SMU signs two-year deal with Arkansas State

[Captain E J Smith]

Captain Hazelwood and I were wondering what is the Mascot of ASU?

Is it
A: The Hillbillies
B: The Fightin Opossums
C: The Moonshiners
D: The Revenuers
E: None of the above

I think their slogan is " Feel The Power of Corn Mash!!
and their bi line is "We ain't The Razorbacks"

[MrMustang1965]

It's the Indians. Not exactly PC in this day and age.

[OldPony]

Yes- They still have a little Indian. I think it is Injun' Joe.
Overthehilltop asked why we would care about recruiting in Ark. Granted that the state only has about 3 million people but they play good football. Arkansas is always very well represented on the U of A roster but I'm sure we wouldn't want any of their athletes. We have had some pretty good players over the years from Arkansas too. It is one place that our name is better than our accomplishments still. By playing ASU, we may lose the reputation that we are worthy of playing U of A.
Ark St will travel NO ONE to Dallas and we will travel very few to Jonesboro. Remember to take your own booze if you decide to go because Jonesboro is in a dry county.

[ponyboy]

How is this different from our playing UTA and NTSU in the early '80s? I like this move.

[jtstang]

We have had some pretty good players over the years from Arkansas too. It is one place that our name is better than our accomplishments still. By playing ASU, we may lose the reputation that we are worthy of playing U of A.

Two words: Donte Womack (I mean before he ws benched by Cavan a la Ramon Flanigan)

Not sure about your concern of losing our reputation that we are worthy of playing Arkansas. What does it matter to have such a rep if they won't schedule you anyway?

[PlanoStang]

Copeland strikes again. Attendance of the UNT at Arkansas State game last season was 6,883. If he didn't get a guarantee to cover our expenses, we'll lose money to play them in 2008. That's after having about the same attendance at Ford in 2006

[EastStang]

I saw on the CUSA site that the away game might be played in Little Rock. Darn, I was looking forward to seeing those recessive genes in full bloom in Jonesboro.

[mrydel]

I am sure we would not have liked to have had Matt Jones or Peyton Hillis on our roster. Arkansas State signed one of the top RBs in the nation a few years back. Sad thing for them was he injured his ankle in an All Star game after the season and never fully recovered. ASU fans will travel to Dallas, believe me they like to get out to the big city just like the UA guys. I do believe they will schedule the game in LR. That makes sense for them. It will draw bigger than they do in Jonesboro for both their fans and ours. Our reputation with UA is just fine. It is very easy to look them in the eye and ask them why they will not play us anymore. We embarassed them tremendously. They were able to save some face by beating us soundly the last time, but were anxious to say NO MAS. We are a "no win" situation for them.

Speaking of UA/ASU rivalry, wait until UALR (university of Arkansas at Little Rock) meets UA in the first round of the NIT. When UALR wins, there will be a coaching vacency at UA.

[OldPony]

PonyBoy- The difference is crowd. NTSU will outdraw ASU anyday as will UTA. It is also cheaper to get there.
I hate to disagree with Mrydel becuase he is an Arkansan but I know the state very well too. ASU will not travel. I'm not sure that I ever met anyone who went further than Memphis (60 miles) for an ASU game including guys who played there. Mrydel is right about shutting up U of A fans. They are maybe the only football school we can say that to since the DP. Other than it being a D-1 win, I would be happier to play Grambling or just about anyone else in the region. Bring on Ouchita St. next!!!
Long live dante Womack. Was it Don (?) Weaver from Pine Bluff who was the outstanding tackle at SMU in the 60's and early 70's? OP knew him well once but too many years have gone by along with too many young scotches.

[mrydel]

OP:

ASU will not travel anywhere near as well as UA did. However, I was always depressed when UA played in Dallas in that we were severely out numbered. I think (and could definitley be wrong) that ASU will travel as well as any of our new conference mates, and IF and WHEN we start winning, hopefully we can fill the rest of the stadium. ASU should be good for 8-10 thousand. I would think if we put a good product out we could put in 15,000 or so of our folks. I would rather it be that than going to the Cotton Bowl and having 50,000 UA fans and 5,000 SMU fans. But we still need the wins to bring in the fans. In Little Rock, the draw would bring 40-45 thousand at War Memorial IF they play it during an open date for UA.

[mrydel]

PonyBoy- The difference is crowd. NTSU will outdraw ASU anyday as will UTA. It is also cheaper to get there.
I hate to disagree with Mrydel becuase he is an Arkansan but I know the state very well too. ASU will not travel. I'm not sure that I ever met anyone who went further than Memphis (60 miles) for an ASU game including guys who played there. Mrydel is right about shutting up U of A fans. They are maybe the only football school we can say that to since the DP. Other than it being a D-1 win, I would be happier to play Grambling or just about anyone else in the region. Bring on Ouchita St. next!!!
Long live dante Womack. Was it Don (?) Weaver from Pine Bluff who was the outstanding tackle at SMU in the 60's and early 70's? OP knew him well once but too many years have gone by along with too many young scotches.

I played with a Weaver, Not sure if it was Don. He was called Dad because he had served a stint in the Marines and was older than the rest of us. He was smallish for a lineman but very tough. An extremely nice gentleman. Do not know if this is the man you speak of but that is the best me memory can do.

[Bergermeister]

Hey, it could have been the Muleriders from SAU! Now that's a trip.

[Stallion]

anybody know if Arkansas St regularly plays in Little Rock-the possibility mentioned above? That would make the trip slightly easier, but I thought the news release said it would be in Jonesboro.

[mrydel]

They played a game this past season in LR and had a decent although not huge turn out. They did it because 1) UA dropped one of their LR games, and 2) They were trying to get a bigger attendance for the obvious reasons. I think this would be tailor made for both them and us. There is no doubt that they would draw more ASU fans and more SMU fans if it were in LR. BUT it has to be on an open date for UA or it will not be an attendance success.

[Dooby]

who gives a cr@p about attendance? If we win games, people will come.

I am sick of seeing a sea of orange (OSU) or red and black (TT) in OUR HOUSE. I am going to loathe seeing Maroon in Ford in 2012 (if that really happens).

The attendance requirement is a joke. It is likely unenforeceable. We are likely to meet it anyway. If it were close, we'd find a way to fudge the numbers, like some schools I know did to get the attendance to move up to Div. 1A.

It is a nonconference game, which are usually early in the year. We drew 17k+ (official attendance) to SJSU this year as our second home game. They travel? No. I'll be shocked if in 2006 we don't draw more than 18k for Ark. state.

What non-north texas team that is bad (i.e. winnable) is going to travel well? There are not any. We have to play somebody. I, for one, am tired of watching us get our heads bashed in. I'd rather find out who we can beat rather who we can hang with or get crushed by.

BTW, anyone want to bet Texas A&M cancels its game at Ford Stadium (in 2012!) after we show up in College Station twice to get our @$$ handed to us? I can tell you now that in Dec. 2011, they are going to buy us off, schedule LaLa or someone like that at home and leave us scrambling for another stadium filler. Lots of fun.