TROY, Ala. (11/18/06) ? Cedric Wilkerson scored on a one-yard run with 17 seconds left in the game to give Arkansas State a 33-26 win over Troy University Saturday night at Movie Gallery Stadium. The come-from-behind victory by ASU gave Troy its first Sun Belt Conference loss on the year and keeps the Indians bowl eligible.
The Trojans led 26-25 with 3:58 remaining as the Indians were driving downfield. With fourth down and eight yards to go and 1:36 left in the game, ASU quarterback Corey Leonard scrambled 11 yards and picked up the first down to keep the drive alive. As the Tribe offense continued to move, Wilkerson took advantage of a third-and-goal situation to bull it in from the one capping off a 70-yard drive. Leonard ran in the two-point conversion to cement ASU's lead.
When play resumed and with eight seconds showing on the clock, Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook threw a long pass which was intercepted by ASU's Darren Toney to run out the clock and seal the win for the Indians. ASU, who snapped a three-game losing streak, is now 6-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while Troy drops to 5-5 and 4-1.
“I can't be prouder of this team,” said ASU Head Coach Steve Roberts. “They did everything we asked. It was a total team effort on offense, on defense, on special teams. All week people kept talking about how we didn't have anything to play for, but we have a lot to play for. I'm really proud of our football team.”
Things looked shaky early when Troy got on the scoreboard first, courtesy of a 47-yard field goal by Greg Whibbs at 9:41 in the first quarter. A short time later, running back Kenny Cattouse extended the Trojan lead to 9-0 on a four-yard scoring run. Whibbs' extra point attempt was wide.
ASU answered with 46 seconds left in the first period when tight end David Johnson snagged a short pass from Leonard and ran 62 yards for the score. Kicker Josh Arauco nailed the PAT to make it 9-7. In addition to hitting a couple of extra points, Arauco played a huge role in ASU's win by connecting on three field goals including a 21, 22, and 36-yarder.
ASU's other TD came on a 21-yard pass from Leonard to Kevin Jones at the 9:13 mark in the second quarter.
“David Johnson's play was a big one for us,” continued Roberts. “That was a big momentum changer for us. Corey played an outstanding game. Sometimes when the pressure is off, you can play like you are capable of playing.”
Leonard, a redshirt freshman from Covington, La., ended the night hitting 13 of 26 pass attempts for 188 yards and two TDs. He also rushed 20 times for 76 yards. Running back Reggie Arnold led ASU with 90 yards rushing in 19 trips. Defensively, safety Tyrell Johnson had nine tackles while linebacker Josh Williams and safety Khayyam Burns each had eight.
For Troy, Cattouse finished the night with 107 yards rushing on 19 carries and two scores. Haugabook completed 19-of-30 passes for 267 yards and one score. He was intercepted twice by Toney and Burns. Mykeal Terry was the Trojans' top receiver with six catches for 140 yards and one TD.
ASU closes out the 2006 season Nov. 25 at Louisiana-Lafayette. “We want to do the same thing next week, but we're not going to talk about it right now. We'll have fun and have a good week of practice,” said Roberts.
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