OFFENSE

If the Sun Belt Conference played 7-on-7 football, the Red Wolves would be a runaway league favorite. The problem for Arizona State is up front, where all-league center Tom Castilaw is not just the only returning starter … he’s the only lineman that saw more than occasional action.

If Castilaw can get his mates to his level and ASU fills those gaping needs, the offense should be a potent one. First-team all-league quarterback Ryan Aplin set school records for completions (252), passing yards (2,939), total offense (3,416) and touchdowns (21) as a sophomore and now has another year in coach Hugh Freeze’s offense. He also rushed for 11 scores and completed 61.5 percent of his passes, a number that could go up since his top three targets all return.

Starting wide outs Dwayne Frampton, Allen Muse and Taylor Stockemer combined for 1,933 yards and 16 scores last year, and all had at least one 50-yard touchdown catch. Tight end Kedric Murry figures to be a bigger staple in the throwing game after catching only nine passes last season.

The Wolves are also stocked at running back, with every player that had more than 10 yards rushing in 2010 returning. Along with Aplin’s dual-threat talents (477 rush yards), starting tailback Derek Lawson is back after a 500-yard season, Jermaine Robertson is a solid backup, and Sirgregory Thornton provides a breakaway threat. Thornton averaged 6.8 yards on his 38 rushing attempts as a freshman.

All they need is the front wall to provide some chances — but that remains to be seen. ASU did sign five junior college offensive linemen, so immediate help may be available.
 

DEFENSE

Sack machine Bryan Hall may be gone, but Arkansas State’s defensive front will again be solid — especially on the ends. Former Texas A&M signee Brandon Joiner and ball-hawk Justin Robertson are back at the ends, and all-league pick Dorvus Woods provides an inside force, as does Freshman All-American pick Amos Draper. That unit was solid against the pass (27 sacks) last season but needs to improve on stopping the run for ASU to be a defensive force.

Linebackers Nathan Herrold and Demario Davis combined for 141 tackles last year and head up one of the deepest units on the defense, while safety Kelcie McCray is the team’s top returning tackler (79) to go with six career interceptions. He’ll need to have another big year as the Wolves must fill two starting secondary spots.

SPECIALISTS

Neely Sullivent became one of the league’s most consistent punters last year, downing 15 punts inside the 20-yard line, and Brian Davis was the best of a shaky kicking game last year. The Wolves do have a weapon in return man Rod Hall, who averaged 23.1 and 8.2 on kickoff and punt returns, respectively.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Freeze was Arkansas State’s offensive coordinator last year before taking over for dismissed nine-year boss Steve Roberts, and even though the Wolves have new run-game and pass-game coordinators, Freeze will still call plays. That’s a plus for a unit that has many weapons in the skill positions, but ASU won’t go far unless a thrown-together offensive front jells quickly. That may put more pressure on a realigned defense, one that will have multiple looks and will try to limit the big plays that were too frequent from opposing offenses last year.