10 things you didn't know: South Alabama at Arkansas State

Every week before a game, the sports information staffs at both schools put together game notes — thick packets full of stats, rosters, history and stories about their players. The South Alabama and Arkansas State SID staffs produced a combined 80 pages for Thursday's game. They're detailed, they're fascinating and almost nobody outside of the press box ever sees them. Honestly? A lot of media don't dig through them, either. We do. We went through every page of both sets of notes to find the most interesting things about the most interesting people on both sidelines. Here are 10 things you might not have known about Thursday night's game.

We already published the Jags Jungle crew's picks and predictions for this game. This is the stuff that didn't make it into that story.

1. Arkansas State has a man on its sideline who has been there since gas cost 59 cents.

Ron Carroll has been a fixture on the Arkansas State sideline since 1976. The contest against Kennesaw State earlier this season marked his 600th consecutive game — a streak that is the second-longest known in FBS history behind Buddy Davidson, who attended 700 straight games for Auburn. Carroll served as the head athletic trainer for Arkansas State from 1976 to 2021 and currently serves as an Athletics Health Care Administrator. When Carroll first walked onto the sideline in September 1976, a gallon of gas cost 59 cents and a house ran you about $38,100. Fifty years later, those figures are roughly $3.30 and $425,000. Carroll has outlasted them all.

2. This is the first Thursday game in the history of this series — and it figures to be close.

Thursday's game marks the fourth non-Saturday meeting in series history and the first Thursday matchup between the Red Wolves and Jaguars. If recent history is any guide, don't leave early. Nine of the 14 meetings between these two programs have been decided by 10 points or less. Arkansas State is 5-2 against the Jaguars on its home field. The last two meetings went to the Red Wolves on last-second field goals. This series doesn't do blowouts.

3. Anthony Eager is the second-most explosive receiver in the country.

Anthony Eager's 11 receptions don't jump off the stat sheet. His 27.73 yards per reception does — that figure ranks second nationally. Eager has four touchdown catches and 305 receiving yards despite his modest reception total, which means he's averaging a first down and then some every time he touches the ball. The Mobile native has connected with fellow Mobile native Jared Hollins on two of those touchdowns, including a 69-yard score against ULM and a 35-yard pitch-and-catch in the same game.

4. Chauncy Cobb went from 1 catch in 2 years to 73 in one season.

Arkansas State wide receiver Chauncy Cobb entered last season with a grand total of three games played and one reception for four yards across his first two years on campus. Then something clicked. Cobb finished the year ranked second on the team with 73 receptions for 797 yards, including a career-high 126 receiving yards at ULM and 117 at App State. He has three or more catches in 17 of his last 18 games and carries a 19-game reception streak dating back to the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl. That's a player who went from invisible to indispensable in one offseason.

5. Jared Hollins ranks 5th nationally in passing yards per completion.

Hollins has been making the most of every completion since taking over as starter. His 15.58 yards per completion ranks fifth nationally, and his 9.50 yards per pass attempt ranks 14th. His passer efficiency rating sits at 160.0, which is 40th in the country. For a quarterback who wasn't listed as the starter on the depth chart, Hollins is putting up numbers that suggest the Jaguars found the right guy at the right time.

6. South Alabama leads the entire country in three categories — including zero fumbles lost.

Through five games, the Jaguars have fumbled the ball four times and lost it zero times. That ranks first nationally in fumbles lost. South Alabama also ranks first nationally in punt return defense, allowing opponents a combined minus-1.67 yards per return. And first nationally in blocked kicks allowed, with zero. Three No. 1 national rankings for a team that most people outside the Sun Belt haven't thought twice about. That's what the game notes will tell you when the national broadcast won't.

7. Kam Moore had 28 career tackles in five years — then had 13 in one game.

Fifth-year linebacker Kam Moore spent four seasons at UCF before transferring to Arkansas State, compiling a career total of 28 tackles across five years. His previous career high was four, set in 2022. Then came Kennesaw State. Inserted into the game, Moore totaled 13 tackles — nearly half of his entire career output in a single afternoon. He added assisted tackles for loss on two key fourth-down stops in what became a 17-14 win. Sometimes a career finds you when you stop looking for it.

8. Brendan Jenkins already passed his entire 2025 stat line — in five games.

Brendan Jenkins leads South Alabama with 20 receptions for 319 yards and three touchdowns through five games this season. That line surpasses his 2025 totals in all three categories. He matched his entire 2025 reception total in one game at Tulane, hauling in nine catches for a career-high 119 yards and a touchdown. He then added a 72-yard touchdown reception against ULM on the second play of the game. Jenkins was a complementary piece last year. This year he's the go-to target in an offense that has found another gear.

9. Last year's Arkansas State team was the only squad in America to start 1-4 and make a bowl.

The 2025 Red Wolves were the only team in the nation to start 1-4 and still finish bowl eligible — just the 13th FBS team to pull off that feat since 2003. How they got there is what makes it stick: Arkansas State became the 12th FBS team to win three one-point games in a single season and the 36th to win back-to-back one-point contests. That ability to find ways to win close games has carried into 2026. The Red Wolves have won 12 one-score games since the start of the 2024 season, tied with Arizona State for the most among FBS programs in that span.

10. Joe Drew played safety — now he's one of the best tacklers in the country.

Second-year linebacker Joe Drew began his career at safety before making the transition to linebacker, and the move has paid off in a big way. Drew leads Arkansas State with 46 tackles and his 9.2 tackles per game rank second in the Sun Belt and 19th nationally. He has 27 solo stops, the most in the conference and 13th in the country. Drew has posted double-figure tackles in three consecutive games — 12 at TCU, 11 against Kennesaw State and 10 at Louisiana — becoming the first Arkansas State player to achieve that since Melique Straker in 2022. Dating back to 1995, he's only the sixth player in program history to post 10-plus tackles in three straight games.