BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (12/3/09) - The Arkansas State defense set the stage for one late touchdown, then put the final points on the board as the Red Wolves rallied from a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Western Kentucky 24-20 Thursday night in the season finale for both teams at L.T. Smith Stadium.
With ASU trailing 20-17, senior defensive end Alex Carrington returned Western Kentucky quarterback Kawaun Jakes' fumble 27 yards for a touchdown with 3:49 remaining to put the Red Wolves on top, and the Hilltoppers did not get past their own 23 on their final two possessions.
The Red Wolves (4-8, 3-5) pulled within striking distance when quarterback Ryan Aplin connected with tight end J.T. Jordan from four yards out with 5:30 remaining to cut Western Kentucky's lead to 20-17. The touchdown was set up when freshman linebacker Nick Nelms intercepted Jakes at the Hilltopper 47 and returned the pickoff 43 yards to the WKU four.
The Hilltoppers took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, getting a nine-yard touchdown dash from running back Tyrell Hayden and a three-yard scoring run from running back Bobby Rainey before ASU got on the board with a 27-yard field goal from senior kicker Josh Arauco. Arauco's kick came with 7:27 before halftime, and his three pointer coupled with three extra points on the night made him the highest scoring kicker in the history of the Sun Belt Conference with 288 points.
Western Kentucky took a 17-3 lead into the locker room at the half when placekicker Casey Tinius booted a 34-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
Tinius added another 34-yarder with 3:22 remaining in the third to stretch the Hilltopper lead to 20-3, but ASU began its comeback when Aplin scored on a 12-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining in the third to pull the Red Wolves within two scores at 20-10.
Aplin finished the night 16-of-20 for 146 yards and a touchdown while senior running back Reggie Arnold led the ASU rushing attack with 47 yards on 16 carries. Senior Brandon Thompkins caught a team-high four passes for 36 yards.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Demario Davis led ASU with a career-high 15 tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. Sophomore defensive back Jaquan Kilcrease added eight tackles, Nelms finished with seven including one sack and sophomore defensive end Jeremy Gibson finished the night with six tackles including two sacks. Carrington added a pair of sacks on the night to bring his career total to 19.5, fourth-most in school history and help the ASU defense record a season-high seven on the night.
