Dribbling Ink

Welcome to your Tuesday viewing update—better known as the night after baseball died in Arkansas for 2012 (the Cardinals got beat down by the Giants in Game 7), the night after the final presidential debate (this election can’t be resolved quickly enough), and the night of crappy singing and dancing shows like The X-Factor , Dancing with the Stars , and The Voice . Without Sons of Anarchy and Pretty Little Liars , Tuesdays would be a lost cause. However, don’t fret; it’s Arkansas State’s night to be on primetime on ESPN . The Red Wolves (4-3 overall, 2-1 conference) travel to Cajun Field to take on LA-Lafayette (4-2, 2-1) for a key matchup in the Sun Belt. Both teams are chasing those mighty Warhawks of ULM, who are undefeated in Sun Belt play. The game will be aired on ESPN2 , beginning at 8 PM ET. I believe I read that ULL is a 4.5 point favorite. I hope my alma mater has a solid showing—it’s very important to take advantage of these situations. With that being said, I expect ...

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) It’s finally that week, the one that rolls around once a season in college and professional football: the bye week. Coming off a 49-7 beat down of Kentucky, the Arkansas Razorbacks have a free week to get healthy and prepare for a critical stretch of games. (If the Hogs want to salvage 2012, they have to win their next two games against Ole Miss and Tulsa. Assuming they win those games, the Hogs would have to beat one of three top-12 ranked teams remaining on the schedule—at #7 South Carolina, at #12 Mississippi State, and home against #6 LSU—to be bowl eligible.) Usually during bye weeks I pay special attention to my secondary team, Arkansas State. This year, however, provides Arkansans with a special twist: the dreaded double-bye weekend. A quick thought: Maybe ASU should schedule a game at War Memorial during Arkansas’s bye week each year. I’m not trying to be facetious; I actually think this is a good idea. There are a lot of football f...

I left Northeast Arkansas over four years ago and a lot has changed around the Jonesboro-Paragould area. However, one thing has been consistent for my entire life: Arkansas State University football has been drowning in mediocrity. In the last couple of years, though, ASU has made a real push to improve its football program. In 2011 ASU took a chance on its new head coach by promoting its young offensive coordinator, Hugh Freeze, who eventually led them to a 10-2 record in the regular season, a conference championship, and a bowl game. Of course, Freeze didn’t waste any time turning his success at ASU into a new contract in the SEC at Ole Miss. I can’t blame the guy, but once again ASU was just a stepping stone. The Red Wolves could have easily been happy with 2011 and faded back into Sun Belt mediocrity; it’s what I expected my alma mater to do. However, ASU replaced one offensive guru with another, this time one with a national championship under his belt as an offensiv...