Memphis football vs. Arkansas State: Score prediction, scouting report vs Butch Jones

Memphis football should be confident after starting the season 1-0.

For one, the Tigers beat Bethune-Cookman 56-14 and allowed less than 100 yards of offense. And then there's the opponent this weekend — Arkansas State, which is coming off a 73-0 loss last week at Oklahoma.

Memphis has been installed as a heavy favorite this weekend, but Tigers coaches and players have said they're expecting to see a better version of the Red Wolves than the one that played last week in Norman.

Here's your primer for Arkansas State and this week's matchup.

Arkansas State, Butch Jones lost 73-0 to Oklahoma

The Red Wolves had about as bad an opening game as anyone could've expected. They were overwhelmed from the get-go against the Sooners, falling behind by 28 points in the first quarter as they were completely overmatched against Dillon Gabriel and the high-flying Oklahoma offense.

It obviously wasn't a great debut for quarterback J.T. Shrout, who transferred to Arkansas State after stints at Tennessee and Colorado. The Red Wolves also couldn't get anything going on the ground, finishing with a team average of just 2.1 yards per carry.

Butch Jones was already under pressure after a 3-9 season in 2022, but last weekend's game brought more unwanted national attention on Arkansas State because of the final score and the lack of competitiveness throughout.

Memphis coaches said they've watched the tape from last week to see where the Sooners had success, but they're expecting Jones and his staff to improve significantly from last week's performance.

Memphis football offense hopes to clean up 'Week 1 stuff'

The Tigers cruised past Bethune-Cookman, but coaches said there are still plenty of things to clean up on the offensive side of the ball. Memphis' offense actually allowed all 14 of the Wildcats' points, thanks to a pick-six and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

"I thought we were sloppy," offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said this week. "I hate saying it, but I thought there was some Week 1 stuff that showed up."

There were still plenty of positives. Sutton Smith rushed for 115 yards, becoming the first Tigers running back to cross the 100-yard threshold since Brandon Thomas did it on Sept. 11, 2021. Old Dominion transfer Blake Watson also impressed in his first game with the Tigers, rushing for three touchdowns in the first half.

The passing game had success as well, even though Seth Henigan threw two interceptions. The junior tallied 334 yards with two touchdowns. Toledo transfer Demeer Blankumsee had six catches for 98 yards and a score, and junior Roc Taylor caught six passes for 78 yards. Those two figure to feature prominently in the passing game against Arkansas State.

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Paint Bucket Bowl, anyone?

It may not be the game Memphis fans have circled on their calendars, but Saturday is a rivalry game known as the Paint Bucket Bowl. The Tigers and Red Wolves have played 61 times, with Memphis leading the series 32-24-5.

Yes, there have been five ties, the first of which game in Jonesboro in 1933. At that time, Memphis was known as West Tennessee State Teachers College.

100 years ago, in 1923? A 6-0 win for Memphis. That was just a year after the Tigers pulled off the most lopsided win in Paint Bucket Bowl history, winning 68-0 in Memphis.

As for the name of the rivalry, officials at both schools said they weren't quite sure where it came from. A Wikipedia page for the "Paint Bucket Bowl" cites web pages that no longer exist. Anyway, the Tigers have won the past four meetings, including a 44-32 triumph at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium last season.

Memphis score prediction vs Arkansas State

Memphis 45, Arkansas State 27: The Tigers are in control throughout the game, but the Red Wolves respond after last week's humiliation and at least keep it somewhat close.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis score prediction vs Arkansas State: College football Week 2