MONROE, La. (10-6-2007) ? After jumping out to a 13-0 lead, the Arkansas State Indians saw their Sun Belt Conference opener spoiled Saturday night when the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks reeled off 30 unanswered points and went on to defeat the Indians 30-13 at Malone Stadium in Monroe. With the loss, Arkansas State dropped to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in SBC play, while ULM improved to 1-4 on the year and 1-1 in conference action.
Missed opportunities plagued Arkansas State. A pair of drops in the end zone and two missed field goals kept 20 potential points off the board, and the Tribe failed to capitalize on a botched punt attempt by the Warhawks at the ULM 26 midway through the third with ULM on top 17-13.
Arkansas State scored on its first three drives, getting a pair of field goals from sophomore placekicker Josh Arauco on the Indians' first two possessions. Arauco booted kicks of 33 and 29 yards to give the Tribe a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and sophomore quarterback Corey Leonard hooked up with wide receiver Chris Miller for a 21-yard touchdown with 13:02 remaining in the second quarter. Leonard's touchdown pass completed an 81-yard drive, boosting the ASU lead to 13-0.
The Warhawks charged back with 17 unanswered first-half points to claim a 17-13 advantage at the break. Kicker Cole Wilson put ULM on the board with 9:35 remaining in the half when he knocked through a 21-yard field goal, and the Warhawks cut the Indian lead to 13-10 on their next possession when quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster passed complete to wide receiver Darrell McNeal on a four-yard touchdown pass at the 4:17 mark.
After the ASU offense failed to pick up a first down on its next possession, Warhawk tailback Calvin Dawson wrapped up a 70-yard drive with a1-yard touchdown run that put ULM on top 17-13 with 45 seconds remaining before the break.
Wilson tacked on a 20-yard field goal with 3:59 remaining in the third to push the Warhawk lead to a touchdown at 20-13, and ULM took a two-touchdown lead with 9:32 remaining when Lancaster hooked up with McNeal again on a 26-yard touchdown play that pushed the Warhawk lead to 27-13.
Wilson added another 20-yard field goal with 3:04 remaining to set the final at 30-13.
Leonard rushed for a career-high 93 yards and passed for 206 yards and a touchdown to lead the Indian offense, but also suffered a pair of interceptions on the night. Linebackers Koby McKinnon, Javon McKinnon and Ben Owens led the ASU defense, with Koby McKinnon logging 11 tackles, and Javon McKinnon and Owens notching 10 stops on the night.
Tailback Calvin Dawson rushed for 118 yards and a score on 26 carries to lead the Warhawk rushing attack, and Lancaster completed 15 of 22 passes for 195 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Indians return home for next week's homecoming game against Louisiana-Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at Indian Stadium.
