JONESBORO, Ark. (09/26/09) – Troy wide receiver Cornelius Williams hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Levi Brown with 7:53 to play for the go-ahead score, and the Trojans (2-2, 1-0) kept the ball away from Arkansas State over the final 5:52 to secure a 30-27 victory over the Red Wolves (1-2, 0-1) in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at ASU Stadium.

Williams' score came on the heels of an Arkansas State fumble following a Troy punt, and the Red Wolves' miscue set the Trojans up with just 25 yards to go for what proved to be the winning touchdown. 

The Troy touchdown wiped out an Arkansas State rally that saw the Red Wolves bounce back from a 23-10 second-half deficit to take a 27-23 advantage. 

Following Williams' touchdown, the Troy defense held the ASU offense without a first down on the next Red Wolves possession, and when Arkansas State punted with 5:52 to play, the Trojans held the ball for the remainder of the game.

Brown completed 33-of-46 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns, while ASU senior quarterback Corey Leonard connected on 12-of-24 attempts for 190 yards and a score. 

Troy and Arkansas State went into the game as the 1-2 picks, respectively, in most SBC preseason polls.

“Obviously I'm disappointed we didn't win the game,” said ASU head coach Steve Roberts.  “I have to give Troy a lot of credit for a great plan and execution.  They're a very good football team, and they're living up to everything that was built up in the preseason.   I thought their quarterback played very well and defensively, up front with the four all-conference players they have in their front six, they're very good.  Saying that, we had some opportunities we didn't capitalize on.”

Arkansas State put points on the board on the Red Wolves' first two possessions to jump out  to an early 10-0 lead.  The Red Wolves used a 27-yard field goal from placekicker Josh Arauco and a 1-yard touchdown run from tailback Reggie Arnold to build the early 10-point advantage.  Following Arnold's 1-yard scoring run with 7:12 remaining in the opening quarter, Troy went to work, reeling off 20 unanswered points before halftime.

The Trojans got on the board with a 44-yard field goal from kicker Sam Glusman with 4:02 to play in the first, then tied the game with a six-yard touchdown pass from Brown to wide receiver Tebiarus Gill with less than a minute gone in the second quarter. 

Troy took its first lead at 13-10 on a 37-yard field goal from Glusman with 4:31 to play in the half.  Following an Arkansas State fumble late in the second quarter, the Trojans drove 67 yards in seven plays to take a 20-10 lead into the locker room when fullback DuJuan Harris scored on a 9-yard run with 45 seconds remaining.

Glusman added his third field goal of the afternoon with 13:02 remaining in the third, sending the ball through the uprights from 21-yards out to lift the Trojan lead to 23-10.

Arkansas State countered with a 17-point outburst to take a 27-23 lead that held until Williams scored to put the Trojans back on top.

A one-yard touchdown run from Arnold with 7:14 to play in the third cut the Troy lead to 23-17, and a 58-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to wide receiver Brandon Thompkins less than two minutes later put the Red Wolves on top 24-23. 

Arauco added a 31-yard field goal with 12:17 remaining that stretched the ASU lead to 27-23, and the Red Wolves defense held Troy to just one first down on the Trojans' ensuing drive, but the fumble on Troy's punt gave the Trojans new life.

Sophomore Jaquan Kilcrease led the ASU defense with a career-high 12 tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.

The Red Wolves will take a break from Sun Belt Conference play next week when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in an 11:00 a.m. game that will be nationally televised by ESPN2 or ESPN Classic.

“Nobody got a trophy after this game,” said Roberts.  “We still have a lot to play for.  The history of our league shows that we are still in the race, and we will continue to fight to put ourselves in a position to win a conference championship and go to a bowl game.”