JONESBORO, Ark. (10/21/06) - Freshman tailback Reggie Arnold rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, and freshman Corey Leonard added 77 rushing yards, 187 passing yards and a touchdown through the air to lead the Arkansas State University Indians to a 29-10 win over the Mean Green of North Texas Saturday night at Indian Stadium.
With the win, ASU improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference - giving the Indians their best overall start since 1987 and it best-ever Sun Belt start. The Indians also celebrated Homecoming by rolling up a season-high 466 yards of total offense in the game. North Texas dropped to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play. After battling to a 10-10 halftime tie, the Indians scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half - all one-yard runs from Arnold - to distance themselves from the Mean Green, while ASU's defense limited North Texas to just 94 yards after the break.
“I'm very proud of several individuals that played significant roles in this game,” said ASU Head Coach Steve Roberts. “Our offensive line I thought did a heck of a job. We turned out 466 (total) yards and 279 yards rushing. That's absolutely huge, and that's a tribute to all of those offensive linemen up there. We played nine or 10 offensive linemen during course of the ball game. All of them did an outstanding job, as well as our receivers downfield blocking, and our fullbacks.”
Arnold's first touchdown capped a 77-yard drive on the Indians' initial possession of the second half. His second score followed an interception by Indian safety Khayyam Burns late in the third quarter, and his final touchdown came with 9:44 remaining in the game, giving the Indians a 29-10 lead that would prove to be the final score.
“It just feels good,” said Arnold. “Any time you have a dominant offensive line and a dominant lead blocker like that, you can't help but be successful, so all praise goes to those guys.”
Following Arnold's final touchdown, North Texas drove deep into ASU territory, picking up a first-and-goal at the Arkansas State six, but the Indian defense slammed the door for good when it stopped the Mean Green on four straight downs, including a fourth-and-goal from the ASU one to kill the drive. From there, the Indian offense ran out the clock to seal the win.
“The defense stepped up huge, especially there late in the ball game,” said Roberts. “We came up with a big play there on fourth down, and then our offense went down and ran the clock out.”
In the first half, North Texas struck first, getting a 42-yard field goal from Denis Hopovac with 2:15 to play in the first quarter before the Indians countered with a touchdown on their next possession.
Leonard hit sophomore wideout Kevin Jones with a 32-yard touchdown pass to complete the 6-play 72-yard drive and put the Indians on the board. Josh Arauco tacked on the first of his two extra points with 14:01 remaining in the second quarter for the 7-3 Arkansas State lead.
North Texas regained the lead on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Meager to David Collins midway through the second quarter, but a 19-yard Arauco field goal with 1:55 remaining in the half sent the teams to the locker room tied at 10-10.
“You've got to give North Texas a lot of credit,” said Roberts. “They came out, especially in the first half, and played with a tremendous amount of emotion and played outstanding football.”
North Texas tailback Jamario Thomas led the Mean Green with 135 yards rushing, including 81 in the first half.
“Jamario Thomas, what a heck of a running back,” said Roberts. “He made us miss several times during the night. He's very powerful and very quick. He did a heck of a job, but the bottom line is we made enough plays to win this football game.”
Offensively, Leonard finished the night with 264 yards of total offense, a career high. Jones also posted career-best numbers on the night finishing the game with three receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.
“You get more comfortable every time you go out there,” said Leonard. “I think the biggest thing is just how comfortable our offense is getting with each other. When we come out there and dominate the line of scrimmage, we don't feel like there is a defense that can stop us.”
Defensively, Burns led the Indians with eight tackles and an interception, while strong safety Tyrell Johnson also recorded eight tackles on the night. Linebacker Koby McKinnon added seven tackles, and combined with defensive tackle Jamarrow James for one sack of Meager.
ASU will resume defense of its Sun Belt Conference championship Saturday when it travels to Boca Raton, Fla., to take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in a 3 p.m. conference battle.
Arkansas State vs. North Texas Final Stats
