UPDATED: Arkansas State at Auburn – Pre-Game Chatter and Poll

 

“Lol dese coaches run a train on Arkansas State, get a nut an gone bout they business” – Don Jones, senior for Arkansas State, as reported by Deadspin.

“Yall thought Malzahn was gone keep turning dem M’s down lol shiiiii” – Don Jones

Arkansas State at Auburn – the BIG game pitting the new coach vs. old coach; current Sun Belt Conference power vs. former SEC power -is almost here. Set to kick off Saturday at 6:30 p.m in Auburn, this game has been listed by some as a Top 10 game to see this weekend.

Arkansas State at Auburn (7:30pm, SportsSouth): The Tigers could be in for another shootout in game two of the Gus Malzahn era. Auburn defeated Washington State 31-24 in their home opener last weekend. They will now face Malzahn’s team from a year ago, the Arkansas State Red Wolves, who are coming off a 672 yard (509 on the ground) and 62 point performance in their opening weekend rout over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Red Wolves have arrived in Auburn. The photo above is from WarBlogle, who says this:

The Red Wolves are coming! The Red Wolves are coming! I’m not sure, but I think there are probably laws about driving a tractor trailer through a small intersection in the middle of town. Arkansas State apparently doesn’t know that, but that truck is pretty awesome, though. That wolf face on the front is off the chain.

The ESPN SEC Bloggers, Chris Low and Edward Aschoff make their predictions on the game today:

ARKANSAS STATE at AUBURN

Chris Low: This one has danger written all over it for Auburn, and nobody needs to tell that to Gus Malzahn. He knows Arkansas State won’t be intimidated, but the Tigers will make enough big plays on offense to survive. … Auburn 38, Arkansas State 28

Edward Aschoff: Malzahn faces his old team on the Plains. The good news for the Red Wolves is that they won’t see anything too foreign. The bad news is that it won’t matter. … Auburn 38, Arkansas State 20

Lou Holtz also makes his prediction for tonight’s Arkansas State v. Auburn game, too:

Arkansas State will carry a nine-game winning streak, the second longest in the nation, into its first road game of the season.  The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net, and every A-State game this season can also be heard live on the EAB Sports/Red Wolves Radio Network, including 107.9 FM in the Jonesboro area.

A-State, the back-to-back Sun Belt Conference champions, claimed a season-opening win for the first time since 2009 with a 62-11 victory over UAPB last Saturday.  Auburn is coming off a 31-24 home victory over Washington State in its season opener.

There is a watch party planned for Little Rock Red Wolves’ fans, too, Saturday night. Click here for details on this fun event.

Below is a roundup of some of the Arkansas State at Auburn pre-game chatter taking place.

Malzahn quote on the game: “I’ve really tried just to worry about us. The bottom line, we’re facing a very good team that is used to winning,” he said.

Phillip Marshall from AuburnTigers.com writes:

Auburn has more talent than Arkansas State. I doubt even Arkansas State folks would dispute that. But that doesn’t mean the Tigers are going to have a cakewalk come Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Red Wolves have plenty of speed. They have a big-time running back in David Oku, who was recruited hard by Auburn before signing with Tennessee in 2009. They are on a mission to make a splash against Gus Malzahn, who left them for Auburn after last season, and a dozen staff members who followed him. They have won nine consecutive games and will come to town on an emotional high. My guess is it’s going to be a real battle. …

College and Magnolia in Auburn has a pre-game breakdown that includes this:

Mostly, the Red Wolves’ offense should look really similar to the Tigers’ offense, but there will be subtle differences on Saturday. Sure, from time to time, Auburn will use a true tight end and Arkansas State will use two- (and three-) back formations, but the coaching staffs should be trying to maximize the talent on the rosters instead of forcing a particular brand of football on a group of players.

These are some things I’ll be keeping an eye on during the game: Will Arkansas State throw more downfield passes since their tight end provides an immediate vertical threat? Will Auburn’s H-back be in position to pick up that last blitzing defender before giving up a sack? And how many different defensive positions will the H-back be asked to block?

Will Arkansas State beat Auburn? Give us your prediction in the poll and please tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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