Arkansas State Football: 5 Key Strategies for a Winning Season in 2024

As I sit down to analyze the prospects for Arkansas State Football’s 2024 campaign, my mind drifts to an interesting parallel unfolding on the other side of the world. Just this Saturday, Barangay Ginebra will be facing Converge in the second provincial foray in the All-Filipino Conference in San Fernando, Pampanga. Now, you might wonder what Philippine basketball has to do with Sun Belt football. To me, it’s a perfect illustration of a universal truth in sports: success often hinges on mastering the road, on bringing your brand of intensity into a rival’s backyard and silencing the crowd. For Arkansas State, a program hungry to climb back into conference contention, the 2024 season will be defined by its ability to execute under pressure in unfamiliar environments, much like Ginebra must do in Pampanga. Having followed this team for years, through the highs of the early 2010s and the recent rebuild, I believe a winning season is within reach if they can lock down five key strategic pillars. It won’t be easy, but the blueprint is there.

Let’s start with the most glaring need from last season: defensive consistency. In 2023, the Red Wolves’ defense allowed an average of 34.2 points per game, which simply won’t cut it. My number one strategy is a complete overhaul of the third-down defense. I’ve watched too many promising drives extended by missed tackles or soft coverage. The new defensive coordinator, in my opinion, needs to adopt a more aggressive, disguised-pressure scheme. We don’t have the luxury of a roster full of four-star recruits, so we have to be smarter and more unpredictable. Think about it like a chess match; you can’t just react, you have to force the opponent into mistakes. This ties back to that provincial game in the Philippines—Converge, as the less-established team, will have to throw strategic wrinkles at the more popular Ginebra to compete. Arkansas State must embody that underdog ingenuity on defense. Secondly, and this is non-negotiable, we must establish a dominant rushing attack. The offensive line returns four starters, and that experience must translate into push. I want to see a dedicated commitment to running the ball 35-plus times a game, controlling the clock, and wearing down opponents. In the grind of a Sun Belt schedule, physicality wins. I’m a firm believer that a team’s identity is forged in the trenches, and a powerful run game is the cornerstone of a winning culture, especially on the road where you need to manage momentum.

The third strategy revolves around quarterback development and play-calling balance. Whether it’s J.T. Shrout or a newcomer taking the snaps, the offense cannot become one-dimensional. Last season, we saw flashes of brilliance but also stretches of painful inconsistency. The playbook needs to feature more intermediate routes and high-percentage throws to build a quarterback’s confidence. I’d like to see a 55-45 pass-run split early in the season, evolving as the run game establishes itself. This isn’t just about stats; it’s about rhythm. Watching great teams, you notice they take what the defense gives them. If a team stacks the box, we must be able to punish them over the top. It’s a delicate balance, and getting it right is what separates a 6-6 team from an 8-4 team. My fourth point is special teams excellence. This is so often overlooked, but games in the Sun Belt are frequently decided by a field goal, a punt return, or a coverage bust. We need a reliable kicker—the recruitment here must be a priority—and our coverage units must be among the league’s best. I’d allocate significant practice time to this phase; it’s the ultimate difference-maker in close contests. Think of it as the hidden yardage that slowly strangles an opponent.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is cultivating a resilient, road-warrior mentality. This is where the Ginebra analogy hits home. Ginebra, playing in a "provincial foray," has to bring its own energy and focus into a potentially hostile environment. For Arkansas State, road games at Memphis, Iowa State, and conference rivals like Southern Miss are where the season will be made or broken. The coaching staff must prepare the team not just physically, but psychologically, for those challenges. It’s about embracing the us-against-the-world mindset. I’ve seen too many A-State teams look flat away from Centennial Bank Stadium. That has to change. Building mental toughness through fall camp, creating leadership councils among the players—these intangible factors are what forge a team that can steal a win in the fourth quarter on foreign turf.

In conclusion, while the reference to a basketball game in Pampanga might seem distant, its core lesson is immediate for Arkansas State Football. Winning in 2024 isn’t about one superstar or a single miraculous play. It’s a multi-layered strategy: building a stingy, clever defense, pounding the rock with authority, developing a balanced and confident quarterback, winning the hidden battle on special teams, and, above all, forging an identity that travels. As a longtime observer, my preference is always for tough, physical football that can adapt. If the Red Wolves can execute these five strategies with discipline, I’m optimistic we’ll be looking at a winning record and a return to bowl season. The journey starts with a plan, and this, I believe, is a viable one. The work begins now.