SAN MARCOS, Texas (10/12/24) – Ja'Quez Cross led all players with 175 all-purpose yards, but the Arkansas State football team ultimately fell 41-9 at Texas State Saturday night at UFCU Stadium.
A-State (3-3, 1-1 SBC) trailed by one possession at intermission, but were shut out by the Bobcats (4-2, 2-0) in the second half.
Clune Van Andel accounted for all nine of the Red Wolves' points, improving to 7-for-7 in the last two contests.
Cross rushed for 117 yards on just nine carries and added a team-high 48 yards receiving on six catches. It was his third career game with 100-plus rushing yards.
Jaylen Raynor completed 24-of-38 for 207 yards through the air.
Marvin Ham led all players defensively with nine tackles, including two for loss for the second outing in a row, while A-State had a season-high four pass break-ups for the second straight game.
Van Andel put the Red Wolves on the board first with a 41-yard field goal, but Texas State countered with a pair of scores to take a 14-3 lead after the first quarter. Jordan McCloud linked up with Kole Wilson for a 53-yard strike and then scored on a 5-yard keeper. McCloud hurled four touchdowns on 24-of-29 for 320 yards, with two scores going to Joey Hobert, who had 10 grabs for 101 yards.
In the second quarter, Van Andel tacked on a 40-yard kick to make it 14-6, and then the Bobcats answered with a 39-yard field goal by Mason Shipley. Van Andel sent a 25-yard kick through the uprights with 15 seconds left in the half to cut Texas State's halftime lead to 17-9.
Early in the third, McCloud found Jaden Williams for a 25-yard scoring pass, and later connected with Hobert for a 30-yard touchdown to put the score at 31-9 after three. Hobert scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on an 8-yard pass from McCloud, and then Shipley ended the night's scoring with a 29-yard field goal with 3:42 remaining.
The Red Wolves look to bounce back next Saturday, Oct. 19, at Southern Miss. Kick-off from M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., is slated for 6 p.m. on ESPN Plus. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network as well as the A-State Red Wolves mobile app.
