JONESBORO, Ark. (10/11/08) ? The Arkansas State Red Wolves built a 23-point second-half cushion, then held off a late Louisiana-Monroe rally to post a 37-29 Sun Belt Conference victory over the Warhawks Saturday night at ASU Stadium.
Arkansas State freshman tailback Derek Lawson rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, junior defensive back Marcus Brown returned a fumble 71 yards for a score and junior placekicker Josh Arauco set the Arkansas State mark for consecutive field goals, helping ASU remain undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play at 2-0 and 4-2 overall. Junior defensive end Alex Carrington, the Sun Belt sack leader coming into the game, led the ASU defense with eight tackles, including 2.5 sacks. Carrington also broke up a pass and forced a fumble in the game.
With the loss, Louisiana Monroe slipped to 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in league play.
“Obviously it's great to be 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play,” said ASU Head Coach Steve Roberts. “It's great to get another win under our belt and I'm real proud of making the plays we needed to make to win the football game.”
The Red Wolves got on the board with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter quarter when junior wideout Jahbari McLennan scored from 63 yards out on a reverse. The Warhawks answered less than two minutes later when senior quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster completed the first of three touchdown passes on the night.
Lancaster connected with junior wideout Darrell McNeal from 29 yards out for the score, but Arkansas State answered with 10 straight to take a 17-7 advantage. Arauco was good on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds gone in the quarter, and the Red Wolves built the 10-point cushion when Lawson capped a 53-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:34 remaining in the half.
Louisiana-Monroe freshman Luther Ambrose answered Lawson's score with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the ASU lead to 17-14, but the Red Wolves added 10 more before the half to take a 27-14 lead at the break.
Arkansas State junior quarterback Corey Leonard completed a 65-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 6:40 remaining in the second, and Arauco set a new ASU record for consecutive field goals when he kicked his 11th straight, hitting from 26 yards out with 4:42 to play in the half.
The Red Wolves stretched their lead to 37-14 when Brown scooped up a Lancaster fumble with just over five minutes remaining in the third and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown, and Arauco extended his streak to 12 when he booted a 44-yarder six seconds into the fourth quarter.
Lancaster hooked up with tailback Frank Goodin for a 25-yard score with 12:30 remaining, then hit tight end Zeek Zacharie on a one-yard touchdown pass with 7:31 to play to cut the Arkansas State lead to eight at 37-29.
Arkansas State picked up a first down on its next drive to drain the clock down to the 3:48 mark, and the Warhawks did not cross midfield on their final drive before turning the ball over on downs.
“Getting the fourth down stop in the fourth quarter was great,” said Roberts. “Getting our hands up and batting the football is what we did several times. I was proud of our football team for being able to walk away with the victory. I'm very proud of them and I'm ready for our next challenge up ahead.”
The challenge comes next Saturday when the Red Wolves travel to Lafayette, La. to take on the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
