Arkansas State’s defensive front was among the most disruptive in the Sun Belt and the Group of Five this season.
The Red Wolves finished the regular season with 31 total sacks, and their 2.58 sacks per game rank 26th in the FBS. That included nine sacks against Troy in early November, which is tied for the most in any FBS game this season and tied for the second-most in program history. They finished with 13 more sacks than what they had last season.
Led by defensive ends Ethan Hassler and Demarcus Hendricks, 12 players tallied at least one sack this year.
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Hassler and Hendricks both have 6.5 sacks apiece, which rank in the top five in the league. Their strong seasons led to all-conference honors with Hendricks landing on the first team and Hassler earning a third-team nod. Hendricks leads the team with 11.5 tackles for loss while Hassler’s 10.5 are second-most.
They weren’t the only ASU defensive linemen to be named All-Sun Belt.
Defensive tackle Cody Sigler was tabbed second-team all-conference after finishing the regular season with 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and five pass breakups, which is tied for a team high and is second nationally among DTs. The 6-foot-3, 297-pound redshirt junior leads the league with 25 total pressures and also had a scoop-and-score against Louisiana.
It is only the third time ASU has had three defensive linemen earn All-Sun Belt honors in one season and the first time its happened since 2018.
Sigler and Hendricks both came from Division II with Sigler transferring from West Alabama, where he spent the previous three seasons. Hendricks transferred from Texas A&M-Kingsville, where he had played since 2020. They stepped in and made a huge impact for a defensive line that wasn’t returning any starters, outside of Hassler’s one start he made last year.
Hassler has spent his entire career with Arkansas State but has dealt with injuries over the past few seasons. The redshirt senior only appeared in two games last year but bounced back to become a key player for ASU’s defense. His 43 career games played for the Red Wolves is tied with linebacker Andrew Agapos for the most by a defensive player on the roster.
Bryan Whitehead was another defensive lineman who made big plays for the Red Wolves all season, and he finished with four sacks and nine TFLs. He was an all-conference honoree at App State last year.
The defensive line group was mostly a blend of players who had never played together, but they meshed well and helped ASU earn its third-consecutive bowl berth.
The Red Wolves will take on Missouri State in the Xbox Bowl at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday in Frisco, Texas.
WR Corey Rucker Caps Stellar Career
Rucker has done nothing but put up fantastic numbers during his time at Arkansas State.
The redshirt senior really made himself known with a 310-yard, four-touchdown performance during his freshman season in 2020. Since then, he’s worked his way to become ASU’s all-time leading receiver.
Rucker’s 3,903 receiving yards are by far the most in program history, and his 26 touchdowns are tied with Omar Bayless for the most.
Not only does he own the program record for receiving yards, but he’s also the Sun Belt’s all-time receiving yards leader.
His 3,955 yards are also the most among active FBS players. He spent the 2022 season at South Carolina where he had 52 yards prior to transferring back to Arkansas State.
This season, Rucker earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors for the third time in his career, and I expect him to reach 4,000 yards against Missouri State, which will make him the 24th player in FBS history to accomplish that feat.
Rucker and fellow wideout Chauncy Cobb were one of the best WR duos in the league this season. Rucker has 866 yards going into the bowl game while Cobb has 767. Both guys have 69 receptions, and Rucker has three TDs while Cobb surprisingly hasn’t caught a TD this season.
Cobb was a first-team all-conference selection.
Xbox Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Missouri State Prediction
I predict Arkansas State wins and covers the spread. College football betting odds have the Red Wolves as a 1.5-point favorite as of this writing.
The main reason I think ASU will win is because Missouri State will be without former head coach Ryan Beard, who has taken the head coaching job at Coastal Carolina. Without him, I think the Red Wolves can take advantage of a defense that might not be as engaged as it would have been otherwise.
I think ASU QB Jaylen Raynor will have no problems getting the ball to Rucker and Cobb, who I expect will make a lot of plays in this game and lead the Red Wolves to a win.
