MONROE, La. (10/13/09) -Down 16-0 at the half, Arkansas State (1-4, 0-2) rallied to within 20 yards of the tying touchdown with less than a minute to play but the Red Wolves came up short as Louisiana-Monroe (4-2, 3-0) held on for a 16-10 Sun Belt Conference victory Tuesday night at a rainy Malone Stadium.
The Arkansas State defense, led by linebacker Demario Davis with a career-high 12 tackles, kept the Warhawks off the scoreboard in the second half as the Red Wolves scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Corey Leonard to wide receiver Brandon Thompkins and a 49-yard field goal from Ryan Wilbourn in the third quarter.
The Arkansas State defense held ULM to just 86 yards of total offense in the second half.
Down 16-10 with 4:49 remaining in the game, Arkansas State took over on its own 20-yard line after ULM kicker Radi Jabour's 22-yard field goal attempt bounced no good off the left upright. The Red Wolves drove to the Warhawk 20-yard line in 11 plays with less than a minute to play but could not punch the ball into the end zone.
ULM jumped out to a 16-0 lead at the half. The Warhawks scored on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Trey Revell to LaGregory Sapp just 56 seconds into the game and a 20-yard field goal from Jabour in the first quarter. With 4:34 left in the second quarter, Frank Goodin rushed for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Warhawks a 16-point cushion.
Leonard completed 20 passes on 39 attempts for 234 yards and a touchdown, while Thompkins led the team with five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown to lead the ASU offense. Thompkins added 99 yards on four kickoff returns to finish the night with 194 all-purpose yards. Davis'12 tackles on the night included nine unassisted.
Arkansas State will return to action in their Homecoming game against Florida International Oct. 24th at ASU Stadium.
