HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (11/25/23) – The Arkansas State football team could not overcome an early four-touchdown deficit, falling 35-21 at Marshall on Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
The Red Wolves (6-6, 4-4 SBC) scored on special teams for the second consecutive week and trimmed the deficit in half, but could not complete the comeback in the regular-season finale against the Thundering Herd (6-6, 3-5). Marshall out-gained A-State 493-305 and owned possession for nearly 37 minutes.
Jaylen Raynor completed 19 of 38 pass attempts for 263 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to Courtney Jackson, who caught four passes for 48 yards and also scored on a 60-yard punt return in the third quarter.
Jackson's punt return was A-State's first since Johnnie Lang Jr. scored on a 63-yard return against Tulsa on Sept. 25, 2021. In the punting game, William Pryztup pinned five of his seven punts downed inside Marshall's 20-yard line.
Defensively, James Reed III drew the start and tallied a career-high eight tackles to match Cam Jeffery and Charles Willekes for the team lead in stops.
Marshall held possession for over 10 minutes in the first quarter scoring twice on touchdown passes from Cam Fancher to Charles Montgomery from 9 and 15 yards out to own a 14-0 lead after the opening period. Fancher completed 16 of his 22 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
After an interception pinned the Herd on their own 1-yard line, Fancher capped a 99-yard scoring drive with a 7-yard rush to make it 21-0 with 11:31 left in the half. Marshall added another touchdown at the 6:15 mark when Fancher found Caleb McMillan for a 21-yard strike to push its lead to 28-0.
A-State fought back near the end of the half when Ja'Quez Cross scored on a 3-yard rush to make it a 28-7 halftime deficit.
Fancher tacked his second rushing touchdown of the day with 6:58 to go in the third quarter, pushing the lead out to 35-7. The Marshall signal-caller was one of two 100-yard rushers, rushing 18 times for 100 yards, while Ethan Payne churned out 113 yards on 19 rush attempts.
The Scarlet and Black answered with 2:50 remaining in the third when Jackson broke loose for his 60-yard punt return TD – his second of his career. He then pulled the Red Wolves to within two touchdowns with 2:54 left in the contest, hauling in a 2-yard pass from Raynor, but Marshall would hold strong defensively to end the comeback attempt.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State – bowl eligible for the first time since 2019 – now waits to find out its postseason assignment. The 2023 bowl matchups will be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 3, following regular-season and conference championship games.
