Bears And Red Wolves Meet In Texas
For the second time in three years, the Bahamas Bowl is not being played in the island paradise. Back in 2023, we got the first (and so far only) Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte, in which Western Kentucky beat Old Dominion. Fast forward to this year, and we get a new replacement, the Xbox Bowl. Yes, the game is sponsored by the gaming company. In addition, it has a new home. Let’s introduce to the teams and make some predictions as Arkansas State and Missouri State meet in our 2025 XBox Bowl Preview.
A Word From Our Sponsor
When the Bahamas Bowl didn’t happen, the folks at Xbox stepped in to sponsor a new game, which played at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The 91-acre campus is the Dallas Cowboys’ World Headquarters, where they also have their practice facility. Much like the game it’s replacing, the Xbox Bowl features teams from Conference USA and the Sun Belt. It’s now part of the 17 games owned and operated by ESPN Events.
According to a game press release, fans can “expect fun, Xbox-themed moments and in-venue activations designed specifically for the bowl. That’s whether you are in the stadium or watching the game at home.” It certainly sounds interesting, but for football fans, let’s get to why you’re here. Let’s continue our 2025 Xbox Bowl Preview by looking at Arkansas State.
Scouting The Red Wolves
Under coach Butch Jones, Arkansas State comes into Thursday’s game sporting a 6-6 record and 5-3 in the Sun Belt. They started 2025 at 1-4. However, they finished strong, winning five of the last seven to even their mark and make their third straight bowl appearance.
The offense is led by quarterback Jaylen Raynor. The junior led the Sun Belt in completions with 316, passing attempts, 420, and passing yards with 3,073. In addition, he threw for 16 touchdowns. However, he also led the league with 11 interceptions. He’s also a big running threat, finishing third on the team with 434 and seven more touchdowns.
Leading the Red Wolves’ rushing attack are Devin Spencer and Kenyon Clay. So far, they’ve rushed for 523 and 470 yards respectively with a combined five touchdowns. As you can gather from Raynor’s stats, Arkansas State loves to throw the ball.
In fact, two receivers, Corey Rucker and Chauncy Cobb, have 69 receptions each. Rucker, the league’s all-time receiving yards leader with 3,903 had 866 this year. Cobb added another 767 yards. All totaled, Arkansas State has five players with more than 30 catches.
That’s a look at the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Continuing on with our 2025 Xbox Bowl Preview, let’s check out the team from Conference USA.
A Look At The Bears
Under then-coach Ryan Beard, Missouri State was one of the feel-good stories of the college football season. Playing in their first season after transitioning from FCS to FBS football, the Bears went 7-5 on the year and 5-3 in Conference USA. When we ended up with only 80 bowl-eligible teams for 82 slots, both Missouri State and conference mate Delaware ended up in bowls. Normally, teams have to wait a couple of years before being eligible.
Now back to the “then coach” part. Beard took the head coaching job at Coastal Carolina, replacing Tim Beck. He was fired after going 20-18 in three seasons. Bears offensive coordinator Nick Petrino will serve as interim coach for the Xbox Bowl.
Much like their opponents, Missouri State loves to throw the football. Their offense is helmed by quarterback Jacob Clark. Leading Conference USA in touchdowns with 24, Clark threw for 2,895 yards and completed 65 percent of his passes.
Missouri State didn’t have one main receiver hauling in the passes. In fact, they have four players with 30 receptions and two more over 20. Jmariyae Robinson leads the way with 40 catches and six touchdowns. However, they are by no means one-dimensional, as Shomari Lawrence, who finished fifth in the league with 954 rushing yards.
Now that we’ve looked at both teams, let’s give you some stats as we continue our 2025 Xbox Bowl Preview.
Series History
Arkansas State and Missouri State have met four times, with the Red Wolves leading 3-1. However, the Bears won the first meeting back in 1991. They last met in 2015, with Arkansas State winning 70-7. The two schools just announced a home-and-home series for 2027 and 2028.
While this is, of course, the first bowl game for Missouri State, Arkansas State is 5-7 all-time. They knocked off Bowling Green in last year’s 68 Ventures Bowl.
It’s prediction time as we finish our 2025 Xbox Bowl Preview.
Who Wins On Thursday?
On paper, this sets up as a very entertaining game. Look for lots of passing between two quarterbacks who like to sling it. This should be a high-scoring contest that goes down to the wire. In the end, look for the Red Wolves to pull out the win.
Arkansas State 35-31
How To Watch
2025 Xbox Bowl
Date and Time: Thursday, December 18th, 9:00 pm
Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas (Capacity 12,000)
Television: ESPN2
Spread: Arkansas State is a 1.5-point favorite with the over/under at 56.5
