Red Wolves see similar season path with Jaguars

If there was ever a game pitting two teams in desperate need of a victory, it's today's Sun Belt Conference matchup between Arkansas State University and South Alabama.

It's been more than a month since either team has won, and the possibility of playing for a league title doesn't exist. But ASU Coach Blake Anderson and South Alabama Coach Steve Campbell have informed their teams there's still a lot on the line.

"The possibility of just getting a win, getting on the positive track down the stretch is just really, really big for this group," said Anderson, whose team will play inside Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro for the first time in 28 days. "Both of us have a chance to finish strong. Both of us know we're going to have to play well to win, and both of us know that the other is capable of winning this game.

"Throw the records out because to us, there are no records anymore. It's just two teams who are just about alike."

Both the Red Wolves (3-6, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference) and Jaguars (3-6, 2-4) have lost their past four games. Anderson and Campbell both believe their teams are better than their records show.

Campbell said that was evident in South Alabama's 31-14 loss at Georgia State last week.

"I thought we started off well," he said during the Sun Belt's weekly coaches conference. "I thought defensively we played well in the first half, held [Georgia State] to seven points, and they're a high-scoring team. We created some turnovers and put ourselves in good position.

"We came back out in the third quarter and went up 14-7. And then from that point on, they got it cranked up, and we had a hard time getting them stopped and a hard time scoring points. We had opportunities, we just shot ourselves in the foot too many times and weren't able to match them once they got going."

South Alabama, which sits in second place in the West Division and is a game up on ASU, isn't near the top of many of the Sun Belt's statistical categories, but Anderson said the Jaguars have talent.

Quarterback Desmond Trotter averages 191.4 yards passing, good for sixth in the conference. Wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and Kawaan Baker rank among the top five in receptions per game. Tolbert, a 6-3 junior, is averaging 82.3 yards receiving, second only to ASU's Jonathan Adams' 108.1 yards.

On defense, linebackers Riley Cole and Nick Mobley are Nos. 1 and 2 in the conference in total tackles.

"They've got a lot of skill, they really do," Anderson said. "Their linebackers are good, and their defensive line is good, too. They're going to present problems all over the place.

"South Alabama is a solid team. Coach Campbell does a good job with those guys, and we know just how big of a challenge it's going to be for us when they come in here. It's going to be tough just like last week."

It was a tough pill for the Red Wolves to swallow a week ago at Texas State. ASU held a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter before the Bobcats pulled out a 47-45 victory.

Campbell, whose team is ninth in the conference in scoring at 20.1 points, mentioned the Jaguars are going to have to put points on the board today because of how proficient ASU has been on offense. But his message to his team centers on improving on a daily basis.

"The big thing we're talking to them about right now is lets get better every day, and the rest of that stuff will work itself out," said Campbell, who was the head coach at the University of Central Arkansas from 2014-17. "We need to go get the win. This is a big game for sole possession of second place. We've won two conference games in our half, and there are four other teams over here.

"[A win] gives us a chance to have three. So we need to play well well in all three phases."