Arkansas State University hosts the University of Central Arkansas on Saturday in Jonesboro.
I expect this game to be much closer than the Thursday affair betweeen the Arkansas Razorbacks and UAPB Golden Lions.
The last time I was in Jonesboro for a football game, I saw the Red Wolves score 77 points last November in a 77-31 Sun Belt Conference victory over Texas State, which happens to be my wife’s alma mater.
It was obvious then that freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor is the real deal. Yet the Red Wolves finished the season with a losing record (6-7), dropping Butch Jones to 11-26 in his three seasons as head coach. Jones badly needs a winning season this year, and I think he will get one with 10 returning offensive starters.
UCA was 7-4 last season, giving the Bears a 37-29 record in the Nathan Brown era at the Conway school. UCA returns 16 starters and is hoping for an FCS playoff appearance in 2024.
Here is my pick for Saturday’s game:
Arkansas State 34, UCA 24 — As that 77-point explosion last year showed me, ASU has an offense capable of putting big numbers on the scoreboard when everything is clicking. Yet something tells me that the Bears will hang around until deep into the fourth quarter on Saturday night. After watching a Thursday night blowout in Little Rock, I would frankly welcome a close game. And the weatherman claims it will be cooler by Saturday night.
