UALR 65 Ark St 47 (women's final)

The Arkansas State Women's basketball team came out cold in the second half and fell behind rather quickly to the UALR Lady Trojans.

Sophomore forward Chastity Reed scored 27 points as the Lady Trojans won their 27th consecutive game at the Jack Stephens Center.

The Lady Trojans outscored the Lady Red Wolves 34-16 in the second half.

Junior Jazmine Taylor led ASU in scoring with 13 points in the game on Saturday. The Lady Red Wolves have yet to win a conference game after falling to both Florida International and Arkansas Little Rock.

For the full story click here.

Ark St vs UALR (MEN)

The Red Wolves own a 42-22 series lead over the Trojans. ASU is 7-3 against UALR in their last 10 meetings including splitting the two-game series last season. ASU beat UALR at the ASU Convocation Center on Jan. 5 77-62, but fell to the Trojans at the Jack Stephens Center 82-52.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves are 8-2 on the season and 1-0 in conference after beating FIU 61-41 in their league opener Thursday. Junior Donald Boone leads ASU with 12.3 points per game and leads the team with 16 steals. Eric McKinney is second on the squad scoring 8.9 ppg whil leading ASU with 6.9 rebounds per game (69 total) and has 21 blocked shots.

UALR opens its conference slate by hosting the Red Wolves on Saturday. The Trojans have gone 7-3 in their non conference schedule but have gone 2-3 in their last five games. In their contest, UALR pushed Memphis to the limit but eventually fell 59=51.

Sophomore guard Matt Mouzy leads UALR in total points while averaging 13.2 per game and leads the team with 14 steals. Junior forward Mike Smith leads the Trojans with 59 rebounds averaging 6.6 a game.

ASU is 8-9 in SBC road-openers dating back to 1991.

Much of ASU's early success this season has been due to the tough defense the Red Wolves have played. ASU has held opponents to a combined .363 shooting percentage, while holding eight of their 10 opponents to shooting under 38 percent from the field.

Missouri State was the only team to outrebound the Red Wolves this season.

It is time for a Wolf attack in Little Rock!

Ark St 31 UALR 31 (HALF TIME)

Arkansas State Red Wolves vs UALR Trojans (WOMENs)

Arkansas State continues Sun Belt Conference play Saturday afternoon as the Lady Red Wolves prepare for Little Rock for a match up against in-state rival UALR. Arkansas State is 5-5 on the season and 0-1 in SBC play after falling 63=51 at home against Florida International Wednesday night in the home conference opener.

The loss to FIU snapped a 14-game home conference winning streak for ASU. UALR is 8-2 entering Saturday's game and tonight's game is the conference opener for the Trojans.

Arkansas State has won 40 of the 46 meetings between the two programs, but has not won consecutive games against UALR since winning nine straight from 2001-02 to 2005-06. The Red Wolves hold a 15-4 advantage in games played in Little Rock, but ASU has never won in its three trips to the Stephens Center.

PROJECTED STARTERS

ASU RED WOLVES
Guard Jazmine Taylor (Memphis)
Guard Brittney Hiles (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Guard Veronica Smith (East St. Louis, Illinois)
Forward Shay Scott (North Little Rock)
Forward Lyndsay Schlup (California, Missouri)

UALR TROJANS
Guard Asriel Rolf (Dallas)
Guard Anshel Cooper (Marion, Ark.)
Forward Chastity Reed (New Orleans)
Center Marian Kursh (Fort Smith, Ark.)

Quote of the night

"The referees never see the first punch, but they always see the second," head coach John Brady said Thursday after the 61-41 win over conference foe Florida International.

Brady was referring to when forward Shawn Morgan intentionally hit a Florida International player after the FIU player hit Morgan. The intentional foul was Morgan's fourth foul of the night. It came almost immediately after Morgan picked up his third foul.

His actions got him the bench for most of the remainder of the game. Brady said he would not tolerate stupid mistakes, especially when you have a 17 point lead.

Referring to the movie "50 First Dates" was also pretty funny too.

Ark St 61 FIU 41

8:03 Donald Boone leads all scorers with 11 points and Mike Lance came off the bench with seven points in the first half. ASU shot 43 percent from the field in the first half. ASU holds a 33-21 lead during Thursday's conference opener against Florida International.

8:04
The second half gets under way and FIU gets things started with a nice pick and roll by the two big guys underneath. Freddy Asprilla fed it to Nikola Gacesa to cut the lead to ten.

8:05
Shawn Morgan answers right back with his second bucket off the night to get the lead back to 12. He has five points.

8:07
Ifeany Koggu draws a foul and makes the basket. But his fall to the floor prevents him from going to the line. Daniel Bryant shoots for him but misses.

8:09
Asprilla pulls down a rebound for FIU and puts back in to cut it 37 to 25. ASU's Eric Mckinney answered right back though with a basket of his own and the lead goes back to 14.

Bryant palms the ball and the Red Wolves turn it over to FIU.

8:11
Donald Boone tips a pass away and causes his own fast break to get a Simmions "Super Slam". ASU is now up 41 - 25 with less than 15 minutes left in the game.

8:13
The Red Wolves have racked up 34 blocks so far this season through seven games. Junior Eric Mckinney leads the Red Wolves with 19 blocked shots, which ranks second in the Sun Belt.

Mckinney has one block tonight. Shawn Morgan, who is second on the team with seven blocks, also has a block tonight.

8:18
Offensively, ASU continues to show signs of weakness. But they make up with good defensive efforts at the other night. Tonight has not been as bad as in previous games but every so often glimmers of offensive struggles do appear.

8:24
FIU's Freddy Asprilla picked up a double double at the 11:12 minute mark. He has 10 points and 10 rebounds. Asprilla is 6-10 and weighing in at 280 pounds. He has a football attributes to him but plays center for the Golden Panthers.

8:26
Shawn Morgan picks up his fourth foul of the night after a "controversial" intentional foul call. Nikola Gacesa made both of the free throws to cut the lead to 48 - 33 with under nine minutes left in the game.

8:28
A fast break was halted when ASU was called for stepping out of bounds in front of the student section. ASU regained possesion after an over the back foul was called on Jonas Karosas. Karosas finds a place on the bench as he now has four fouls.

8:31
With eight minutes left in the game, ASU now has a 17 point lead over conference foe Florida International. Nick Taylor gets called for walking and ASU will regain possesion.

Time out on the floor. 7:33 left in the game.

8:34
Boone now has 15 points in the game which leads all scorers. Michael Lance picks up his fifth basket of the night and now has 12 points in the game. Lance and Boone have definitely been the "surprise" leaders of the team. Everybody knew Shawn Morgan would do well. It's refreshing to see new talent take it upon themselves to lead this program.

8:40
Boone steals another pass. Boone now has four steals to go along with his 15 points. ASU leads FIU 56 - 35 with under four minutes left in the game. Eric McKinney has 12 points tonight.

8:44
Freddy Asprilla of FIU has definitely been a dominate force for the Golden Panthers tonight. But one player can not help a team win. Most of his points have been from rebounds. It doesn't have a quick step.

8:46
Boone steals another. With 20 seconds left in the game ASU is up by 20 points. This is their biggest win on the season.

8:47
Arkansas State 61 Florida International 41 FINAL

Ark St 23 FIU 15 4:48

Junior guard Donald Boone had a career scoring night against Indiana State, tossing in 26 points to lead the Red Wolves to a 56-54 victory over the Sycamores. Boone has led the Red Wolves in scoring three times this season and is averaging 10.7 ppg while leading the Red Wolves in steals.

So far tonight Boone has 11 points and is 4-6 from the field and 2-4 from behind the arc. Lance proves to be a consistent leader for the Red Wolves. ASU is shooting 47 percent from the field while FIU is shooting a measly 48 percent.

A missed dunk by FIU led to quick foul to put ASU on the line.

WIth less than a minute left in the half, ASU 31 FIU 20.

Ark St 12 FIU 6 12:00 1st half

Donald Boone's three pointer put ASU up by four and a fast break layup by Shawn Morgan put ASU up by six with less than 12 minutes left in the first half.

ASU continues its defensive minded style of play. It is why ASU has been able to win seven games on the season. Last year, ASU only won 10 games. It is amazing what a year and a new head coach make.

ASU 14 - FIU 6
Michael Lance's two pointer increases the lead the eight for ASU.

ASU 17 - FIU 6
Donald Boone hits a three pointer with under 10 minutes left.

ASU 17 - FIU 8

Mike Lance had a career high game off the bench against Mississippi Valley State with 18 points in only 20 minutes. Lance was 7-9 from the field and 4-6 from three point range.

ASU vs FIU December 18

School might be out for ASU students but the Red Wolves have no time for a break. Following Monday's 75-58 win over Mississippi Valley State, the ASU men's basketball team will face Florida International for its 2008 conference opener.

The Red Wolves are undefeated at home this season in four regular season games with their only losses coming against Ole Miss and Missouri State with a record of 7-2. Junior Donald Boone leads ASU with 12 points per game. Boone is also second in steals (11) and assists (18). Eric McKinney is second on the squad scoring 8.4 points per game while leading the squad with 6.9 rebounds per game.

Florida International stands at 4-6 and has lost five of their last six outings. Nikola Gacesa leads the Golden Panthers with 11 ppg and is their second leading rebounder with 48. FIU holds wins over E. Kentucky (57-54), Monmouth (80-61), Toledo (50-46) and Florida Memorial.

ASU is 9-8 in Sun Belt Conference openers dating back to 1991.

It's time for a Wolf attack!

Breaking the century mark with one final note as Sports Editor

What a long strange trip it has been. It's been real. It's been fun. But it hasn't been real fun. The grass is always greener. What other back of the yearbook cliche phrase can I say as the 2008 comes to a close?

I have definitely enjoyed my time as Sports Editor for the Herald. It has definitely been an experience. Learning how to better manage my time between school, work and life has not been easy. But I have some how managed to get past this semester.

And as my time as Sports Editor comes to close I want to recall some of my favorite moments of the fall.

ARKANSAS STATE 18 TEXAS A&M 14



What a way to kick off the 2008 fall football season. An upset victory over Texas A&M at College Station in September was probably one of the biggest moments in program history. The victory was the Red Wolves against a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) since joining the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.

The win was also the school's first in 15 tries over current members of the Big 12 conference. For the game against A&M, three Red Wolves were named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. Junior quarterback Corey Leonard won SBC offensive player of the week, junior kicker Josh Arauco was named SBC special teams player of the week and senior linebacker Ben Owens was named the SBC defensive player of the week.

HOWL

Introduced during the 1st and 2nd quarter of the home opener against Texas Southern, HOWL has made his mark as the new 'Spirit Character' or 'mascot' of Arkansas State. For every home game, HOWL has lead the Red Wolves football team onto the field with his motorcycle. He is definitely fun to watch. Much better than 'RED' ever was.

JOHN BRADY

New head men's basketball coach John Brady has definitely made his presence known this fall. He has put a fire under the men's basketball team, who are currently 6-1 with their only loss coming against Ole Miss on the road. His post-game antics and open-door policy make a him a great acquisition for the Red Wolves. My favorite line so far, "I don't think I have ever coached or seen a team win shooting the ball as bad as we did tonight." Talk about honesty.

Water Cooler Talk

Did you see that hockey game last night? The one where that guy threw his glove to try to stop a player from scoring during the last few seconds of the game. That was pretty something.

Philadelphia Flyer forward Scott Hartnell threw his glove at the puck during Tampa Bay's Ryan Malone break away. Malone was awarded a penalty shot with 16.3 seconds left but missed it.

Hartnell said it didn't cross his mind that a penalty shot would be called.

Here are the highlights from the game. Hartnell's glove throwing is closer to the end.

News Reporting Story: Governor Mike Beebe

Below is a story written by News Reporting Student Todd Fogle:

Arkansas State! Red Wolves! The fans at an ASU Red Wolves home football game stand up and shout back and forth in support Among those fans howling for the Red Wolves is Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe who graduated from ASU in 1968 with a degree in political science.
He said he usually only misses one or two games, but attends all of the home games he can. This year Beebe said he has not missed any. If he does, it is usually because of a time conflict.
“I make time. I make a priority on a Saturday afternoon or evening to go to Jonesboro,” he said about finding time for traveling from Little Rock for the games.
The governor has four season tickets and has been sitting in the same seat for more than 30 years in the front row of his section. He started attending the games after he graduated from law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
It varies whom he sits with from game to game. Sometimes it is only family, while for others some of his friends join him.
Chancellor Robert Potts said Beebe “doesn’t come to socialize. He comes for the game.”
Beebe said people are friendly but are mostly interested in the game.
“Most of the time, except at halftime, folks don’t pay any attention to me. They are watching the game and so am I.”
Potts said, “We are just so pleased he comes up to our games…we respect his privacy.”
# # #
Sources: www.mikebeebe.com
Robert Potts: (870) 972-3030
Mike Beebe (501) 682-2345

Thanksgiving Revisited

Because my parents hate big city living, during my holiday break I had no access to internet. Therefore I was unable to update the blog. So I thought I would write some things that caught my eye in the world of sports during the break.

ARKANSAS STATE DEFEATS NORTH TEXAS


In an article from the Jonesboro Sun, Matt Robertson wrote, "ASU’s Marcus Brown intercepted UNT quarterback Giovanni Vizza with under a minute to play to ensure the win after North Texas had driven across midfield. Arkansas State (6-5 overall 4-2 SBC) will face Troy this Saturday" to decide who will go to the New Orleans Bowl on December 21. "UNT running back Cam Montgomery, who had 121 yards and two TDs, ripped off scoring runs of 26 and 29 yards on the Mean Green’s first two possessions of the second half to give North Texas a 28-24 lead," the article said.

ODD CAREER MOVE


I was up late one night and I flipped it to ESPN News. I was surprised to see former WWE 'heel' and commentator Jonathan Coachmen on ESPN. It just seems odd that a guy who used to "wrestle" with people named Hornswoggle is now doing highlights for the most trusted source for sporting news. Sure it was four in the morning but if the check said ESPN I wouldn't complain.

END OF A CAREER

Sylvester Croom was hired at Mississippi State five years ago and it was the first time that the SEC had hired an black man as a head coach. Croom resigned from MSU not 24 hours after losing to Ole Miss 45-0 on Saturday. Croom finished 21-38 at Mississippi State.

ARKANSAS DEFEATS LSU


I only caught the last three seconds. But that was more than enough. I watched as the LSU kicker shank the field goal with the clock running out. 31-30. You'd think U of A had won the national championship. Arkansas is still 5-7. There is no doubt that it was a good come back win and Casey Dick was player of the game after only playing a half. But it was still painful to watch. LSU should have won.

Ark St 28 FAU 14 FINAL

Although most of Arnold's yards came during "garbage" time, Arnold picked up his third 1,000 yard season during the 28-14 win over FAU on Saturday. Arnold is the first player in ASU history to have three 1,000 yard seasons.

ASU's first four home crowds of the 2008 season all rank among the top 10 in ASU Stadium history. It is the first time in ASU history that the football team played four home games each in front of 20,000 or more spectators during the same season. The combined crowds for ASU's first three games this season (94, 680) is the largest for any four games played at ASU Stadium.

However, the attendance for the game against FAU on Saturday was 10,845 was the lowest on the season.

Junior quarterback Corey Leonard finished 19 of 27 for 280 yards with three touchdowns. Junior running back Reggie Arnold rushed for 150 yards. He has 3,022 yards in his career with two games remaining.

Corey Leonard rushed for 45 yards on 14 carries and Derek Lawson rushed for 22 on five carries.

Junior wide receiver Brandon Thompkins finished with 98 yards on six catches with one touchdown. His 98 yards leaves with one yard short of becoming the 12th player in ASU history to record 1,000 career receiving yards. With Thompkins needs seven more receptions to take over 10th place for the most receptions in ASU history.

A.J. Carrington led the defense with 6 tackles while Van Dolah had five unassisted tackles.

Arkansas State gets back to .500 (5-5, 3-2) with the 28-14 win over FAU, who drops to 5-6 and 3-3 in the Sun Belt.
Troy needs to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette to claim sole possession of 1st place in the Sun Belt. That game begins at 6 p.m. Both Lafayette and Troy are 4-1 in the Sun Belt.

Check www.asuherald.com later for the complete story plus pictures.

Ark St 28 FAU 14 9:24 4th

FAU got a little frost bite when they traveled to Jonesboro. And it was no 0-0 tie going into overtime. It was dropped passes by FAU.

Open tackling for ASU has definitely approved over the course of the bye week. At the end of the third quarter, Evan Van Dolah leads all Red Wolf defenders with five tackles, all unassisted.

There is nine minutes left in the game and ASU is up two touchdowns.

Arkansas State has the ball on the 48 yard line after a nice run by junior running back Reggie Arnold. A gain of 18 yards. He has 93 yards on the ground as of right now.

Ball is on the 44 after a run by junior quarterback Corey Leonard.

Ark St 28 FAU 14 4th quarter

NOTES

Corey Leonard is 17-24-1 with 271 yards and two touchdowns at the end of the third quarter.

Brandon Thompkins leads all receivers with 98 yards on six catches. J. Mclennan hs 57 yards on four catches.

Reggie Arnold has 73 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown.

ASU SCORES TO START THE 4TH QUARTER

A touchdown pass by Corey Leonard after a fake reverse puts the Red Wolves up by two touchdowns. Brandon Thompkins came behind Corey and sold the fake run. Leonard then threw it to J.T. Jordan for a two yard touchdown pass.

There is still plenty of time left in the game however and lately ASU has had problems holding on to their fourth quarter leads.

Ark St 21 FAU 14 6:32 3rd

No one saw the option coming. Not even anybody in the press box. Three calls were made (1) run up the middle, (2) PA rollout, (3) fake run up the middle and lob over the middle. But no body was right. An option to the right side and a pitch to Arnold put the Red Wolves 21-14 late in the third quarter.

The drive took 3:03 on six plays for 41 yards.

FAU has the ball on ASU's 48 yard line with a 1st and 10. A throw by quarterback Rusty Smith was little high but apparently dropped. It looked like a good catch until it was called incomplete. Good try by the FAU wide receiver. Break for ASU.

3rd and 3 on the 41 for FAU.

Ark St 14, FAU 14 11:06 3rd

Why do you choose to fake a punt on 4th and one? I have no idea but that's what ASU decided to do early in the third quarter.

Shrable's pass was complete but they lost yards on the play. A late hit set FAU back. A three and out and ASU will get the ball back.

ASU has the ball on the FAU's 48 yard line after a 38 yard punt.

ASU 14 FAU 14 10:33 in the 3rd quarter.

Leonard's pass intercepted on the first play of the new possession. FAU ball on their own 33 yard line.

Ark St 14, FAU 14 HALF (NOTES)

Corey Leonard 13-17 212 yards 2 TDs

Jahbari McLennan leads all receivers with 57 yards on four catches. Trevor Gillot has 52 yards on 2 catches with one touchdown. Brandon Thompkins had 45 yards on three catches. Kevin Jones has 19 yards on two catches.

FAU

Rusty Smith 11-26 140 yards and one touchdown

Dilvory Edgecomb has 28 yards on three touches. Charles Pierre has 24 yards on eight carries.

Cortez Gent has 25 yards on three catches. Rob Housler has 11 yards on two catches with a touchdown.

MUST NEED WIN

If ASU wants any hope for a good season, even a SBC championship, ASU needs to beat FAU today. Which means the defense needs to make key stops either early or late in the fourth quarter. During their three game skid, ASU has had problems in the fourth quarter. Against FIU, ASU had a two possession lead late but gave up two quick scores to lose 22-21. It comes down to the fourth quarter. THAT is the most important quarter for any game.

The BLACK OUT failed in my opinion.

Ark St 14, FAU 14 HALF

FAU ties the game 14-14 after a three yard touchdown pass just before half time. A drive that took 7 plays on 73 yards. Quarterback Rusty Smith found Rob Housler for a two yard touchdown to tie the game.

The first half ends with a 14-14 tie.

SCORES FROM THE SUN BELT:

Middle Tenn 17 North Texas 13 0:18 1st

Ark St 14, FAU 7 8:19 2nd

After making his first 15 field goals, junior kicker Josh Arauco has now missed two field goals today. His second miss came with just over 8 minutes left in the second quarter. It was too short. However, they were difficult kicks. His second was a 40 yard attempt into the wind. His first miss was a 33 yard field goal that missed wide left.

6:37 left in the second quarter

FAU has the ball on the their 41 yard line with a 2nd and 9 to go. Pass complete to Wilks for a passing first down. Gain of 19 yards on the play. Ball spotted on the ASU 40 yard line.

5:32 left in the second quarter

Ark St 14, FAU 7 14:49 2nd

ASU quarterback Corey Leonard is 8-11 for 120 yards and a touchdown after a quarter of play.

However the rushing game has been shut down by FAU. Leonard leads ASU with 13 rushing yards. On four attempts, junior running back Reggie Arnold has three yards.

Brandon Thompkins lead all receivers with 45 yards on three catches.

Early in the second quarter, ASU tight end Trevor Gillot caught a touchdown pass from Leonard to give the Red Wolves a 14-7 lead. Although the running game has been nearly non-existence during the game, the passing game has more than made up for it.

Defense is doing good as well. It helps that FAU receivers can't catch the ball. Maybe the cold weather is causing problems for this Flordia team. When the temperature is 50 degrees or less, FAU is 0-3.

ASU 7 FAU 7 2:17 1st quarter

A wide open Brandon Thompkins on fourth down and ASU ties the game 7 - 7 with 2:17 left in the first quarter.

It was a good catch by Thompkins because Leonard almost over threw him. I guess the pressure and shock of him being that wide open caused Leonard to almost over throw him. Cause there was no one near him!

A 58 yard drive by ASU took five plays and two minutes.

FAU Senior center Nick Paris left the game with an injury.

FAU 7 Ark St 0 5:28 1st quarter

FAU scored on its first drive to take a 7-0 lead. Charles Pierre got the score on a 2-yard run with 10:57 left in the 1st quarter. On ASU's first drive, Josh Arauco missed his first field goal of the season after a nice offensive series by the Red Wolves.

ASU was 3 of 4 on third down during the drive.

ASU just intercepted the ball and returned it to the 10 yard line for a 1st down. Jennings made the 46 yard return for ASU. Good defense by ASU keeps the game to a one possession game. But a clipping call on ASU returns the ball to the 42 yard line.

The "black-out" turned out well all things considering. There are about 8,000 fans here and for the most part they are wearing black.

ASU just got a first down on a nice pass completion by Leonard.

"Black-Out" is overdone

Is anyone else as sick of "black-outs," or "white-outs" as I am?

I have no problem with school spirit. In fact, I encourage it. But a "black-out" is done by everybody. Georgia did a "black-out" earlier this season when they played Alabama. They were blown out by Alabama at home on "black out" night. Middle Tennessee did a "black - out" this season too. Do we really want to copy our Sun Belt foe? I know I don't.

The other problem with our "black-out" is the fact the game is at 2 p.m. Kinda hard to "black-out" the sun. Plus it is extremely cold. It is a lot to ask for everybody's winter coats to be black. It is going to be more of a spotted "black-out."

Georgia Tech did a "white-out" during Thursday's game at home on ESPN. Check out the article that was written the day after the scheduled "white-out" day. Where our fans be any better? Probably not. It is a lot to ask of Arkansas State fans.

Plus hunting season has started. There is no way we have 20,000 fans this time. It's a sad fact. Hunting is more important than ASU football.

GO STATE

Ark St v FAU: FINAL HOME GAME

Arkansas State plays its fifth Sun Belt Conference game and final home game of the season Saturday when it hosts Florida Atlantic for Senior day. The Red Wolves will try to snap a three-game skid and get to .500.

The Red Wolves have a home record of 3-1 on the season while Florida Atlantic has a 2-4 road record. After dropping five of its first six games, the Owls have won their last four games, including a 40-29 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend.

The Red Wolves and Owls have met just three times since their first meeting in 2005, which ASU won 3-0 in overtime at ASU Stadium. However, the Owls have won the last two seasons to take a 2-1 advantage in the series.

Fans were encouraged to "black-out" the stadium for the final home game against FAU. ASU is asking for fans to wear anything black to show their support for the team and seniors that will be playing in their last game at ASU stadium. They want to finish the season strong and show off the great fan support of this season.

ASU will have 16 seniors take the field Saturday for their final game at ASU stadium. ASU's 2008 seniors are:

DEFENSE: Dominique Williams (DB), Brian Flagg (DE), Anthony Harris (DE), Page Fill (DL), Ben Owens (LB)

OFFENSE: Mark Clemons (OL), Brandon Ciaramitaro (OL), Zach Eichenberger (OL), Matt Mandich (OL), Sean Marshall (OL), Travis Hewitt (QB), Vernon Catlin (TE), David Johnson (TE), Kevin Jones (WR), Richard Neal (WR)

SPECIAL TEAMS: Brett Shrable (P)

Ark St 55 Murray State 47 Final

ASU improves to 2-1 after defeating Murray State on Wednesday night. Donald Boone led the Red Wolves with 16 points and five rebounds. Senior forward Shawn Morgan scored 15 points with eight rebounds.

ASU will have to hit the road for three straight games so the win over Murray State is a huge momentum booster for the Red Wolves.

After shooting 26 percent from the floor in the first half, ASU shot 47 percent from the floor in the second half. It was a big offensive turn around for the Red Wolves.

ASU made 18 free throws which compared to Murray State's 6 is a huge difference. It just might be the game. Holding the Racers to 19 points in the second half is probably another key difference in the game.

Ark St 51 Murray State 43

With just under four minutes left in the game, ASU has a four point advantage.

Shawn Morgan just made a nice little up and in lay up to increase the lead to six.

I think the key difference for this game is the free throw chances. ASU has been to line at least 18 times while Murray State has only shot three free throws. That is nearly a 12 point margin.

Another big difference is the 42 percent from the floor in the second half. A complete turn around from the first half.

WIth under 3 minutes left, ASU needs to continue be dominant under neath the glass. Morgan has proved to be a dominant force underneath. He has 15 points for the Red Wolves. Boone has 16.

Ark St 41 Murray State 40

ASU takes their second lead of the game after Morgan puts in from underneath thanks to a nice pass.

With less than 7:52 left in the game ASU has a one point lead.

It's the slimmest of margins but can ASU hold on for their second win of the season?

I think if they do then that it will be big for ASU since they lost to the Racers last year in Kentucky.

Boone still leads all ASU players with 11 points.

Murray State 36 Ark St 34

Never give up on your Red Wolves.

Mike Lance has come through with a big rebound to help ASU keep possession to try to tie the game. A free thrown by Bryant cut the lead down to two. But he missed the second but an offensive rebound has really helped out ASU.

Shawn Morgan has eight points and Donald Boone has 11 points.

Bryant at the line and he makes the first one. Misses the second but another offensive rebound keeps it alive for ASU.

Down by one. ASU could take their first lead of the game with a basket here.

ASU is in the bonus with 11 minutes left to play.

Murray State 34 Ark St 27

THAT'S GOAL TENDING! I am almost positive that Morgan's blocked lay-up was goal tending but the referees missed it. Meanwhile while ASU's fans are trying to argue the call, Murray State has scored four quick points.

A two point basket by Brown and the lead is cut to five.

Defense ASU!

Back to seven after a put back by the Racers.

Murray State 28 Arkansas State 23 Halftime

A little bit of a run put on by ASU cut the lead to three. But a late basket by Murray State and the Racers jump back by to five.

Considering ASU shot 26 percent in the first half, only being down by five is not too bad. Murray State is shooting 48 percent. Murray State forward Danero Thomas leads all scorers with 12.

Shawn Morgan is 2-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line for six points. But Boone leads the Red Wolves with nine points.

Murray State has never won at the Convocation Center in three attempts. Could tonight be the night? Not if the Red Wolves have anything to say about it.

Final Media Time Out

Murray State 24 ASU 17

Daniel Boone has made four free throws and a three pointer to lead the Red Wolves with nine points. Boone who Coach Brady said earlier this year not to expect much from is doing what he can to get his team back in this game.

Morgan made his first basket of the night. A nice little up and under.

The Red Wolves have made five baskets tonight. Horrible shooting but decent defense has kept the game close. It is going to take an offensive turn around if the Red Wolves want to win this game.

Still a half to play though.

Murray State 14 ASU 7 10:18

Daniel Bryant came off the bench and hit a three pointer to cut the lead to five. ASU's other points came from a three pointer by P.J. Keaton.

ASU has played well defensively but is struggling offensive. Senior forward Shawn Morgan has yet to touch the ball on offense. Morgan leads the team with 11 points per game. Get him the ball.

Michael Lance has also shot the ball but it rimmed out.

A three pointer by Murray State increases their lead to 8.

Daniel Boone went to the free throw line and made one of two shots.

Offense needs to step it up.

Murray State 6 ASU 0 15:39

Back to back shot clock violations and a turnover has kept ASU off the score board.

Two threes by Murray State and the Racers have a 6 point lead early in the first half.

ASU is having problems with Murray State's man defense.

Ark St v Murray State (On-Tap)

GAME NOTES

Murray State leads the all-time series against the Red Wolves 19-8 with the two team teams first meeting coming during the 1935-36 season. Their last meeting came last season at Murray State with the Racers winning 81-67. The last game the two teams playing the Convocation Center was in 1996-97 season when ASU won 70-69.

The Red Wolves are 1-1 after defeating Lyon College 88-46 Monday. Senior Shawn Morgan leads the Red Wolves with 11.0 ppg while connecting on 80% of his shots. Junior reserve Donald Boone has come off the bench to average 10.5 points and 2.0 rebounds.

The Red Wolves have racked up seven blocks so far this season through two games. Junior Eric McKinney leads the Red Wolves with three blocks, which ties him for seventh in the Sun Belt category. Morgan has two blocks on the year.

Arkansas State v Murray State

At 1-1 the ASU Men's basketball team is scheduled to take on Murray State tonight at the Convocation Center beginning at 7 p.m. Be sure to check out Sports Related for live blog notes from the game if you can't make it.

Also check out Thursday's issue of The Herald for a feature story on Shawn Morgan by Matt Whitworth. Also we will have game stories from Monday's blow out win against Lyon College and tonight's game against Murray State.

Remember ASU will take on FAU for the final home of the season this Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. We need this win if we want any chance of winning the Sun Belt Conference.

Dreams do come true...

Video proof that an average joe can beat a post-Wizards era Michael Jordan. It just takes a little English.

John Rogers beat Jordan in game of one-on-one during the legend's high end "Flight School" in Las Vegas.

Best Sports Page for Non-Daily

This is probably one of the best design for sports pages that I have seen. I really like how it breaks down how every pitch is thrown. It shows how their pitchers do it and what MLB player throws the same pitch. It's a very unique way of doing a baseball preview.

Visit The Orion online.

Still Can't Win on the Road

The Arkansas State Football team lost to FIU on Saturday by a score of 22-21. For some reason ASU has a problem winning on the road. I thought our road blues were settled when we defeated Texas A&M earlier this fall but it's ugly head has resurfaced once again.

I got to give credit to FIU though. The play to give them the go-ahead touchdown was pretty impressive. Here is Matt Robertson's description of the play from the article in Saturday's Jonesboro Sun:

Hilton took a handoff from quarterback Paul McCall, dropped the football and had to reverse his field to pick it up as it bounced in the opposite direction. Running wildly to his left and under heavy ASU defensive pressure, Hilton launched a rocket to Mertile all alone in the end zone. Rivest’s point-after put the Golden Panthers up by the slimmest of margins.

Where was the defense on this play? Number one rule about protecting a lead late in the game. NEVER LET A MAN GET BEHIND YOU. Mertile was wide open down field. Number two rule: expect the unexpected.

I do not know enough of the English language to describe how angry I am that we loss this game. We just blew pretty much any chance we had of winning the Sun Belt.

ASU needs to grow some balls and start firing people who are unable to do their job. Period.

McCain on Monday Night Football

Obama on Monday Night Football

Obama is President

So I know that this blog is supposed to be strictly sports. However I figure on a day like today I must comment on the election.

First, I just want to say that I did not register to vote. So maybe my opinion does not matter. I have to right to complain about either candidate. But this isn't about McCain or Obama. This is about their supporters.

As soon as Obama was elected president, Facebook was littered with status changes. Some people have it in their heads that electing Obama will some how start the end of the world. Seriously people? Are we that ignorant?

"Obama is the Antichrist," seems to be the consensus.

Wow. That is a serious accusation. How can we be so narrow-minded? Mainly supposed "Christians." We aren't supposed to vote for him because his party supports abortions. But John McCain is OK even though he still wants to send men and women to Iraq?

With people threatening to leave the U.S., I think the best status of the night was from a friend of mine who is currently serving in Iraq. He said, "If you want to leave so bad, Iraq is nice. I will gladly switch with you."

I really think we are in good hands with Obama. I think he knows what is best for this country. I think he realizes it is time for a change.

On the plus side, if Facebook's counter is correct over 5 million people that are on Facebook did vote. I was not one of those people.

No good at home

The Red Wolves have never had problems at home. No matter what sport it is (besides soccer) home has always fair better at home. Until now.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves volleyball team is struggling at home as of late. They have now lost three games in a row at home. It started at Denver, North Texas and now UALR.

Freshman middle blocker Cayla Fielder led ASU with eight kills in the match, sophomore outside hitter Kristen Catalane added seven kills while senior outside hitter Mafo Joelle and sophomore middle hitter Christin Baker each added six kills. Junior defensive specialist Heather Bowman had 10 digs and sophomore setter Laura Bennett led both teams with 29 assists.

With the win, UALR improved to 23-6 on the season and 12-4 in SBC West play and avenged last week’s 3-2 Red Wolves victory in Little Rock. Arkansas State fell to 20-10 on the year and 9-7 in league play with the loss.

“UALR played very driven tonight and came up here to do a job, and they did,” ASU head coach Craig Cummings told Sports Information. “My hat is off to Coach (Van) Compton for getting her team ready to play. We’ve got a few days off before we go to North Texas next week, and we can get back our competitiveness and the attitude that is required to be successful.”

Arkansas State is off until next week, when the Red Wolves hit the road for the final two matches of the regular season. ASU travels to North Texas Nov. 14 before closing out the regular season at Denver Nov. 16. With their nine conference wins, the Red Wolves have secured a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 20-22 in Miami, Fla.

On the road, however, the volleyball team is a totally different team on the road. They defeated New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe on the road in back-to-back games. At the time New Orleans had not lost at home. So why is this team is so much better on the road? Home is just not so sweet for this team.

Throw back jersey: Lacing up the high tops

An article on FOXSports.com reported that Kevin Mink, 73, is a 6-foot, 190-pound newcomer to the Roane State (Tenn.) junior college basketball team about 35 miles west of Knoxville.

"He's likely the oldest person to ever play college hoops. To put Mink in perspective, Utah State's Gary Wilkinson will be among the oldest Division I players this season; he just turned 26," the article said.

Check out the video of him practicing with the team.



What an awesome mustache.

Mink is unlikely to play for more than five or six minutes a game once Roane State opens its season Nov. 3.

Can't wait for the Disney Channel movie.

Maybe some one offered to buy him a Bud Light

In light of what has happen with the referee hitting the the South Carolina quarterback I thought I would share this video with you. It is also one of my favorite commercials. This how I think it went down.



So it may be a bit of a stretch. Mainly because it was on first down in the second quarter and the Gamecocks scored on the next play but it is still quite funny.

Referee cleared after laying the smack down

According to a story on ESPN.com, the collision between South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia and umpire William Hackett Jr was cleared by both Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier and the SEC.

"He was trying to get out of the way," Spurrier told ESPN. "Stephen sort of cut right back into him. Sometimes that will happen."

I don't know what video they were watching but it looks like to me that the referee purposely tried to hit the quarterback. Watch his feet. If he was trying to avoid the quarterback, I think his feet would have moved backwards instead of forwards. Maybe he was a having a flashback and he suddenly thought he was playing again.

Hackett is a former linebacker at the University of Kentucky from 1967-1970.

"When contacted by ESPN's Joe Schad, the Southeastern Conference office said after reviewing the play, it believes the umpire was in appropriate position. A spokesman said the umpire raised his arm to defend himself after a change of direction by the runner," the article said.

Black, White Knockout

So when I first saw this video on ESPN I thought maybe the quarterback ran into the referee. That maybe it was an accident. But after watching the video, the referee deliberately hit the player. He moved in front of the player and forced him into the LSU player. You be the judge.

UL-Lafayette 28, ASU 23

I hate watching football games on ESPN Gamecast because I think it is more frustrating than watching the game in person. Because you can't question anything. For example, why are we throwing the ball on 2nd and 6 with under four minutes left in the game? Or are we really holding or are the refs calling every little thing. Plus the time doesn't update until some one scores but other than that it was updated regularly.

According to a press release from ASU Sports, Arkansas State junior kicker Josh Arauco was named the Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time this season, including the last two weeks in a row, Monday after hitting all three of his field goal attempts and breaking the school record for career field goals in the Red Wolves’ game against Louisiana-Lafayette.

During the game Saturday, after scoring 10 points in a 16-second span to take a 23-14 lead with 7:39 to play in the fourth quarter, the Arkansas State Red Wolves (4-3, 2-1) saw their lead disappear when Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3, 3-0) answered with a pair of late touchdowns to defeat ASU 28-23 Saturday night in a Sun Belt Conference matchup at Cajun Field.

I honestly believe that losing to UL-Lafayette cost us the Sun Belt. We need the Cajuns to lose two games and we basically have to lose out. Unfortunately, ASU has only one more home game but it isn't until Nov. 22. UL-Lafayette has three more games at home. They do play Florida Atlantic and Troy on the road back-to-back games. SO there is a chance but it seems unlikely.

However, I was reminded that in 2005 ASU only won game on the road but was still able to go to New Orleans Bowl. There is always a chance but it seems very unlikely. I am such pessimistic.

Ark St v Louisiana Lafayette

I don't really like our chances today against the Ragin Cajuns. Arkansas State hasn't won at UL-Lafayette since 1992. The home team has the advantage in this series. UL-Lafayette hasn't won at ASU since 1997.

ASU is 2-0 in conference but so is UL-Lafayette. The Ragin Cajuns lead the nation in rushing. UL Lafayette senior tailback Tyrell Fenroy needs 158 rushing yards to become only the seventh player in NCAA history with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons reported the Jonesboro Sun.

Even though Arnold has been held under 100 yards rushing the last four games, there is something playing the Cajuns for Reggie Arnold. According to an article in the Jonesboro Sun, two of Arnold’s best games at ASU have come at the Cajuns’ expense. Two years ago, he rushed for 156 yards at Cajun Field. Last year he rumbled for a career-high 225 yards against UL Lafayette at ASU Stadium.

Red shirt freshman Derek Lawson has 551 rushing yards this season.

It's the end of the world...

Mark Chmura would like you to believe that if the Rays make it to the World Series than we are one step closer to Armagedon. The Phillies made it to the Series after beating the Dodgers 5-1 last night. I watched the bottom of the ninth with my roommate. But we don't get Fox so we had watch it in Spanish. It was hilarious.

While I don't think that a Rays-Phililes series is one of the first signs of the second coming of Christ, I do believe that it would probably one the most random series to date. At least in our generation. Last season, the Rays were the laughing stock of the league but this year have become one of the most dominant teams in the AL East. Tuesday's 11-2 win over Boston just proves it. Plus I don't think Boston should have started Tim Wakefield. The Rays have seen his stuff all year. They know how to hit the knuckleball.

I hate the Phillies. I really wish they had lost to the Brewers or the Dodgers. I am a big time Braves fan (even though they have fallen off their 14-year division title pedestal) so I hate seeing a divisional foe in the Show. The Phillies were dominat against the Braves this season which makes it even worse. This is the first time since 1993 that the Phillies are going to the World Series.

What a turn around Brad Lidge has had. During the 2005 NLCS, Lidge gave up a 3-run home run to Albert Pujols in Game 5 in Houston which forced a Game 6 back in St. Louis, which the Astros would win to clinch their first World Series berth in franchise history.

If the Rays close it out against the Red Sox it should end up being a pretty interesting series to say the least.

Sports Talk Returns

After a slight hiatus, the best show on Channel 18 returned today. Sports Talk returns hosted by Hunter West, Dustin Sullivan, and yours personally. I encourage you to flip it to ASU TV once the show begins airing on Wednesday.

We discussed football (in detail), but we also discussed Red Wolves volleyball and soccer.
Soccer is 4-8-1 right now after defeating Middle Tennessee on Friday but lost to Western Kentucky on Sunday.
Volleyball lost two straight games this weekend to Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky and drop to fifth place in the Sun Belt.

Please be sure to also pick up a copy of Oct 13 issue of the Herald.

Ark St 37 ULM 29, FINAL

Let the fireworks begin...

Quarterback Corey Leonard takes a knee and ASU defeats ULM 37-29 Saturday night in front of another 22,000 plus crowd. It took some late minute rushing attempts by Lawson to finish off the Warhawks. He carried a defender on his back for at least eight yards before falling to the ground. WHAT A BEAST!

The win puts the Red Wolves 2-0 in the conference tied with Troy. ASU will have to face UL-Lafayette next week in Louisiana. The Red Wolves will definitely have their hands full with the Ragin Cajuns. UL-Lafayette is also 2-0 in the conference and 3-3 over all.

FINAL STATS:

Corey Leonard 7-16 with 129 yards. Leonard had 47 yards on 11 carries.

Derek Lawson lead all running backs with 104 yards on 15 carries. Reggie Arnold had 71 yards on 15 carries.

Brandon Thompkins led all receivers with 88 yards on three catches. Kevin Jones had one catch for 28 yards.

Ark St 37 ULM 29, 4th quarter

ULM has cut the lead to eight points with less than eight minutes left in the game.

ASU needs to score to put this game out of reach. But the Red Wolves offense has had some problems with moving the ball during their last couple of possessions. Let's see if ASU can put this game away.

ULM scored after Lancaster threw a one yard pass to Zeek Zacharie.

ULM scored earlier when Lancaster found Frank Goodin for a 25 yard touchdown pass to make the score 37-22.

Suddenly we have a game. Hopefully though ASU will hang on to win after allowing 14 consecutive points.

Basically the ball and the game is going to be in the hands of Derek Lawson. Lawson just got a first down with less than six minutes left in the game.

The clock is now under four minutes. As long as ASU hangs on to the ball then the Red Wolves should pull out the win which will put them 2-0 in conference play heading into UL-Lafayette next week.

Ark St 34 ULM 14 End of 3rd

As the third quarter comes to close, ASU leads 34-14.

ASU scored at the 5:13 minute mark, Marcus Brown picked up a fumble by quarterback Lancaster and returned it for 71 yards for a touchdown. ULM had only three turnovers coming into the game which led the NCAA. But have turned it over twice in this game alone.

Start of fourth quarter:

Josh Aruaco kicked a 44 yard field goal to increase the Red Wolves lead to 37-14. Aruaco has now made 12 consecutive field goals on the season.

STATS:

Leonard 6-15 for 132 yards.

Lawson has 70 yards on eight carries with a touchdown.

Arnold has 67 yards on 13 carries.

Carrington and Owens lead ASU with 7 tackles respectively.

Ark St 27 ULM 14 3rd quarter

With less than ten minutes left in the third quarter and both offenses have stalled on their first possessions of the second half.

Leonard lucked out on an earlier play when a ULM defender dropped an interception. Good thing for ULM though because if he had caught it they would have had the ball on the 2-yard line.

The first half took two hours to play due to it being on ESPN plus. ASU and ULM are also throwing the ball a lot which is not helping the speed of the game. At this rate it will be 10 or later before we are done here.

ULM ball. 8:18 left in the third quarter. The Warhawks just picked up a first down on a passing play.

Ark St 27 ULM 14 halftime

A three run by Corey Leonard put the Red Wolves up 24-14 at the 6:40 mark in the second quarter.

Josh Arauco made his 11th straight field to make the score 27-14. Arauco's field goal sets the all-time record for ASU for consecutive field goals made. Look for an upcoming feature in the Herald by Austin about Arauco.

Playing at home has always been good for ASU and they are proving it with a dominant first half performance. If we can win this game it will definitely help us in the standings after Troy improved to 2-0 in the SBC after beating FAU 30-17.

Stats for 1st half:

Corey Leonard 5-11 104 yards, Leonard has also ran for 21 yards on five carries with a touchdown.

Derek Lawson has rushed for 37 yards on seven carries with a touchdown.

M.D Jennings and Carrington lead ASU with five tackles respectively.

Ark St 17, ULM 14 2nd quarter

With less than then 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, ASU has a 17-14 lead over ULM.

Derek Lawson ran up the middle for a two yard touchdown run to make the score 17-7.

However on the kick off to ULM, the Warhawks returned it for 98 yards for a touchdown to make the score 17-14.

Coach Roberts has said all year that our coverage team has some problems and it showed today. The only person who had even a chance of catching him was the kicker but he took the wrong angle and could catch the speedy Warhawk.

If you aren't at the game, the game is being broadcast on ESPN Plus.

Ark St 10, ULM 7 Start of 2nd

Arkansas State strikes first with a 63 yard touchdown run by wide receiver Jahbari McLennan on a end-around play. The funny thing about the play is ASU tried the same thing last year when ASU was up 13-0 on ULM in Monroe. The play was stuffed by the Monroe's defense and after that play the momentum shifted towards ULM and the Warhawks ran away from it. A little bit different situation this year.

However, the Warhawks answered on the next possession with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Kinsmon Lancaster to Darrell McNeal. McNeal was wide open on the left side for an easy pass and catch. Tighten up defense. The drive was kept alive by a late hit by Evan Van Dolah. It appeared he hit his own teammate though.

ASU kick a field goal after a 55 yard pass to Brandon Thompkins. They now have a 10-7 lead over the Warhawks.

Notes for 1st quarter.

Corey Leonard 2-6 for 55 yards. Leonard has 12 yards on three carries.

Reggie Arnold has 20 yards on four carries.

ULM 0, Ark St 0 1st Quarter

Very little offense from either team with under five minutes left in the first quarter.. ASU has the only first down in the game right now.

Signs of life from the Warhawks with a 3rd and 9 to go. Lancaster ran out of bounds after getting a few yards but there is a flag on the play. Hold on the offense. Still fourth down though.

Punt is away. Kevin Jones makes the reception but falls out of bounds for a return of four yards.

ASU needs to get their offense going with a productive drive.

Other scores from the NCAA:

Texas defeated Oklahoma 45-35 in the Red River Shootout.

Mississippi State defeated Vanderbilt 17-14 to give the Vandy its first loss of the season.

Ark St v ULM (NOTES)

The Red Wolves stand 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for the sixth time in seven seasons under head coach Steve Roberts, and their 3-2 overall record through five games is their best since 2006.

Louisiana-Monroe leads the all-time series with Arkansas State 16-13 since the first meeting in 1959. As Sun Belt foes, ASU leads the series 4-3 despite dropping a 30-13 decision at ULM in its Sun Belt conference opener last season.

Junior kicker Josh Arauco has made his first nine field goals this season, leaving him only one shy of the school record for consecutive field goals made. Arauco is one of three players in school history to make 10 straight field goals.

The ASU defense has not given up more than 14 points in three of its five games this season, while the lowest score by an ASU opponent last year was 16 points. ASU is ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference and 38th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 18.8 points per game.

Arkansas State redshirt freshman running back Derek Lawson was one of 10 players recognized by CBSSPorts.com on its Sept. 24 "Freshman Watch" list, which features the best freshmen in college football throughout the remainder of the season.

Ark St defeated Middle Tennessee 2-1

For the first time in program history, ASU defeats Middle Tennessee 2-1 in soccer. Freshman Michele Clark scored both goals in the game on Friday to defeat the Blue Raiders. Arkansas State improves to 4-7-1 on the year with their first win in conference since 2006.

From www.astateredwolves.com:

“Obviously we are so excited to get that monkey off our back and get our first conference win, not only from this year but also from last year,” head coach Derek Pittman said. “It was a night of firsts. First time we have beaten MTSU and the first time Michele Clark has scored a goal. You can attribute it to our kids coming out and playing aggressive from the opening whistle to the closing whistle no matter the adversity that we faced we stuck together and battled and clawed for every inch and came out with the win.”

Soccer will play again on Sunday against Western Kentucky beginning at 1 p.m.

Ark St v Louisiana Monroe (Preview)

Arkansas State will look to take advantage of their home field and week off as they prepare to face the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Last season the Warhawks scored 30 unanswered points to win 30-13 at Monroe.

Here is a clip from Jonathan Willard's story about the game from last year.

"It was a complete meltdown by Arkansas State Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe. After building an early 13-point lead, the Indians never scored again, falling by a score of 30-13 before 12,088 fans in Malone Stadium."

Hopefully, the Red Wolves will not make the same mistakes that they did against Monroe last season.

KEYS TO VICTORY

Reggie Arnold needs some room to run. He has basically been shut down the last two weeks except for one or two plays. In order to do that, Corey Leonard needs to make smart decisions in passing. Monroe does not have a very good defense. Exploit it.

Force Monroe to turn the ball over. The Warhawks are number one in NCAA in not turning the ball over. But ASU is ranked 1st in the Sun Belt in the turnover ratio.

LIVE BLOG

Be sure to come back to Sports Related for live blog notes during the game on Saturday.

Jones could keep drug charges off record

Matt Jones, a former quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks was arrested over the summer after being found with illegal drugs. Jones plead guilty to the charges because it would be nearly impossible to plead not guilty due to 'hand in the cookie jar' situation.

Jones was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars but as a wide receiver. Since joining the Jaguars in 2005 he has had a hard time becoming the number one receiver. In four years time (including this season), Jones has caught 124 passes for 1,661 yards with 14 touchdowns. His longest caught pass since joining the team is a mere 49 yards.

According to an Associated Press story on ESPN:

"Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Matt Jones' cocaine charge will be heard in drug court rather than in the regular criminal system and will allow him to keep any conviction off his record.

Jones, 25, was to have gone on trial Friday for his July 10 arrest when a Fayetteville police officer saw him inside a car allegedly cutting up cocaine with a credit card.

Jones will have to undergo a nine-to-12-month intervention program in which he is to take part in group therapy sessions and serve 30 hours of community service, officials said. He also must submit to regular drug tests"

This season the former Razorback has become a favorite target for David Garrard. Jones leads the team with 23 catches for 232 yards and one touchdown.

Don't count your eggs before they hatch

I should have known better than to the bet on the Cubs to win the World Series. They didn't even make it past the first round of playoffs. They didn't even win one playoff game. Now we have to wait 101 years before we see a World Series title.

The Cubs lost to the Dodgers tonight to lose the series 3-0. The Cubs pretty much lead the Central division (ONE OF THE HARDEST divisions in baseball besides the AL East) all year long but then lose three straight games to the Dodgers.

I bet Cardinal nation can sleep at ease knowing that the Cubs lost. And with the Brewers one game away from losing the series against Philadelphia, they won't even have to count sheep to sleep.

Now who I am supposed to cheer for? The Rays? They are a good team but do they have what it takes to get to the Series? Maybe.

If the Red Sox win, they are looking at some sort of dynasty. (2004, 2007, and possible 2008 winners) The town of Boston has gone from the a nation of lovable losers to a hated city. (Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox) It is like the sports gods have given them an infinite amount of miracles. Its almost sickening. Except I like the Patriots (One of the few non-Bostonians who do).

So if there is anything to cheer for, its no more sweeps. I want it to come down to a final pitch. A bases loaded, two out, full count scenario. No more of this bases empty, two out, 0-2 count crap. Make it worth my two hours.

Back Seat Quarterback

I am still disappointed in our poor play this past Saturday against Memphis. I really think we could have won that game if we had played with the same intensity that we had in the second quarter. We scored 17 points in one quarter but could barely muster a first down in any other quarter.

WHY WE LOSS:

Penalties - We had 10 penalties for 103 yards.

3rd downs - We were three of 13 on third down plays. This was due to a couple of things: penalties and sacks. to make a big play. I remember one instance when we had a 3rd and one but we were flagged for a false start so we were backed up to a 3rd and six. Leonard was sacked six times.

Opponents have been keying in on Reggie. He has been held to under a hundred yards the last two games. We need to figure out a why to get him the ball some other way. Either line him in a slot or throw him a screen in the back field. Which we did once which worked well.

The difference between the game against Memphis and Middle Tennessee is Leonard's play. He had time to throw the ball and he made smart decisions and moved the ball well even without Arnold against MTSU. Against Memphis it was a different story. He said so himself.

"I played like a freshman today," Leonard said.

We have to use this bye week to work on ways to use Derek Lawson and Arnold effectively. If you can run the ball effectively against a team than your passing game will open up. We have to be less conservative as well. Don't be afraid to throw the ball down the field.

I think a break is exactly what we need.

Memphis 29 Ark St 17, FINAL

Unable to make it three years in a row against Memphis, ASU fell 29-17 on Saturday to the Tigers at the Liberty Bowl. There was no Hail Mary with no time left. There was no 25 point comeback in the second half. In fact, ASU didn't score any points in the second half.

FINAL GAME NOTES:

Leonard threw for 173 yards on 11 completions. He also ran the ball for 51 yards on 15 carries with one TD. He also threw his second interception of the season and turned the bowl over by the way of a fumble.

Derek Lawson ran for 79 yards on 11 carries while junior running back Reggie Arnold ran for 49 yards on 13 carries with one TD. This is the second time this season that Arnold was held under one hundred yards.

M.D. Jennings led the team with 11 total tackles while Ben Owens had eight total tackles.

MEMPHIS NOTES

Curtis Steele rushed fo 203 yards on 22 carries in today's game for his second consecutive game over 100 yards. He tallied 109 yards on 20 carries last weekend versus Nicholls State. Steele reached his 100th yard on a 46 yard carry in the third quarter, which was the longest run from scrimmage since DeAngelo Williams had a 67-yard run versus Akron in 2005. This is also the first time since the 2005 season that a Tiger back has rushed for back to back 100-yard games.

ASU 17 @ Memphis 22 5:00 minutes left

Memphis intercepted ASU quarterback Corey Leonard that led to another field goal to put the Tigers up by five.

That was followed by Memphis making ASU punt the ball after sacking Leonard on a huge third and six.

Memphis now has the ball at their own 36 yard line with five minutes left to play.

ASU 17 @ Memphis 19 End of 3rd Quarter

There was not much action in the third quarter as both teams were able to force the other multiple three and outs.

Memphis was able to manage a field goal in the quarter to go ahead 19 - 17. Could this be setting up another great ASU/Memphis fourth quarter? We will see.

With three quarters out of the way, ASU now has 254 yards of offense compared to the 358 Memphis has tallied.

Penalties have hurt the Red Wovles as they have been flagged six times for 65 yards.

ASU now has the ball on the Memphis 47.

ASU 17 @ Memphis 16 End of 1st Half

Both teams added field goals before the half.

ASU kicker Josh Arauco was perfect from 33 yards out.

Going into the half here are some quick stats:

Rushing-Derek Lawson-5 carries for 55 yards
Corey Leonard-6 carries for 47 yards and one touchdown
Reggie Arnold-9 carries for 40 yards and one touchdown

Receiving- Arnold- 1 reception for 51 yards

Passing-Leonard-3/8 for 83 yards.

ASU 14 @ Memphis 13

ASU bounced back from being down by 13 early to go ahead 14 -13 through half of the second quarter.

Junior quarterback Corey Leonard started the scoring for ASU when he ran 23 yards for a touchdown less than one minute into the quarter.

Junior running back Reggie Arnold gave ASU the lead on his 9-yard run with 7:53 to play in the half.

The ASU offense has now been on the field for 19 plays and 177 yards compared to the Tigers 34 plays and 240 yards.

Memphis just went for it on fourth and five and converted to move the ball to the ASU 9.

Stay tuned for halftime stats.

ASU 0 @ Memphis 13 End of First Quarter

ASU started out slow and allowed Memphis running back Charlie Jones to score to two touchdowns in the quarter.

Memphis missed their second extra point attempt to make the score 13-0.

Memphis managed to run 24 plays for 158 yards of offense in the opening quarter, while also recording 10 first downs

ASU just reached the Memphis red zone.

Stay tuned.

ASU @ Memphis 20 minutes until opening kick

The game marks the 55th overall meeting between the two teams.

The Tigers lead the overall series 27-22-5, but ASU has won the last two meetings.

Last week ASU defeated MTSU 31-14, while Memphis was defeated by Marshall 17-16.

Stay tuned during the game for updates.

Memphis Miracle Revisted

Just a little present for all you Arkansas State fans. Thought I would give you a taste of what is to come this Saturday when ASU faces Memphis at the Liberty Bowl.

Thursday's Issue and More!

Be sure to pick up the Herald to read the feature story on Cayla Fielder and Jordan Williams who are Jonesboro natives now playing for the Arkansas State Volleyball team. Fielder played for Westside and Williams played for Nettleton. Both are freshman who are really making an impact on the team, which is 10-3 on the year.

Also in the Herald this Thursday is the preview story for the football game against Memphis. This day should have been circled on your calendar folks. This is a big game for Northeast Arkansas. Memphis is looking to beat us after they lost 35-31 last fall. They were up 31-6 at half time. And who could forget the Hail Mary pass from two years ago? Could we see the same thing happen this weekend? Will Corey Leonard go 3-0 as starting quarterback against Memphis? The game starts at one.

Also be sure to come back to the blog for LIVE game notes from the game. Austin will be blogging from the press box during the game.

UPCOMING SPORTING EVENTS:

Volleyball-
Thursday Sept 25 7:00 at the Convocation Center
Friday Sept 26 7:00 at the Convocation Center
Sunday Sept 28 1:00 at the Convocation Center

Football-
Saturday Sept 27 1:00 at Memphis

Soccer-
Friday Sept 26 7:00 at South Alabama
Sunday Sept 28 1:00 at Troy

Be sure to support all of our RED WOLVES!

It is about time...

Finally my hatred for Middle Tennessee has been put to ease...at least for now. I was 16 the last time ASU beat MTSU. Back then I didn't even know who Arkansas State was. (I blame the media's biasm towards Arkansas) Anyways watching the Red Wolves finally beating the Blue Raiders was freakin fantastic.

Just a few notes from the game:

Arkansas State junior quarterback Corey Leonard rolled up a career-high 366 yards of total offense, leading the Red Wolves to a 31-14 victory over Middle Tennessee State.

Rushing:
Corey Leonard - 10 attempts for 75 yards
Derek Lawson - 10 attempts for 62 yards and a td
Reggie Arnold - 12 attempts for 29 yards

I have been at this school for nearly five years and this is the first time I have seen a win over Middle Tennessee. I remember my sophomore year when me and my buddy drove nearly eight hours to watch us get CRUSHED by the Blue Raiders like 45-7. That was the longest ride back of my life. But the dinner at Chilis was so good. So deserved.

Or in 2006 ago when Middle Tennessee defeated us 38-10 at HOME, which broke up our undefeated record at Jonesboro. It feels so good to finally defeat that stupid team. And not just beat them but dominate them.

Just want to give some props to our fans as well. Three straight weeks of 20,000 or more fans is something to proud of. (For us anyway) Having that many people show up to the game against Texas Southern (when Arkansas was playing in Little Rock that weekend) is definitely a big change for ASU.

HOW LONG CAN THE HOGS RUN NOW? I predict we will play them in the next couple of years.

ASU 31, MTSU 14. Game over.

Final game notes:

ASU improves to 1-0 in conference play with the victory over MTSU.

It was obvious from the opening kick that ASU wanted the game more than their opponent.

Tight end David Johnson has scored five touchdowns over the last three games.

ASU didn't allow a single sack in the game. Last year they had nine.

The 24,000-plus in attendance set a new ASU record with three consecutive home games over 20,000.

Final game stats:

Rushing:
Corey Leonard - 10 attempts for 75 yards
Derek Lawson - 10 attempts for 62 yards and a td
Reggie Arnold - 12 attempts for 29 yards

Passing:
Corey Leonard - 17/31 for 292 yards and three touchdowns

Receiving:
Jarriel Norman - 4 catches, 107 yards
Kevin Jones - 4 catches, 90 yards
David Johnson - 4 catches, 49 yards and two touchdowns.

ASU simply wanted it more. The end. Next Up is at Memphis on Saturday.

ASU 31, MTSU 7 4th Quarter

It took less than three minutes for ASU to get on the board in the fourth quarter.

Freshman running back Derek Lawson got on the board for the Red Wolves when he ran 14 yards for the touchdown. Finally the running game is taking off and allowing ASU to go to a more balanced game.

MTSU just scored to make the score 31-14 with under nine minutes remaining in the game. ASU recovered the onside kick.

The announced crowd at the game is 24,256.

ASU 24, MTSU 7 End of 3rd Quarter

ASU began the quarter by driving 74 yards in 6:20 to set up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Corey Leonard to David Johnson. It marks the second touchdown reception of the night for Johnson.

MTSU finally got on the board. They had a 76-yard drive that lasted nine plays resulting in a touchdown to cut the lead to 24-7. The touchdown came on a two yard run by Phillip Tanner.

Also of note, Leonards touchdown pass to Johnson in the first half allowed him to take over second place all-time on the schools touchdown passing list.

Three quarters down. One to go.

ASU will begin the fourth quarter with the ball on the 39-yard line in MTSU territory.

ASU 17, MTSU 0 Halftime

Arkansas State added seven more points with 36 seconds left in the half.

Quarterback Corey Leonard found tight end David Johnson in the corner of the end zone on a 14 yard pass.

Halftime stats for ASU include:

Passing - Corey Leonard. 10/20 for 221 yards and two touchdowns.

Receiving - Jarriel Norman. Four receptions for 107 yards.
Kevin Jones. Three receptions for 76 yards.

Rushing - Reggie Arnold. Six attempts for 11 yards.

Touchdowns - Arnold and Johnson. Both came on passes from Leonard.

Keys to Second Half:

On offense ASU must continue to stay in control of the ball and dictate the pace of the game. The defense is doing an excellent job. They are pitching a shutout. Keep this up for 30 more minutes and victory is ours.

ASU 10, MTSU 0 2nd Quarter

ASU added a 35-yard field goal from Josh Arauco with 8:30 left in the second quarter.

The three points came after a thirteen play drive that lasted 5:44 and went 81 yards.

MTSU just moved the ball into ASU territory and was driving for a touchdown until junior Daylan Walker picked off a pass as I am typing this.

ASU now has the ball at their own 37-yard line with 3:34 left in the half.

Lets go offense. Keep the points coming.

ASU 7, MTSU 0 First Quarter

It took until almost three minutes left in the first quarter for either team to get on the board.

ASU quarterback Corey Leonard found running back Reggie Arnold running down the sideline with 3:26 left to play for a 17 yard touchdown and 7-0 lead.

ASU defensive back Dominique Williams just intercepted the ball on MTSU's next possesion. Lets keep the momentum.

Middle Tennesse vs. ASU Game Note

The Arkansas State football team will put their 3-1 record on the line against Middle Tennessee tonight.

Middle Tennesse comes into the game 1-2 after playing a close game with Kentucky last weekend.

The game will also be homecoming for ASU.

Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series 8-1 and have outscored Arkansas State 276-95. The Blue Raiders have won the last five meetings, with ASU's lone victory coming 13-7 during the 2002 season.

Time for Kickoff. Stay tuned for more updates.

Sports For Thursday SEPT 18

Be sure to pick up the next isssue of the Herald. The following stories will be in the Thursday Sept 18 issue of the Herald.

Ben Owens Feature by Austin Emerson.

A coulmn by soccer play Katharine Krekeler which reflects on her career at ASU.

A preview story for the football game against Middle Tennessee by Jonathan Willard.

A preview and wrap-up story for the ASU soccer program by Austin Emereson. Be sure to catch the game against Southeast Louisiana on Sunday at one p.m. ASU is 2-0 at home this year.

Tune In

Tune in this Saturday for more blogging live from ASU Stadium when the Red Wolves host MTSU at 6 p.m.

National League Playoffs

September is coming to an end and that can only mean on thing. Baseball play offs. Right now that is probably going to be one of the most interesting play off years. Especially in the American League with teams like Tampa Bay being tied for first, and the Yankees being four games away from being eliminated from the Wild Card race. Its so unbelievable. But that is for a different blog. For a different day. Today I want to talk about the National League.

If it ended today, the Dodgers, the Mets, and the Cubs (yeah that's right the Freakin' Cubs) would be the three teams to make the play off race. The Brewers and the Phillies are tied for the wild card position. Let's pretend that the Phils make the play offs.

The Cubs would play the Dodgers because the Cubs have the best record in the National League. Just writing that sentence seems like a contradiction. Honestly, I think the Cubs could sweep this series. They have the pitching (Dempster, Zambrano, and Wood) and definitely the offense (Lee, Ramirez, and Fukudome) to beat anybody.

But don't count out the Dodgers. They didn't win their division for no reason. Even though they are probably in the easiest division. They have the offense in people such as Manny and pitching with veterans such as Derek Lowe. But with both teams having little inexperience in the play offs look for the Cubs to come out on top.

The Mets would play the Phillies. That division race is still pretty close as well so whoever doesn't win the division would look to get some revenge on the division winner. I think the Phillies will win this series but i think it will go at least six games. Neither team really has dominant pitching but they do have very good offense. The Mets slipped near the end of last year and didn't make the play offs at all. It would be a shame if neither New York team made it....NOT!

So the National League Championship would be played between the Cubs and Phillies. Curse or no curse, I think the Cubs will win the NLCS. They have just been so dominant all season and I see no reason why it can't continue during the play offs. Of course every body thought that about the Seattle Mariners who won 100+ games that one year. Choke.

Stay tune for my thoughts on the American League Playoffs and Extensive thoughts on the World Series.

Final Game Notes

SOUTHERN MISS

The Golden Eagles game-opening drive lasted 19 plays and took 10:17. Both were season longs.

Junior running back Tory Harrison's one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was his first touchdown of his career.

Senior tight end Shawn Nelson's 110 receiving yards move him into fourth-place all-time at Southern miss with 1,760. It was the four highest receiving game of his career. This was also Nelson's second consecutive 100-yard receiving game.

Senior defensive back Eddie Willingham's interception in the final minutes of the game was the first of the season and the second of his career.

ARKANSAS STATE

With Arauco's first-quarter field goal, the Red Wolves have now scored on their opening possession in all three games this season.

Arkansas State's 94-yard drive in the third quarter that resulted in Arnold's eight yard touchdown run was the longest drive of the season.

Josh Aracuo's 41-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter was his longest of the season.

Tonight's crowd of 25,938 is the fourth-largest in ASU stadium history.

Southern Miss 27, ASU 24 FINAL

Such a disappointing loss for the Red Wolves tonight. It ended with an interception thrown by Leonard but it shouldn't have even come down to a last minute drive. Coach Roberts said in the press conference that there were 10 or 12 plays that had they been made we could have easily won that game. But what seems to be a reoccurring theme at ASU it just wasn't it the cards for the Red Wolves tonight.

Reggie Arnold had 84 yards on 15 carries and Leonard finished 69 yards on 12 carries. Leonard was 17-34, 256 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. Tight end Trevor Gillot was the leading receiver with 79 yards on five catches. M.D. Jennings had 13 total tackles and Ben Owens finished with eight total tackles. Remember to pick up this Thursday's issue of the Herald for the feature story of Ben Owens written by Austin.

"We are just going to have to take this game as it is and move on to next week," Coach Steve Roberts said. "Tomorrow we will start preparing for Middle Tennessee."

Southern Miss running back Fletcher had 87 yards on 23 carries. Quarterback Austin Davis was 18-31, 219 yards and two touchdowns. Southern Miss was probably the hardest team that ASU has faced all year. Not to take anything away from the win over Texas A&M but a win over Southern Miss and to be 3-0 would have made a huge statement to the state of Arkansas and college football alike. However, the Red Wolves fell just short. Typical.

For five years now me and several of the Red Wolf (or Indian) faithful have been on these roller coaster seasons. Its time for a change. This season, however, does seem different and I can only hope that this kind of season can continue. Next week is definitely going to be a challenge with conference foe Middle Tennessee.

MTSU, for four years now, has been kicking our butt all over the field. I still remember in 2005 when they destroyed ASU by racking up 49 points at Middle Tennessee. So if I remember that then I know the players and coaches do too. Middle Tennessee just barely loss to Kentucky. Kentucky is a mediocre team in the SEC but they are still a big school that has been doing well in football these last few years. I think we are going to have our hands full with Middle next week.

Southern Miss 17, ASU 17 End of 3rd

ASU is a totally different team here in the third quarter. ASU marched it down the field after a great punt by Southern Miss put them on the six yard line. But the poor field position did not phase the Red Wolves. They had a 10 play 94 drive on 4:00 that was capped off by an eight yard touchdown run by Arnold.

Southern Miss has yet to be able to answer the offense produced by the Red Wolves.

Freshman running back Derek Lawson has been highly effective after coming off the 200 yard game that he had against Texas Southern last week. In one quarter, Lawson has 74 yards on six carries. He leads all rushers.

I just saw the stupidest play ever.

The Red Wolves were about to kick the field goal but a bad snap went over Brett Shrabel's head. Shrabel ran back to try to pick up the ball but was chased down and then he fumbled it. Southern Miss picked up the ball and ran it back to the 10 yard line. Shrabel should have just FELL on it. Stupid decision.

We just loss all momentum.

Now we have to make a red zone stand against this offense that has been perfect in the red zone today. At least a field goal. PLEASE!

Southern Miss 17, ASU 10 3rd

A 3rd and 15 conversion by ASU gave them the momentum push that they have been looking for all game. Good passing by Leonard set up a 16 yard touch down pass play to tight end David Johnson.

The opening kick off to ASU stalled but the Red Wolf defense held Southern Miss to a 3 and out to get the ball back. ASU marched down the field to pull within a touchdown mid way through the third quarter.

The 8 play 66 yard drive took 3:13 seconds.

Come on defense. We need that ball back. Its on your shoulders now.

Quickie Stats (Half time)

Southern Miss running back Fletcher has 74 yards on 15 carries for the Golden Eagles. Quarterback Austin Davis is 13-18 for 145 yards with one touchdown. Eddie Hicks leads the Golden Eagle defense with five total tackles.

For the Arkansas State Red Wolves running back Reggie Arnold has 26 yards on five carries and quarterback Corey Leonard has 24 yards on four carries. Leonard is 5-13 with 63 yards. M.D. Jennings leads the defense with 8 total tackles. Ben Owens has 6 total tackles.

Southern Miss is 9 of 10 on third down conversions which has been the key difference between the two teams. ASU has only converted one third down and has yet to make to the Red Zone. The Golden Eagles have controlled the ball for 20:49 minutes. There are 30:00 minutes in one half!

Keys to the second half:

The defense has to stop the Golden Eagles from converting third downs. Especially 3rd and long plays.

ASU has got to move the ball and keep the ball out of the hands of Southern Miss.

Reggie needs to be more productive on the ground, get the pressure of Leonard. If you have a successful running game, you have a better chance of winning games.

ASU is known for playing better defense in the second half. They did not allow A&M to score in the second half early this season. And everybody remembers last year come back against Memphis. Let's see if they can do it again...

Southern Miss 17, ASU 3, 2nd

Southern Miss has been dominant offensively this game so far.

On a play action fake Golden Eagle quarterback Austin Davis found wide receiver Massey in the corner of the end zone to make the game 17-3.

Southern Miss running back increased the lead to 10-3 when he jumped over the line of scrimmage to score the touchdown. He was met hard by the ASU defense but they couldn't keep him out of the end zone.

Since then ASU has yet to be able to move the ball offensively as well. Besides their first drive they have yet to get a first down. Maybe the rain is to blame.

The rain has come and it is pouring. I feel bad for these dedicated fans who made it out tonight. I don't want to see a repeat of last year's Memphis game. Hopefully the lightning will hold off and the game will not be canceled.

ASU just recovered an Golden Eagle fumble, hopefully they can make something out of it.

Southern Miss 3, ASU 3 End of 1st

Southern Miss first drive stalled as they were finally stopped on third down. Golden Eagle Justin Estes made a 23 yard field goal to put Southern Miss up 3-0. They drive took 19 plays 68 yards on 10:17. Talk about time of possession.

Arkansas State answers with a nice little drive of their own. Two big plays set up a 41 yard field goal by Josh Aracuo ties the game at 3 a piece. Aracuo has yet to miss a field goal this season (knock on wood.) The drive took eight plays 55 yards on 2:39. While ASU may lose in time of possession they were definitely more efficient.

END of 1st Quarter

Southern Miss 0, ASU 0 1st

ASU's offense has yet to make it on the field as Southern Miss has marched it down the field in the first quarter. Although they have yet to score, they have picked up five big first downs. Two third down were converted when Southern Miss were facing a 3rd and 16. Right now Southern miss is at the 11 yard line threaten to score.

Where is the defense on third down? The first quarter is almost over and we have yet to see the high powered offense that we know so well. It is hard to score points if they can't even get on the field. Maybe last week spoiled me because I am thinking we should be up by 30 points by now.

Third and six, come on ASU.

Southern Miss v ASU Notes

The Arkansas State football team, off to its first 2-0 start since 1986, hosts Southern Miss today in the second of three consecutive home games for the Red Wolves.

Arkansas Stat holds a 27-43-5 record all time against current members of Conference USA, it has won three of its last four games against opponents from the league. ASU is 2-8 against Southern Miss.

If ASU can come away with a victory over Southern Miss Saturday, it would tie its most non-conference victories under head Coach Steve Roberts (3 in 2002) and also give the program two non-conference victories over NCAA FBS opponents for the second time in the last three seasons.

Arkansas State improved to 6-1 in home openers at ASU Stadium under head coach Steve Roberts who has led the Red Wolves to a 23-7 record on their home field. ASU has won its last four home openers.

Senior linebacker Ben Owens has been named to the watch list for the 2008 Butkus Award, given annually to the top linebacker in college football. The Owens feature would have been in the Herald paper on Monday but it is now being held to the Thursday issue. Be sure to check it out though.

It is about thirty minutes until kickoff.

Live blogging from game

If you are not going to be able to make it to the game on Saturday, I will be doing a live blog from the press box during the game against Southern Miss. The first entry will probably make be posted about thirty minutes before the game will begin.

Also be sure to pick up Monday's issue of the Herald for the Ben Owen's feature written by Austin. It should be a good story because Austin has been doing some good articles so far this year in his coverage of women's soccer and football.

If anyone is interested in sports reporting, we are very short staffed and are always looking for new reporters. You would cover sports such as volleyball, soccer, and maybe even football. Later in the fall basketball season will start and we will need people to help cover those two teams. If you are interested in writing for the Herald, please stop by and pick up an application or drop me an email at herald_sportseditor@hotmail.com.

GO REDWOLVES!

ESPN gives ASU some credit...

Arkansas State is ranked number seven on ESPN's Independents/Others power rankings.

"Quietly the Red Wolves are gaining momentum and looking more and more like a team that could challenge for the Sun Belt. Scoring 83 points on any team is pretty impressive," ESPN said.

Number one on the list is East Carolina who is now ranked 17th in the nation because of their wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. ECU was described as "With two ranked wins under their belt, the schedule gets a little easier with Tulane and NC State in the next two weeks. It will be interesting if ECU can keep up the same level of enthusiasm."

For Arkansas State, the next true test will be this weekend against Southern Miss of Conference USA. But I think that if ASU played as well as they did against Texas A&M then they will have no problem against Southern Miss.

On defense, the Red Wolves are going to have to rely on linebacker Ben Owens who has a interception and a forced fumbled in the first game. He is a beast and is definitely scary to any opposing offense. Look for a feature on Mr. Owens in Monday's issue of the Herald.

Offensively there is no doubt that Corey and Reggie will have to lead this team which means they will have to play flawlessly. We cannot expect the same kind of offensive explosion that we saw in Saturday's game against Texas Southern but I have no doubt that will be able to carry the Red Wolves to victory. Also look to Derek Lawson to complete the one-two punch as the back up running back. He had nearly 230 yards against Texas Southern.

I think as long as we prepare like we did for A&M, Southern Miss will not stand a chance against the Red Wolves. So come on ASU, don't go home this weekend, go to a football game. Its going to be awesome.
.

ASU 76, Tigers 10 4th

Derek Lawson has gotten in a lot of work today. And he has made the most of his opportunity. Lawson now has 209 yards on 8 carries with one TD. This is the first time since 2005 that two people have had 100 yard rushing yards in the same game. The last time two running backs have had 100 yard rushing yards in the same was Bracey and Warren against North Texas.

Third quarter notes.

Travis Hewitt has rushed for 22 yards on 3 attempts with one TD.
His TD was an 8 yard run with 2:02 minutes left in the third quarter to make the score 69 - 3.

TSU finally scored when Reid completed a 32 yard pass to W, OSBOURNE with 0:04 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.

Tonight's attendance is the seventh largest crowd in ASU history. (21, 741)