John Bobo, the fourth-year coach at Arkansas State, likes his football team entering the '96 season.
"I've never felt better about the way the preseason has gone," he says.Still, Bobo harbors few illusions of his team beating No. 19 BYU Saturday night at Cougar Stadium. The Indians, a five touchdown underdog, are facing BYU for one main reason.
"They'll write us an awfully big paycheck after the game," explained Bobo.
The Indians are expecting to take $225,000 back to Jonesboro for their troubles.
Arkansas State, now a Division I-A independent, is still in its infancy at the highest level of college football. The Indians, who played at the Division I-AA level until '92, are ranked 102nd out of 111 I-A schools entering this season according to Sports Illustrated.
Arkansas State had a breakthrough season in '95, going 6-5 overall as a member of the Big West consortium. The Indians were just 5-27-1 during their first three seasons of I-A football.
The Indians' top returning offensive player is senior running back Corey Walker, but he may not play Saturday night. Walker rushed for 1,013 yards and caught 41 passes for another 411 last season, but had knee surgery early this month. He returned to practice Wednesday, but is still questionable for the BYU game.
"If (Walker's) not ready, he will not play," said Bobo. "We will not risk his senior season for one game."
The Indians will be breaking in a new quarterback - or two - Saturday. Johnny Covington, last season's starter, is gone. Brent Pettus, a 6-3 junior, will likely get the start. Pettus, the team's primary backup the past two seasons, showed promise when he completed 14 of 18 passes against Memphis in '94.
But Jeremie Watkins may see action as the Indians' quarterback, too. Watkins, a sophomore junior college transfer, has been battling Pettus for the starting spot all spring and fall.
Much like BYU's opponent last week, Texas A&M, the strength of the Indians' defense is on their line - with the secondary being their biggest concern. BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian, who had plenty of time to throw, exploited the A&M secondary to the tune of a 536 yards passing and six touchdowns.
"(The defensive line) will get a great test right off the bat," said Bobo. "They are probably playing against the best offensive line in the nation in BYU."