ATLANTA, Ga. (11/3/16) – The Arkansas State football team scored touchdowns on a blocked field goal and punt return and got two rushing touchdowns from Johnston White to secure its 13th straight Sun Belt Conference win in a 31-16 victory at Georgia State Thursday night at the Georgia Dome in a contest televised by ESPNU.

The win for A-State improved the team to 4-4 overall and 4-0 in SBC play for the third time in school history with the other occurrences in 2011 and 2015. The Red Wolves are now 17-3 in its last 20 road contests against league competition since the 2011 campaign and have won five straight.

“We found a way to get a team win,” A-State head coach Blake Anderson said. “We challenged everyone coming in and we knew it could be a tough night for our offense. They've held the point totals down on everybody. It wasn't a pretty night, but an effective night. It's still a win and I'll take every win on the road we can get.”

The two teams were locked in a 3-3 tie late in the second quarter when the Panthers (2-7, 1-4 SBC) attempted a 50-yard field goal to try and take a lead into the locker room. However, the attempt by Rogier ten Lohuis was blocked by A-State's Cody Brown and scooped up by Chris Humes, who took the ball 57 yards to the end zone to give the Red Wolves a 10-3 edge with 25 seconds remaining until halftime.

The blocked field goal returned for a touchdown was the first by Arkansas State since the 2000 season when Hanis Bowens accomplished the feat at North Carolina State. However, the return didn't give the team much momentum into the second half as both teams were stagnant in the third quarter until Georgia State broke through on an 8-play, 66-yard drive, capped by a Keith Rucker 17-yard score on a pass from Conner Manning, to tie the game at 10-10 with 5:57 remaining in the period.

Later in the third quarter, the Red Wolves took advantage of a special teams miscue by the Panthers when a high snap on a punt attempt allowed A-State to take over deep in Georgia State territory. The Panthers forced a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, but White barreled into the end zone to put A-State on top 17-10 with just over 30 seconds until the final quarter.

The fourth period began with a bang as Blaise Taylor returned a Panthers' punt 68 yards to the end zone for his third career punt return touchdown and gave the Red Wolves a 24-10 lead. He ended the game with 98 punt return yards, which were the sixth most in A-State history for a single game, while it upped his career total to 669 yards to place him second all-time on the Sun Belt's list for career punt return yards.

The 14-point advantage was short-lived as Georgia State's Tra Barnett ran the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards for six points. The score remained 24-16 after Chris Odom blocked the extra point attempt by the home team.

A-State's Damon Foncham pinned the Panthers deep in their own territory at the two-yard line after a 57-yard punt with a little less than four minutes remaining in the game. Manning was sacked by Kyle Wilson on third down and a fourth-down pass attempt was knocked down to give the visitors the ball at the Georgia State five-yard line.

White plunged into the end zone a couple of plays later from three yards out to put the Red Wolves on top 31-16. The Panthers were able to move into A-State territory, but an interception by Brown, his second of the season and fifth in his career, sealed the victory for the Red Wolves.

Both teams struggled offensively for most of the game with Georgia State outgaining A-State 331-305. Justice Hansen threw for 212 yards, but was only 15-for-35 on the night and had 205 of those yards in the first half. Warren Wand was the team's leading rusher with 49 yards on 15 carries, while White registered 46 yards on 13 carries. The two touchdowns for White on the ground gave him 23 for his career to move him into eighth place in school history in career rushing scores.

Xavier Woodson-Luster led the team with nine tackles, while Wilson recorded the only sack of the game for A-State. Brown and Taylor both had interceptions as the Red Wolves have now won 22 straight games when holding an opponent to 17 points or less. Foncham had a career night with seven punts for 337 yards for a career-best 48.1 yard average. He had a 60-yard boot for a career long and also pinned the Panthers inside the 20 on three occasions.

The Red Wolves dominated the first quarter in yards as the team outgained the Panthers by a 145-53 margin, but couldn't score. J.D. Houston missed a pair of field goals from 42 yards out on the first drive and 24 yards away on the second drive to squander scoring opportunities. A-State drove deep into Georgia State territory on the third drive of the period after an interception by Taylor, but a fumble by Hansen ended another promising drive.

The Panthers used the turnover to drive down the field into A-State territory with the biggest play of the drive being a 35-yard rush by Kyler Neal. The drive stalled at the 25-yard line and ten Lohuis connected on a 42-yard field goal to give the home team a 3-0 advantage early in the second quarter.

The Red Wolves responded with a long drive of their own, powered by a 32-yard reception by Kendall Sanders and a 22-yard connection to Chris Murray, to even the score at 3-3 with a 30-yard field goal by Houston after the drive stalled at the Panthers' 13-yard line.