Hattiesburg, MS – Contributed – The Arkansas State football team (3-4, 1-2 SBC) forced two turnovers and picked up three fourth-down stops in a 23-13 victory over Southern Miss (1-5, 0-2 SBC) on Saturday night inside Renasant Stadium.
The A-State defense tallied multiple interceptions in a game for the third time this season and secured a positive turnover margin of plus-two for the second time. Dontrae Henderson snagged his second pick of the year while AG McGhee secured his first and led the team with seven total tackles.
Trey Owens completed 17-of-25 passes for 170 yards and Chauncy Cobb led the Red Wolves with 50 receiving yards on four catches. Solomon Baggett posted a team-best 48 rushing yards on 15 carries while Kenyon Clay and Timothy Carter accounted for both touchdowns. As a team, A-State totaled 304 yards of total offense including 134 on the ground.
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Clune Van Andel connected on 29 and 40 yard field goals and the defense limited Southern Miss to 33 yards of total offense to secure a 6-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of action. Van Andel moved to fourth in program history for career points with 243, surpassing Eric Neilhouse (232, 2002-05). Momentum remained in the Red Wolves’ favor entering the second quarter, as Henderson’s interception set up the offense at the Golden Eagles’ 35-yard line.
A-State capitalized on the scoring opportunity when Clay rushed up the middle for two yards and a touchdown to make the score 13-0.
Both sides exchanged three-and-outs before a 25-yard completion from quarterback Landry Lyddy to MJ Johnson pushed the opposition into the redzone. Lyddy connected with Preston Kilgore for 16 yards and a touchdown with 6:56 remaining, narrowing the gap to six points. A-State responded with a 44-yard field goal from Van Andel in the ensuing drive and a fumbled snap prevented Southern Miss from matching it before halftime.
The opposition pushed into A-State territory in three of four drives during the third quarter, but a missed 34-yard field goal, an interception by McGhee and a turnover on downs stonewalled the efforts. Following the turnover on downs, Owens completed a 36-yard pass to James Lee, sparking an eight-play drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by Carter. Golden Eagles running back Steven Robinson scored on a one-yard rush with 10:02 remaining in the fourth, making the score 23-13.
The Red Wolves forced a turnover on downs in four plays after punting with eight minutes left, and proceeded to drain the remaining 7:21 off the clock to secure the first road win of the season.
Next Up
A-State returns to Jonesboro on Oct. 24 to face Georgia State in a Homecoming showdown at 6 p.m. inside Centennial Bank Stadium. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+, and the radio broadcast of the game can be heard across the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
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