Following three consecutive road games, Arkansas State returns home to host No. 15-ranked Coastal Carolina on Thursday in a 6:30 p.m. game that will be televised nationally on ESPNU.  Every A-State football game can be heard live on the EAB Sports Radio Network, including flagship station 107.9 FM in the Northeast Arkansas area.

THE PRINCIPALS: Arkansas State continues Sun Belt Conference play this week, turning its sights to a Coastal Carolina team that will be the highest Associated Press nationally-ranked opponent to ever play at Centennial Bank Stadium.  The 15th-ranked Chanticleers are playing just their second road game of the season after getting off to a 5-0 overall start, including a 1-0 mark in league action.  The Red Wolves began the season with a 40-21 victory over Central Arkansas, but have dropped their last four games to bring their overall and Sun Belt records to 1-4 and 0-1, respectively.
 
HEAD COACH BUTCH JONES: Butch Jones was announced as the Red Wolves' 31st all-time head football coach on December 12, 2020.  Jones not only brought 11 years of head-coaching experience at the NCAA FBS level with him to Jonesboro after previous stops leading the football programs at Tennessee (2013-17), Cincinnati (2010-12) and Central Michigan (2007-09), but he also spent the last three seasons (2018-20) working as part of Nick Saban's staff at national-power Alabama.  During Jones' first 11 seasons serving as a head coach, his teams combined to win four conference championships, played in eight bowl games and finished ranked in the AP Top 25 five times.  He has coached a combined 77 all-conference honorees and 27 NFL Draft picks.
 
DEBUT GAMES: Butch Jones is A-State's 31st all-time head coach, but became just the 11th to claim a victory in his first ever game at the school.  Each of the two head coaches (Blake Anderson and Bryan Harsin) immediately preceding Jones won their initial games, but Harsin in 2013 was actually the first to do so since Larry Lacewell in 1979,  snapping a streak of seven head coaches to drop their debuts.  A-State's head coaches to win their first game at the school include Jones (2021), Anderson (2014), Harsin, Lacewell, Bill Davidson (1971), Gene Harlow (1955), Glen Harmeson (1954), Bill Adams (1939), Jack Dale (1931), Bill Stanley (1924) and Clint Young (1913).  Among the same group, Davidson was the last to win his first two games in 1971.
 
THE ARKANSAS STATE - COASTAL CAROLINA SERIES:  Arkansas State holds a 3-1 record against Coastal Carolina, although the Chanticleers claimed a 52-23 victory at Brooks Stadium in Conway last season.  All four games have been played as Sun Belt Conference opponents, including the first meeting in 2017 when the Red Wolves collected a 51-17 win in Jonesboro.  A-State also topped the Chanticleers 28-27 at Centennial Bank Stadium in 2019 and went on the road to pick up a 44-16 victory in 2018.
A-STATE/COASTAL CAROLINA SERIES
Oct. 3, 2020: @ Coastal Carolina (L, 23-52)
Nov. 16, 2019:  vs Coastal Carolina (W, 28-27)
Nov. 10, 2018: @ Coastal Carolina (W, 44-16)
Oct. 14, 2017: vs Coastal Carolina (W, 51-17)
 
A-STATE vs THE SUN BELT:  Arkansas State has won 58 of its last 80 Sun Belt Conference games (.725 winning percentage) to run its all-time record in the league to 90-58.  The Red Wolves hold their most all-time victories against ULM with 27.  A-State has defeated every team in the conference since the football league was formed in 2001.  Along with ULM and Louisiana, A-State is one of three teams that have been a part of the conference since its inaugural football season.
 
UNBUCKLE THE BELT:  The Red Wolves stand 13-8 all-time in Sun Belt Conference openers following their 59-33 setback at Georgia Southern last week.  Although A-State dropped its first SBC game the last two years, it has won six of its last nine league openers.  The Red Wolves played their first Sun Belt game on the road for the fifth consecutive season this year. They also faced Georgia Southern in their Sun Belt opener for the fourth time, tying ULM for their most played opponent in such games.
 
RED WOLVES OCTOBER:  Arkansas State holds a 26-10 record over its last 36 games played in the month of October for a .722 winning percentage.  A-State had won 11 games in a row during the month prior to falling to Appalachian State on Oct. 9, 2018.
 
TAKING ON THE TOP 25:  Arkansas State holds two all-time victories over an AP Top 25 team, including a 35-3 win over No. 25 Troy in 2016 and a 17-13 win over No. 25 Kent State in the 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl (2012 season).  At No. 15, Coastal Carolina will be the highest-ranked Arkansas State opponent to play a game at Centennial Bank Stadium.  A-State also hosted No. 21 Missouri (L, 20-27) in 2015 and No. 25 Memphis (L, 35-47) in 2004.
 
PASSING ATTACK:  Including a school-record 582 passing yards against Memphis and 443 versus Georgia Southern, the eight most in school history, Arkansas State has thrown for 1,885 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.  The Red Wolves are averaging 377.0 passing yards per game that ranks fifth in the nation, while their 15 passing touchdowns are tied for the seventh most.  A-State has thrown for at least 300 yards and two scores in four of its first five games, including the UCA, Memphis, Tulsa and Georgia Southern contests.
 
RUNNING BACK RECEPTIONS: Running back Lincoln Pare has already caught 14 passes for 134 yards this season, which is 49 more yards than he had for all of last season as a true freshman.  He's ranked fourth on the team in receptions and fifth in receiving yards. His 14 catches are also two more than his career total entering the year.  Pare finished the Washington game with seven catches for 69 yards -- both career highs.
 
ON THE RETURN: A-State running back Johnnie Lang Jr. posted a career-long 63-yard punt return for a touchdown during A-State's game at Tulsa, which was A-State's first punt return for a score since Blaise Taylor also found the end zone on a 63-yard return against Nebraska in 2017.  It was the longest return by a Sun Belt player this season, and he now has seven returns for 120 yards, which are the 10th most in the country.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS: Between Blake Grupe's two field goals and four extra points, Johnnie Lang's punt return for a touchdown and Alan Lamar's scoring kickoff return, A-State's special teams accounted 22 of its 34 points scored against Tulsa.  Arkansas State became just the second Sun Belt Conference team to ever record both a kickoff return and punt return for a touchdown in the same game.  Louisiana was the other -- at Iowa State last year (Sept. 12, 2020).  The outing marked the first time an A-State team accomplished the feat for the first time since Nov. 11, 2000, at North Texas.
 
TURNOVER BATTLE TWIST: While A-State won or tied the turnover battle in each of its first three games, it has gone the other way for the Red Wolves their last two outings.  Arkansas State posted seven turnovers gained over its first three games combined, but has just one the last two games combined.  Tulsa held a 2-1 advantage in take aways, while Georgia Southern posted four interceptions to A-State's zero turnovers gained.
 
PICK IT OFF: Arkansas State has posted five interceptions this season, which is only one shy of its six total for all of last year.  All five interceptions have come by different players, including Samy Johnson, EJ Alexander, Jeffmario Brown, Leon Jones and Jarius Reimonenq.  Johnson now has three career interceptions and Reimonenq two, while the other three players have posted their first pick this year as a member of the A-State football team.