JONESBORO (10-13-2007) ? Arkansas State sophomore Reggie Arnold rushed for a career-high 225 yards and sophomore quarterback Corey Leonard set a new ASU mark with five touchdown passes as the Indians rolled past Louisiana-Lafayette 52-21 Saturday night at Indian Stadium.
In addition to his five touchdown passes on the night, Leonard posted a career-high 359 yards of total offense against the Cajuns, completing 17-of-23 passes for 275 yards while adding 84 yards and a score on the ground.
With the win, ASU evens its record at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Sun Belt Conference, while ULL slips to 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the Sun Belt.
The Indians churned out a school record 681 yards in the game, including 302 in the second half when they outgained the Cajuns 302-63. ASU held ULL to just four total yards in the third quarter, helping the Tribe put away the Cajuns with a 21-0 outburst in the second half.
“Obviously, I'm extremely pleased with the outcome of the ballgame,” said ASU Head Coach Steve Roberts. “We did great in almost every area of the game tonight. I felt that we dominated and answered the question of how we were going to bounce back. I thought we bounced back in a big-time way.”
An Indian miscue on the Tribe's first offensive possession put the Cajuns on the board early. A fumbled pitch from Leonard to Arnold was scooped up by ULL safety Daylon McCoy less than three minutes into the game, giving ULL a 7-0 lead, but the Indians regrouped for 17 straight points to take the lead.
“Things didn't start off right in the beginning of the ball game with that fumble and return for a touchdown,” said Roberts. “How you start a ballgame is important, but how you finish is even more important. I think we finished the game after that play in a big-time way.”
Arkansas State tied the game with an eight-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by Leonard, and the Indians went on top to stay when sophomore kicker Josh Arauco knocked through a 28-yard field goal to make it 10-7, ASU, with 10:18 remaining in the second quarter.
Just over a minute later, Leonard hooked up with tight end David Johnson on an 84-yard catch-and-run that stretched the Indian lead to 17-7. The play was a career long for both Leonard and Johnson.
Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Michael Desormeaux broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run on the Cajuns' next possession, trimming the Indian lead to 17-14 midway through the second quarter, but ASU answered with another Leonard-to-Johnson touchdown, this one from four yards out. The touchdown moved the Indian lead back to 10 at 24-14 with 4:55 remaining before the break.
Desormeaux accounted for another 64-yard touchdown on ULL's next possession, connecting with wideout Jason Chery to put the Cajuns back in the end zone with 4:03 remaining in the half. Chery's touchdown narrowed the Arkansas State lead to 24-21, but again the Indians answered, putting together a 9-play, 82-yard drive that resulted in a 31-21 advantage at the break. Leonard hooked up with senior wide receiver Levi Dejohnette on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds remaining to complete the drive.
Arkansas State put the game away with three unanswered touchdowns in the second half that gave the Indians a 31-point cushion.
Leonard completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Catlin midway through the third quarter, then hit tailback Cedric Wilkerson with a 10-yard scoring strike later in the period, and Arnold opened the fourth quarter with a 16-yard touchdown run that extended the ASU lead to 52-21 with 13:39 remaining.
Johnson finished the game with 93 yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, while Dejohnette hauled in five passes for 75 yards and a score. Defensively, the Indians were led by linebackers Koby McKinnon and Ben Owens with seven tackles each.
Arkansas State resumes Sun Belt Conference play next week when it travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to take on the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee (2-5, 1-1).
