Clark has thrown 11) could be the game’s difference.
Final Analysis
The headline of the article mentions something about “cheat codes,” but quite frankly the Red Wolves win this game if they simply play to their ability. That’s all the fans are asking for, and I shall be among them.
The First Ever XBox Bowl will be played in Frisco, Texas on December 18 at 8PM CST. If I don’t see you at the Ford Center, I suspect you are watching the game on ESPN2.
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