A-State healthy after bye week
In what will be its first home game in nearly a month, Arkansas State returns to the friendly confines of Centennial Bank Stadium tonight as it welcomes Coastal Carolina to Jonesboro for homecoming.
A-State (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) had a bye last week and it came at a opportune time as a number of players have been limited with injuries. Linebacker Melique Straker missed the team’s 37-3 loss at Troy two weeks ago, but he is expected to be back on the field this week as A-State begins the second half of the season.
“We expect Melique back,” Coach Butch Jones said. “I thought we really missed him. We missed his leadership. We missed his productivity. So to be able to have him back and not just from a defensive standpoint, but also from a special teams standpoint as well.”
Straker’s 39 tackles on the season ranks second on the team. A-State should have its full complement of secondary players return to the field as well after starting cornerbacks Samy Johnson and Justin Hodges both went down with injuries against Troy.
“We should have everyone back,” Jones said. “They’ve worked really hard. We had a number of guys stay here in Jonesboro over the bye week so they could get in and see Eric [Ennis] and be in the training room.”
A healthy defense will be paramount as the Chanticleers (3-3, 1-2) boast a high-flying offense with quarterback Grayson McCall lead- ing the charge. McCall has been named Sun Belt Player of the Year the past three season, throwing 77 touchdowns to just eight interceptions from 2020-22, and is viewed as a potential NFL prospect.
McCall’s production has dipped some this season as he’s thrown eight touchdowns to six interceptions, the latter being the most he’s thrown in any season of his college career.
In the Coastal Carolina’s 27-24 win at Appalachian State last Tuesday, McCall passed for a career-high 371 yards. McCall was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Mountaineers.
“I think they are playing to the strengths of McCall,” Jones said. “They do a good job of getting the ball in the hands of their playmakers. I think they’ve really hit a rhythm.”
Those playmakers include a trio of receivers in Sam Pinckney, Jared Brown and Jameson Tucker, all who have all been on the receiving end of touchdown passes from McCall this season. Running back Braydon Bennett is another key offensive weapon for Coastal Carolina as he has rushed for more than 300 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns on the year.
On the other side of the ball, freshman Jaylen Raynor and the Red Wolves offense will need to rebound after a dismal showing last week. They failed to get into the end zone as the physicality of the Trojans defense was too much for them to handle.
Raynor expects another physical challenge from the Chanticleers defense this week.
“Just their physicality and their willingness to change up the coverages,” Raynor said. “We have to be prepared for a few different things and just be in tune to what they’re trying to do to us so we can put ourselves in the best position to put points on the board.”
Clayton Isbell leads the Coastal Carolina defense with three interceptions. Matthew McDoom, Keonte Lusk and Juan Powell are among several other playmakers in the defensive secondary that A-State will have to be aware of.
With its record at .500 through six games, Arkansas State will face a Sun Belt opponent every week for the rest of the season, starting with Coastal Carolina tonight.
“I’m excited to see how our kids compete,” Jones said. “How much better we became from our experiences from the first six weeks, but also from our bye week as well. We’re going to have to play our best football to date.”