Wolves put focus on self in opener

Arkansas State's season begins tonight, and the Red Wolves are squarely focused on Arkansas State.

The Red Wolves face some unknowns in both themselves and their opponent Southeast Missouri State.

"The main thing in any Game One is the unknown," Arkansas State University Coach Blake Anderson said. "There's a possibility of them being completely different from what you saw the year before.

"[We will] try to be as sound as we can be, stay within what we've been doing in fall camp and not concern ourselves nearly as much with the opponent as we do with ourselves."

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro.

The Red Wolves have not won a season opener since beating Montana State 37-10 in 2014. In the past three years, Arkansas States has dropped openers at Southern California, at home to Toledo and at Nebraska.

Coming off a 7-5 campaign in 2017, Arkansas State has been projected to win the Sun Belt Conference's West Division by the league's coaches. The Red Wolves also earned 19 points in the national coaches' preseason poll, which would rank them at No. 37.

"We've been looking forward to this season more than any other since I've been here," Arkansas State junior receiver Omar Bayless said. "But we have to go out there with the mindset that we have plenty left to prove."

Southeast Missouri State finished 3-8 overall in 2017, but four of the Redhawks' losses were decided by three or fewer points, and the team allowed only 21.8 points a game.

The Football Championship Subdivision team returns a top running back in Marquis Terry and has added a key transfer in quarterback Daniel Santacaterina.

Santacaterina played in six games and made four starts for Northern Illinois last season, completing 62 of 97 passes for 712 yards and 7 TDs. One of his starts resulted in a 21-17 victory over Nebraska.

"He's a tremendous leader," Southeast Missouri State Coach Tom Matukewicz said of the transfer quarterback. "He is a people person. He's gained trust with his offensive line, the backs, the receivers and even the defense. He's very accurate."

Santacaterina is coming off shoulder surgery, which he went through over the spring. Matukewicz said the quarterback "looks like he's better than ever."

Terry was named as the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason offensive player of the year. He ran 239 times for 1,076 yards and 7 TDs in 2017.

"They were better than their record," Red Wolves senior cornerback Brandon Byner said. "If we don't play up to our standards, it could be a long night. We've worked hard for this, and now it's time to line up and live up to those expectations."

Today's meeting between the two teams is the first since 2003 -- a 21-3 Arkansas State victory -- but it is one Matukewicz desperately sought for his program.

"I really wanted to get this game on our schedule," Matukewicz said. "I've been keeping my eye on them, and I like what [Arkansas State] has accomplished as far as its program and its facilities. I admire what they've done and I think after the game we'll have an idea of what kind of team we'll have."

Arkansas State is playing its opener at home for the fourth time in the past six years, but from 1992 to 2013 the team rarely had an opener in Jonesboro. ASU has started its season on the road 20 times in its past 26 season openers and is 5-21 in season openers since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Sports on 09/01/2018