Arkansas State @ North Texas

Scouting Report for Arkansas State Red Wolves (5-3) vs. North Texas Mean Green(3-5)
November 3, 2012- Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX

Arkansas State: The Red Wolves went in to Lafayette and knocked off the University of Louisiana 50-27. The defending Sun Belt conference champions will play their 3rd road game in 5 weeks.

Arkansas State's offense scored 6 points in the first quarter off of 2 Brian Davis FGs (5 total). Ryan Aplin (21-31, 269 YDS & 1TD) and the offense got going in the second quarter pushing the lead to 20-0. David Oku (22 carries, 83 YDS) had a 5 YD TD run and Rocky Hayes (3 carries, 86 YDS)had a 57 YD run of his own in the 3rd to keep Louisiana Lafayette honest on defense.

Had it not been for the Ragin' Cajuns 5 turnovers (3 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles), it could've been a loss for the Red Wolves. Arkansas State scored 27 points more as a result. Tausean Holmes, Chaz Scales and Chris Stone each picked off Terrance Broadway. However, the defense did give up big plays that resulted in 14 quick points for Louisiana.

North Texas: After Middle Tennessee was crushed on the road against Mississippi State the week before, the Blue Raiders got even against the Mean Green at home(38-21).

UNT never seemed to get into a rhythm the whole game. After the first play on offense, the Mean Green lost Brelan Chancellor for the season with a broken collarbone. Derek Thompson(17-29, 221 YDS, 1 TD) was picked off 3 times. The Mean Green trailed 31-0 at the 13:48 mark in the 3rd quarter before they got going. However, Antoinne Jimmerson (16 carries, 85 YDS) rushed for 2 touchdowns and Brandin Byrd added 87 yards on 16 carries to help North Texas on the ground.

The defense gave up big plays. Middle Tennessee was able to pull off scoring plays of over 15 yards on all but one scoring drive. Marcus Trice was one of the bright spots for UNT with 7.5 tackles (3 for losses).

What to watch for: The Mean Green has not scored in the first quarter in the last 3 games. The last time they did, was against Florida Atlantic on the road. The last time at home resulted in a 14-7 loss to Troy the week prior. If they are to win, the Mean Green need to do so through their offense.

Conclusion: There is a lot riding on this game. North Texas will need to win the 3 of their next 4 games to become bowl eligible. But winning all of them will help. If Louisiana-Monroe loses their next game (vs. Louisiana-Lafayette) and Arkansas State wins, the Sun Belt will be a toss up. Both teams will hope to shore up their respective defenses if this game is to be close. The Mean Green will need to play 60 minutes to win this game. They will also need to stymie the Red Wolves' fast paced offense if they are to have a great homecoming game.

Prediction: Arkansas State by 13.

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