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)

ASU 52, TSU 3, 3rd quarter

heres some half time stats as the third quarter gets under way.

Corey Leonard was 9-10 for 229 yards and 4 TDs.
Arnold has 123 yards rushing on 8 carries with 2 TDs.
Derek Lawson has 42 yards on 7 carries.

Texas Southern
C, Harmon is 5-12 for 63 yards.
W, WOODS had 26 yards on six carries.

Leonard should be done for the game as Hewitt starts the 2nd half.
Pretty decent game for Leonard. Ha ha.

ASU has turned the ball over due to a fumble by receiver Jahbari McLennan. (Probably the only bad thing ASU has done all game.)

The Indians continue to move the ball down the field in the 3rd quarter due to the efforts of Derek Lawson. More on that later.

ASU 52, TSU 0, 2nd

So I take back that previous commented about TSU being able to stop the run. Reggie Arnold must have been reading my submissions because he just ran all over the Tigers until he found himself in the end zone to make the score 45-0. Arnold ran it in from 2 yards out after a 5 play 78 yard drive which consisted mostly of Arnold rushes.

This is the 10th time that ASU has thrown 4 or more TDs in one game at ASU stadium.

ASU scored earlier in the 2nd quarter when Leonard hooked up with Jonathan White for a 25 yard pass. That particular drive consisted of one play. This is kinda of ridiculous.

Arnold just scored on a 56 yard run. It is the longest rush of Arnold's college career. His former high was 44 yard run against Tennessee last year. It is now 52 - 0. Arnold now has 123 yards on eight carries. This is his eleventh career 100 yard rushing game. It moves him into fifth place for all time in the ASU record place.

So does any body want to play some cards?

ASU 31 - TSU 0; End of 1st MASCOT REVEALED!

BEN OWENS! He is a beast. He picked off TSU quarterback Reid's pass and returned it to the 10 yd line.

Owens had seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, an interception and a fumble recovery in the game against Texas A&M. Owens was responsible for stopping the Aggies last two drives of the game after the Red Wolves went ahead 15-14. He recovered a fumble on the A&M 39-yard line and intercepted Stephen McGee with 10 seconds left in the game.

I smell a feature...

HOWL is introduced as the first quarter comes to a close. Sporting a T-shirt jersey with HOWL written across the back. I must say he looks a lot better looking then Red. He also seems a lot more excited to be there. Just saying. Pick up the Herald on Monday to see pictures of HOWL. The new Red Wolves mascot.

Oh and ASU scored one more time when Leonard hit fullback Jeff Blake for a 3 yard pass with 5:36 left in the first quarter.

Some stats for the 1st quarter:

Leonard was 7 for 8 with 190 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 21 yards on one carry.
Reggie Arnold had 10 yards on four carries. (About the only thing TSU is doing right is stopping the run.)

ASU 24 - TSU 0; 1st Quarter

It has been all ASU since Kevin Jones returned it for 39 yards on the opening kick off.

On ASU first possession, Corey Leonard completed a 53 yard pass to tight end David Johnson to take a 7-0 lead.

After TSU went three and out on its first possession, ASU scored after two plays when Leonard hooked up with tight end Trevor Gillot with 11:40 left in the first quarter. (14-0)

On the Tigers' next possession running back Marcus Wright coughed up the ball after a tremendous hit by a Red Wolf defensive player. Linebacker Javon Mckinnon picked up the ball and scored with 10:40 left in the first quarter.

At the 7:14 minute mark, Josh Arauco kicks a 33 yard field goal to make the score 24-0. Still in the first quarter.

And now back up quarterback Travis Hewitt is warming up on the side line.....

College Football Saturday

Coming to you live from ASU Stadium (formerly Indian Stadium), we are awaiting the start of the first home football game of the season. The Arkansas State Red Wolves are set to take on the Tigers of Texas Southern.

Notes about the game: (Courtesy of ASU Sports Info)

The Arkansas State football team will look for its first 2-0 start since 1986. Arkansas State defeated Texas A&M 18-14 in its season opener. With a victory, ASU can secure its first 2-0 start as a member of the NCCA FBS. The Texas Southern Tigers suffered a 34-14 setback in their season opener against Prairie View A&M.

Today's game is the first meeting between the two schools.

Arkansas State is 5-1 in home openers at ASU Stadium under head coach Steve Roberts, who has led the Red Wolves to a 22-7 record on their home field. ASU has won its last three home openers, including a 45-28 victory over SMU last season.

And so it begins...

Be sure to check back later for continuous blog notes.

Maybe changing the mascot was a good thing...

Before we changed from the ASU Indians to the ASU Red Wolves I was unsure how the city of Jonesboro or the athletic teams would respond during the 2008 - 2009 season. But so far the team and the city has responded well.

I almost don't want to write this blog because Im worried about cursing our team now but I feel that it must be pointed out. Since becoming the Red Wolves, our athletic teams have yet to lose a game. Period. In football, soccer, and volleyball.

Soccer is 2-0. They have defeated UCA and UAPB. The Lady Red Wolves have scored 12 goals in two games. They now have to face Centenary and Stephen F. Austin, which will prove to be a challenge because both teams have done well in the past. Stephen F. Austin made it to the NCAA tournament last year and have a lot of starters returning. Sophia Turesson and Kailey Gear both have scored three goals this season. Gear scored three against UCA and Turesson made her three against UAPB on Saturday. However, this weekend may prove too much for the Red Wolves and they soccer program may be the first team to pick up a loss as the Red Wolves.

Volleyball is 4-0. They recently defeated Tennessee-Martin 3-0 at home on Tuesday. They also defeated Texas Southern, Mississippi Valley State, and The Citadel during a tournament in Houston. They Lady Red Wolves have yet to even lose a match, defeating all opponents by a score of 3-0. ASU is off to its best start since 2004 season when it started the year 5-0. Junior outside hitter Konae Purcell led ASU with 14 kills during the game against The Citadel.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY. Football is 1-0. Coming off a huge win against Texas A&M on Saturday by a score of 18-14. This is the first time that ASU has beaten an BCS team since moving to Division 1-A football. This is the first time in 15 tries that ASU has won an away opener. After falling just short against Texas last season, the Red Wolves proved to be the team that wanted it more on Saturday.

"They outplayed us, outcoached us and beat us as a team," Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman said about the Red Wolves to Texas A&M's the Battalion (their college newspaper.)

Next the Red Wolves will play the Tigers of Texas Southern on Saturday at what used to be Indian Stadium beginning at 6 p.m.