Tag: Arkansas State Red Wolves

Photos from Alabama’s win against Arkansas State

The Crimson Tide defeated Arkansas State on Friday night.

Friday night in Tuscaloosa brought about the second game of the 2024-25 season for the Alabama Crimson Tide, as the program hosted the visiting Arkansas State Red Wolves in college basketball action.

The No. 2 ranked Crimson Tide went on to defeat the Red Wolves as well by a final score of 88-79, but struggled at times in some areas throughout the game. This including shooting for the Crimson Tide, in particular from behind the three-point line.

A tough test for the Crimson Tide against a quality team led by former assistant coach Bryan Hogdson, let’s take a look at some photos from Alabama vs. Arkansas State on Friday night:

Instant reactions to Alabama’s victory over Arkansas State

The Crimson Tide defeated Arkansas State on Friday night.

On Friday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program played their second game of the 2024-25 season, as they defeated the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Coleman Coliseum by a final score of 88-79.

With the result, Alabama advanced to a 2-0 overall for the 2024-25 season.

In all, this was a game where the Crimson Tide struggled at times, especially in the first half where Alabama carried a 43-40 lead into halftime. This would carry over into the second half as well, which resulted in a close win for the Crimson Tide.

Here are some of our instant reactions to Alabama’s victory over the Red Wolves on Friday night:

Alabama Crimson Tide three-point struggles

Alabama certainly struggled Friday night when it came three-point shooting, making only 6-of-31 attempts. This amounted to a combined percentage of 19.4%.

Alabama Crimson Tide free throw struggles

The Crimson Tide also struggled at the free throw line Friday night against Arkansas State. Alabama shot a combined 28-of-44, or 63.6%

Clifford Omoruyi posts near double-double

Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi once again flirted with a double-double in only his second game with the Crimson Tide. Omoruyi finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and one block on five-of-six shooting from the field.

Mark Sears headlines four double-digit scorers

Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide in scoring with 19 points Friday night. Alongside Sears, four others were also in double-figures that included Omoruyi, Grant Nelson, and Labaron Philon with 12 points, while Derrion Reid had 10.

Alabama Crimson Tide now 2-0

As mentioned at the start, this result means that Alabama is now 2-0 to start the 2024-25 season. The Crimson Tide will return to action Monday against McNeese State.

Alabama 2024-25 Opponent Preview: Arkansas State Red Wolves

Alabama will host Arkansas State on Friday night for the second-straight year.

After an impressive victory over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Monday to open the 2024-25 season, the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to return to the court this Friday night for a matchup with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

An opponent that Alabama also hosted a year ago, the Crimson Tide defeated the Red Wolves by a final score of 89-65 back on December 4, with that team from Arkansas State eventually going on win at-least 20 games for the first time since 2016-17.

Here is a preview for the 2024-25 Arkansas State Red Wolves ahead of their trip to Tuscaloosa on Friday night:

Arkansas State Red Wolves Team Overview

  • Team Name: Arkansas State Red Wolves
  • Conference: Sun Belt
  • Arena: First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro, Arkansas
  • 2024-25 Record: 1-0 overall
  • Ranking: Unranked in AP Poll, Unranked in Coaches Poll

The Arkansas State Red Wolves are a long-time member of the Sun Belt Conference, and are coming off a season in which they finished with an overall record of 20-17, as well as 11-7 in conference play. So far this year, Arkansas State sits undefeated at 1-0 overall with an 80-75 home win over Akron.

Arkansas State Red Wolves Coaching Staff

  • Head Coach: Bryan Hodgson
  • Associate Head Coach: Jamie Quarles
  • Associate Head Coach: Tee Butters
  • Assistant Coach: Derek Rongstad

Arkansas State is led by a familiar face to Alabama fans in Bryan Hodgson, who was an assistant with the Crimson Tide from 2019-23 prior to becoming the head coach of the Red Wolves a year ago. All of Jamie Quarles, Tee Butters, and Derek Rongstad are also in their second seasons at Arkansas State.

Arkansas State Red Wolves 2024-25 Stats

  • PPG: 80 (No. 175 in NCAA)
  • PPG Allowed: 75 (No. 223 in NCAA)
  • FG%: 46.6
  • 3P%: 30
  • FT%: 50
  • RPG: 44
  • APG: 14
  • SPG: 8
  • BPG: 9

As mentioned previously, Arkansas State won their season-opener by a final score of 80-75. The Red Wolves also currently rank among the nation’s top teams in blocks per game, ranking No. 13 nationally with an average of nine per game.

Arkansas State Red Wolves Names to Know

  • Derrian Ford, Guard – Junior
  • Joseph Pinion, Guard – Junior
  • Kobe Julien, Forward – Redshirt Senior
  • Taryn Todd, Guard – Senior
  • Justin Johnson, Forward – Freshman

The Red Wolves roster is headlined by a trio of double-digit scorers in Derrian Ford, Joseph Pinion, and Kobe Julien, the first two of which originally began their college basketball career’s at Arkansas. Arkansas State also returns their leading scorer from a year ago in senior guard Taryn Todd, who averaged 12.8 PPG last season.

Things you might not have known about Michigan football’s win over Arkansas State

Lots of interesting facts and stats from the game! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football rebounded from the loss to Texas by beating Arkansas State, 28-18, a game where the score wasn’t nearly as close as the numbers may indicate. But there was a lot to take away from the game, both good and bad.

And while the coaches and players will watch the film in anticipation for USC, there’s a lot of interesting facts, stats, and tidbits that came from the win. That’s where MGoBlue.com has helped us out with some game notes that you might not have known about if you were at the game or watched it on TV.

Facts/tidbits:

• Today’s announced attendance of 110,250 marks the 318th consecutive crowd of 100,000-plus at Michigan Stadium.

• Today’s honorary captain was U-M alumnus and current Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Duggan has two degrees from U-M (1980 [B.A.], ’83 [J.D.]) and has served as the Mayor of Detroit since 2014.

• Michigan devoted time to recognizing longtime Athletics Administrator Greg Harden who passed away this week after complications from surgery. For more than five decades, Greg devoted his life to coaching, mentoring, and inspiring thousands of student-athletes at U-M and beyond as a life coach, mental wellness and performance specialist, motivational speaker, and more. The University celebrates his life and honors his service to our community.

• Also honored before today’s game was one of the greatest actors in American history, James Earl Jones (U-M Class of 1955). Jones, who passed away last week, lent his legendary voice to the team’s pregame introduction video for the past 10 seasons and became synonymous with his alma mater’s Wolverines taking the field at Michigan Stadium.

• During homecoming, more than 300 former U-M student-athletes celebrating anniversaries of their Big Ten Championship seasons returned to take part in the Walk of Champions.

• Today’s win improves U-M’s all-time record to 95-27 in homecoming contests. The Wolverines have won 12 straight homecoming contests.

• Arkansas State and Michigan met for the first time on the gridiron this weekend. Arkansas State represents the 155th unique opponent in Michigan Football history, and the second this season (Fresno State).

• Junior tight end Marlin Klein made his first career start in today’s game.

• Five players made their first appearances as Wolverines in today’s game: Manuel Beigel (defensive line), Andrew Sprague (offensive lineman), Hogan Hansen (tight end), Dominic Nichols (edge), and Chibi Anwunah (edge).

• Graduate student defensive back Ricky Johnson made his U-M debut in today’s game.

• The Wolverine offense scored touchdowns on three of their five first-half drives; on those three scoring drives, U-M was five-for-five on third down.

• Michigan ball carriers combined for 44 carries for 301 rushing yards, topping 300 yards for the first time this season. It is U-M’s first game with over 300 team rushing yards since the CFP National Championship game against Washington last season.

• Graduate student running back Kalel Mullings had a career day, finishing with a career-best 153 yards on 15 carries. He became U-M’s first rusher over 150 yards since senior running back Donovan Edwards eclipsed that mark in consecutive weeks (at Ohio State, vs. Purdue) at the end of the 2022 season.

• U-M capped off an 11-play, 76-yard opening drive with a 30-yard rushing touchdown from Mullings. He added to his opening drive rushing touchdown with a five-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. It is the second multi-touchdown game of his career.

• Mullings’ 30-yard touchdown in the first quarter was the longest rush of his career. He matched that long run with a second-quarter rush of the same distance and then set a new career-long with a 38-yard rush in the final frame.

• Michigan’s second scoring drive came from a 13-play, 75-yard drive, including nine combined carries from running backs Edwards and Mullings. U-M totaled 50 yards rushing on those nine carries, rounded off by a seven-yard rushing touchdown from Edwards.

• Edwards ran for 82 yards on 17 carries, including the seven-yard second-quarter rushing touchdown. He added a reception for 11 yards.

• Junior quarterback Alex Orji entered the game in the second half and led a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, including a nine-yard passing touchdown for the second of his career. Orji added 27 yards on the ground.

• Orji’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass to true freshman Hansen was the first career target, reception, and touchdown for the first-year tight end.

• Junior tight end Colston Loveland tied for the team lead in receptions (three), marking the third game of three in which Loveland has led or tied for the team lead in catches. His three catches today totaled 30 yards.

• Sophomore wide receiver Fredrick Moore (three receptions, 38 yards) and tight end Klein (three receptions, 43) posted career-high days in both categories.

• Klein secured senior quarterback Davis Warren‘s longest pass of the day, a 33-yard reception up the seam, in the second quarter. It marked a new longest career catch for Klein (previously eight yards).

• Defensively, U-M held Arkansas State to 58 rushing yards, including -6 rushing yards in the first half. It is the second game of the season that Michigan has held their opponents to under 100 total rushing yards.

• In the first half, four of Arkansas State’s six offensive possessions ended in four plays or fewer, including three three-and-outs.

•  Junior linebacker Ernest Hausmann recorded the first sack of his career to force a punt in the second quarter. Hausmann and junior linebacker Jaishawn Barham led the team with seven total tackles.

• Defensive back Paige recorded his first interception of the season in the third quarter. It was the second interception of his career (Ohio State, 2022). Paige is the third U-M defensive back with a pick so far this year (Zeke Berry, Will Johnson).

• Senior defensive lineman Ike Iwunnah recorded his first career tackle in the opponent’s backfield with a three-yard TFL in the first quarter.

• Graduate student defensive back Aamir Hall registered his first two pass breakups as a Wolverine.

• The following defensive players set new career highs in total tackles at Michigan in today’s game: Barham (seven), Hall (four), junior linebacker Jimmy Rolder (five), graduate student defensive back Wesley Walker (three), sophomore edge Breeon Ishmail (two) and Dominic Nichols (one).

Injury report: Michigan football vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves

Here’s who will be out or may be limited in Week 3. #GoBlue

Michigan football is licking its wounds after a devastating loss to Texas in Week 2 but emerged from that game mostly healthy. There was one surprise scratch in safety Jaden Mangham, but with the last nonconference game before Big Ten play next week with USC coming to town, the hope is that the Wolverines will roll Arkansas State and get a lot of players into the rotation.

But the injury report has grown considerably, with multiple more out.

With that in mind, here is who is listed on the official injury report according to the Big Ten.

Michigan

Out

  • Jaden Mangham
  • Micah Pollard
  • Rod Moore
  • Jordan Marshall
  • Jason Hewlett

Questionable

  • Tyler Morris
  • Jack Tuttle

Whether Tuttle plays is a mystery, but it is expected the Wolverines will rely on a heavy dose of Davis Warren as the starter and Alex Orji as the backup.

Kickoff for the Saturday game is at noon p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.

How to watch or stream Michigan vs. Arkansas State

Arkansas State wins Golfweek Fall Challenge, picking up right where it left off last spring

Good memories may be just as important as good play, and in its season opener, Arkansas State had both.

Confidence carries over – season to season, venue to venue, roster to roster. Good memories may be just as important as good play, and in its season opener, Arkansas State had both.

Arkansas State head coach Mike Hagen can’t remember the last time, if ever, his Red Wolves won their first tournament out of the gate. But after closing out last season as the Sun Belt Conference champions, and thus earning an NCAA Regional berth, Hagen’s team rolled that momentum right through the summer and into Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

They won the Golfweek Fall Challenge on Sept. 10 by a 12-shot margin over Wright State.

“They’re really pumped,” Hagen said of the post-win vibe. “. . . I think it’s a big momentum thing for a team. They know they can win. We go and tee it up again in 10 days out in New Mexico.”

Scoring: Golfweek Fall Challenge

Three of the six men Hagen traveled to True Blue Golf Club for the Golfweek event had played there a year before. Scores can vary wildly at True Blue, a Mike Strantz design heavy on risk-reward. Last fall, Arkansas State was 36 under as a team, but only 8 under in the final round. The Red Wolves finished fourth, 11 shots behind Loyola Marymount, which came up a shot shy of the tournament scoring record of 48 under (still held by Campbell).

Still, Hagen liked the gameplan a year ago. His team played well, and they liked the place. Hagen can’t picture a better season opener, from venue to timing to format.

“I think the gameplan that we had last year was really solid and we kind of just took some of that into this year,” Hagen said. “Changed a few things up as well that we may have learned from playing the tournament and playing the golf course last year, and I think that kind of helped us play a little more consistent this year over the three rounds.”

Arkansas State won at 35 under this year and played the final round in 15 under. Patton Samuels, a junior at Austin Peay State, won the individual title at 15 under.

Hagen’s men still hit a lot of drivers this week, but there were holes – like Nos. 2 and 6, both par 4s – where a conservative strategy paid off. The field averaged over par on those holes for the week, but Arkansas State made up ground.

Hagen took into account history, spots on the course where a miss was particularly costly and hole locations.

“We were able to say hey, on X hole, we know that’s one that could really get you in trouble, we’re going to hit it at this spot on the green, if you roll a putt in great, if not we’re going to walk off with a par,” he said. “We’re not going to bring bogey or double into play.”

Arkansas State led the field in birdies and largely avoided big numbers. Three men placed in the top 6 individually: Jake Wallis was third, Jack Maxey fifth and Jake Lile tied for sixth. Wallis and Lile are both underclassmen and Maxey is a senior. The Red Wolves fivesome also included junior Thomas Schmidt and sophomore Milan Reed, and Hagen likes the mix of youth and experience there. Lile, Schmidt and Maxey competed in the NCAA Regional lineup.

Before last spring, Arkansas State last won the Sun Belt title in 2019. The team played the inaugural National Golf Invitational in 2023 and tied for sixth. Hagen always looks at the experiences that are carrying over.

“Going into this year, we bring back our top 3 players and only one of them is a senior,” Hagen said. “You add another senior who has been in and out of our lineup and some of the young, newer talent we’ve got. I think it’s helped them get comfortable to where they can step in and perform right away.”

Kicking, special teams became a problem for OU in 2024; Sooners banking on competition to pay off

Special teams wasn’t special for the Oklahoma Sooners last year but here’s hoping competition and a coaching change can turn it around.

The Sooners struggles on special teams went beyond the kicking situation in 2023. The return game didn’t provide much and was at times a detriment to the team.

Head coach Brent Venables had to find a new special teams coordinator after Jay Nunez left for the same position at Alabama. But that might have been a blessing in disguise.

According to ESPN’s overall efficiency rankings for 2023, Oklahoma’s special teams—placekicking, punting, punt return, kickoff coverage, and kickoff return—ranked No. 127 last year.

That’s not good enough, especially for a team that, while much improved, needed to be perfect in other aspects of the game. Heading to the SEC, there’s less margin for error as Oklahoma’s talent won’t be enough to win games. They’ll need every bit of a competitive advantage. That could come by way of special teams.

So Venables went out and hired former San Diego State special teams coordinator Doug Deakin as a special teams analyst.

Why Deakin?

In each of the last three seasons, the Aztecs finished in the top 10 in ESPN’s special teams efficiency rating. In 2022, the Aztecs ranked No. 2, and last year, they were No. 9. While he’s an analyst and won’t be on the field during game days, Deakin will coordinate this unit with the rest of the on-field staff to create a better and more positively impactful special teams unit for the Sooners. And he comes to Oklahoma with some work to do on the kicking and return game front.

Oklahoma’s field goal kicking wasn’t as good as it needed to be for the Sooners in 2023. Sure, it wasn’t horrible, but by the end of the season, trotting out Zach Schmit genuinely felt like a coin flip, even from distances inside the 40-yard line.

The Sooners’ kicker made less than 75% of his kicks for the second straight season. Schmitt missed six kicks in 2022 and six in 2023. Schmit was just 6 of 11 on attempts from beyond 30 yards. He had a miss in Oklahoma’s three-point loss to Oklahoma State that turned out to be a killer.

So, where do the fixes lie? Well, competition and better schemes are the plan.

OU secured a commitment from Florida State transfer kicker Tyler Keltner this winter.

Keltner is a redshirt senior who spent the first four seasons of his college career at East Tennessee State. He made 56 of 74 field-goal attempts and earned two All-SoCon second-team selections. He then spent this past season at Florida State, where he appeared in one game and converted on his only attempt.

He and Liam Evans, a 2024 commit, will add fresh legs and competition to that room. Evans was ranked the number seven kicker in the nation, according to Kohl’s Kicking Camp.

The punt return game can be better too. After [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag]’s return for a touchdown against Arkansas State, the return game never seemed to click. Freeman muffed multiple punts in crucial moments that flipped the momentum in games. He also had just 122 punt return yards on the season, including that 82 yard return against Arkansas State.

The competition for punt return duties will be much more open than last year. Freeman will have a shot, but [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] could push for opportunities. On kick return, Jalil Farooq will likely continue to lead the way for the Sooners, but Oklahoma will push him with competition as well.

According to the ESPN efficiency marker, Deakin’s special teams units at his previous school ranked in the top 10 nationally for three straight years.

If there’s a positive outlook on the return game, it’s the emergence of punter Luke Elzinga. Though it took time for the Sooners to settle on who their punter would be last year, once they went with Elzinga, they never turned back. His efficiency, power, and ability to drop the ball inside the 20 allowed Brent Venables to play the field position game more.

As the Sooners move to the SEC, they’ll see their competition improve week in and week out. They can’t afford to be average in any phase of the game and special teams is an area that has to be a winning phase for them in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Sooners RB Tawee Walker planning to enter transfer portal

Running back Tawee Walker announces his plan to enter transfer portal.

Oklahoma’s running back room just got slightly smaller as junior running back Tawee Walker announced plans to enter the transfer portal.

The decision comes as a bit of a shock, considering Walker is the clear-cut number two back on the team. Still, it’s understandable that Walker decided to seek opportunities for more carries as Gavin Sawchuk has tightened his grip as the bell-cow back towards the end of the season and into the offseason.

This year, Walker has been a significant part of the Sooners’ running game. While his numbers aren’t gaudy, except for a one-game suspension, Walker had multiple carries in critical moments in almost every game this season. Walker and Marcus Major were the duo that got the season started, while Sawchuk and his fellow 2022 classmate Jovantae Barnes worked to get healthy.

Walker, who walked on from Palomar College, appeared in 10 games and started one. This season, he rushed for 496 yards with seven touchdowns and zero fumbles, averaging a sturdy 5.2 yards per carry. He had two multi-touchdown games—one against Arkansas State to start the season and another against Texas in the Red River Rivalry game.

As new play-caller Seth Littrell attempts to start piecing together his vision for this offense next year, he’ll have to do so without arguably Oklahoma’s most physical runner.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

The Power of Youth: 3 Sooners to watch on defense vs. Tulsa

There’s a youth movement happening on defense and these three defenders will be Sooners to keep an eye on come Saturday.

Saturday’s matchup against Tulsa marks Oklahoma’s last nonconference game before they embark on their final Big 12 season. The matchup means a lot for the state of Oklahoma with the Sooners playing as the road team this week.

The Sooners enter the game with a lot of momentum on defense after shutting down what was a top-20 offense in the nation last season.

After what happened in 2022 for OU, this season’s efforts have felt particularly inspired. Oklahoma is looking to improve on last year and reshape the narrative about how the Sooners get down defensively.

After two games, the Sooners hold the nation’s sixth-best scoring defense, holding teams to just 5.5 points per game. They are eighth in third-down defense, with opponents converting just 22 percent of third-down attempts. It’s early, but through two games, it’s something to be proud of.

Tulsa may not be as talented as SMU, but their head coach is an offensive mind that Brent Venables knows all too well. The two coached under Bob Stoops for nearly a decade.

Oklahoma should be able to win this game fairly stress-free, but building their confidence and depth are also high on the list of priorities.

We believe these three players are names to watch come Saturday.

Up Next: 3 Sooners to watch on Defense

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Report Card: Defense flies high, offense stuck in a rut in 28-11 win over SMU

In our report card for Oklahoma’s performance against SMU, the defense leads the way with the highest marks.

The offense didn’t put its best foot forward in the Sooners 28-11 win over SMU. However, the defense kept Oklahoma in control until the Sooners were able to put together a couple of late scoring drives to seal the win.

Oklahoma knows it will have to play better as the season wears on. They’ll need to improve in all three phases to be in the mix for a Big 12 title berth in November. But for this game, it was enough.

Instead of a shootout, we got a game where neither team even scratched 40 points.

Here’s how each position group graded out in the 28-11 win over SMU.