JONESBORO, Ark. (10/26/24) – Zak Wallace scored three times on the ground Saturday, but his final touchdown proved to be the most important, as his 1-yard score pushed the Arkansas State football team past Troy, 34-31, at Centennial Bank Stadium.
 
Wallace's score capped a successful 2-minute drill by A-State (5-3, 3-1 SBC) after Troy (1-7, 0-4) moved ahead 31-26. The Trojans moved into Red Wolves' territory on the ensuing drive, but a clutch interception in the end zone by Trevian Thomas seal the win – Butch Jones' 100^th in his career as a head coach.
 
With the win, the Red Wolves also improved to 4-0 at home this season and extended their home winning streak to six games dating back to last season – the longest since 2016-17 (8).
 
A-State outgained Troy 534-466, including 349 yards passing by Jaylen Raynor, who completed 25 of 40 passes. Corey Rucker hauled in a career-high 12 receptions for a game-high 193 yards – his 10^th career 100-yard game. With his 12 catches, he moved into a tie for fifth in career receptions with 158, matching Robert Kilow's (1998-00) career total.
 
The Red Wolves' defense forced four turnovers on the day, including three interceptions by Thomas, Jordan Mahoney and Websley Etienne. Charles Willekes forced a fumble in the first quarter, recovered by Marvin Ham. Justin Parks recorded a team-high 10 tackles, including seven solo stops.
 
Clune Van Andel started the contest with back-to-back field goals from 22 and 19 yards out to put A-State ahead 6-0. He would connect on all four of his tries, running his streak to 14 consecutive makes – the longest streak since Josh Arauco made 15 in a row in 2008.
 
On Troy's second drive of the night, Mahoney intercepted a deep pass at the A-State 1-yard line, which later led to a 10-play, 99-yard scoring drive capped by a 5-yard rushing score from Wallace to give the Red Wolves a 13-0 advantage after one. The 99-yard scoring drive was its longest-yardage scoring drive since a 99-yard drive against Texas State in 2019.
 
The Trojans got on the board midway through the second on a 38-yard field goal by Scott Taylor Renfroe, but A-State answered right back with Wallace's second score of the day – a 3-yard rush to push its lead to 20-3. Van Andel ended the half with a 39-yard field goal to send the Red Wolves into the half with a commanding 23-3 lead.
 
Troy came out hot in the third quarter, scoring 21 straight points to take a 24-23 lead. Damien Taylor scored on a 1-yard rush, followed by touchdown passes from Matthew Caldwell to Brody Dalton (16 yards) and Peyton Higgins (1 yard). Caldwell completed 22 of 33 passes for 304 yards.
 
The Red Wolves broke the scoring drought when Van Andel made a career-long 46-yard field goal, moving them ahead 26-24 through three.
 
Gerald Green (20 carries, 113 yards) then put the Trojans back ahead 31-26 with a 2-yard plunge with 1:45 on the clock.
 
Nine plays later, Wallace found the end zone with 33 seconds left for the game-winning score, capping a quick nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Raynor then linked up with Rucker for the 2-point conversion to put A-State ahead by three.
 
Troy took possession at its own 25, and Caldwell completed three passes to move the Trojans down to the A-State 30, but his final pass fell into the arms of Thomas, who fell to the turf for the touchback.
 
After a bye week next week, A-State returns to action with back-to-back road dates, beginning Nov. 9 at Louisiana. Kick-off time and television designation is to be announced. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network as well as the A-State Red Wolves mobile app.