Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – The Arkansas State football team (4-4, 3-1 SBC) rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 34-24 victory over Georgia Southern (3-5, 1-3 SBC) Saturday night inside Centennial Bank Stadium.
Kenyon Clay (124) and Devin Spencer (123) led the Red Wolves on the ground, becoming the first A-State duo to rush for 100-plus yards since October 5, 2016 against the Eagles. A-State tallied four rushing touchdowns as a team its most since the 2023 campaign.
Jaylen Raynor completed 24 passes on 37 attempts for 216 yards and rushed for 54 on 15 attempts. Chauncy Cobb recorded a team-high 81 receiving yards while Corey Rucker was not far behind with 77.
Limiting the Eagles to 128 rushing yards and 336 total yards of offense, the A-State defense notched seven tackles for loss and a season-high four sacks. It was the most sacks in a game since Southern Miss on October 19, 2024.
Aaron Alexander led the way with 10 total tackles while Brandon Greil and Kyle Taylor accounted for nine apiece. Demarcus Hendricks accounted for two sacks and a career-high seven tackles.
The first quarter featured a combined 21 points and 317 yards of total offense on 40 plays, 20 for each team. The Eagles struck on the opening drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass from JC French IV, while an interception at the goal line on the ensuing drive ended an 11 play, 69-yard march for the Red Wolves.
After starting at their own two yard-line, Georgia Southern added seven more points with an 18-yard pass to make the score 14-0 at the 4:10 mark of the opening quarter. A 36-yard rush for Spencer highlighted a five play, 75-yard response for A-State that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run for Kenyon Clay.
The Red Wolves forced a three-and-out to reacquire possession and reached the Georgia Southern eight yard-line before settling on a 24-yard field goal from Clune Van Andel with 13:24 remaining in the second quarter.
The A-State defense forced another punt and the offense faced a 4th-and-1 from the Eagles’ 31 yard-line five plays later. A snap over the head of Raynor resulted in a 37-yard loss and a turnover on downs, and the opposition extended the deficit on a five-yard keeper from French IV not long after to make the score 21-10 with 6:59 to go.
A-State ended the first half on a high note, marching 89 yards on 13 plays before Raynor scored on a two-yard keeper with 12 seconds on the clock.
The Scarlet and Black capitalized on the score to end the first half by covering 77 yards on 13 plays to open the second. Raynor capped the drive in similar fashion, rushing up the middle for eight yards and his second touchdown of the evening to establish a 24-21 advantage.
Both sides exchanged five consecutive punts through the end of the third quarter and the first two minutes of the fourth. A 14-yard completion to Corey Rucker paired with a 15-yard rush from Spencer established momentum for the A-State offense, using seven plays beyond that point to reach the three yard-line before Raynor rushed into the endzone.
Georgia Southern received the ball with 9:42 remaining in the quarter and proceeded to burn nearly eight minutes before converting a 21-yard field goal to cut the lead to 31-24. Rucker recovered the onside kick and Clay rushed for 30 yards to open the drive, but the Red Wolves did not get the first down required to end the contest.
Van Andel extended the lead to double digits with a 27-yard field goal, giving the ball back to the Eagles with 37 seconds remaining. The Red Wolves stonewalled the final comeback bid and secured the victory.
NEXT UP
A-State travels to Troy on Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff from Veterans Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.