The home team in this matchup over the last few years has had the advantage and won, with the Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-4, 1-1 SBC) continuing that habit Saturday afternoon as they upset the Texas State Bobcats (3-2, 0-1 SBC) 31-30 at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Texas State’s 494 total yards on offense couldn’t get it done against the Red Wolves 398. Penalties were a highlight in keeping Arkansas State in the game, as the Bobcats drew nine penalties for 75 yards, a few coming in at very crucial moments during the game.
The quarterbacks in this game went back and forth against each other in terms of performance. Arkansas State’s junior QB Jaylen Raynor had arguably his best game of the season against the Bobcats, tossing for 248 yards along with a pair of passing touchdowns. He rushed for 92 yards with two scores on the ground as well.
The Bobcats redshirt freshman QB Brad Jackson finished the game throwing for 205 yards on 18 completions and one passing touchdown. He got it done on the ground as well, rushing for 131 yards and scoring the game’s first score. Senior runningback Lincoln Pare was the second leading rusher for the Bobcats, rushing for 105 yards and two scores of his own.
Texas State started the game hot, winning the coin toss and opting to receive the ball first. The Bobcats scored in seven plays, capped off with a 24-yard rushing touchdown from Jackson.
The Bobcats offense went stale against the Red Wolves defense afterwards, only hitting a field goal 31-yard field goal in the second quarter as the game went into halftime knotted up at 10. Coming out of the half, Texas State and Arkansas State were both flat on offense, which led to a quarter full of punts.
However, the next and final quarter of the game was nothing but offense.
The Bobcats and Red Wolves traded touchdowns all the way till the end of the game. With the game all tied up at 24 apiece late in the fourth, Jackson snapped in shotgun formation and ran a QB draw up the middle for 63 yards, getting down to inside the Red Wolves 3-yard line. Pare finished the drive up with a short touchdown run to give the Bobcats the lead.
But the game was far from over. In what seemed like a routine kick, kicker Tyler Robles missed the important extra point, giving Arkansas State a chance to win it in regulation with just a touchdown.
The Bobcats still had a chance to get a stop on defense with one minute left, but after getting depleted all quarter by Raynor and company, it struggled to contain Arkansas State’s high-powered offense. The red Wolves drove down to Texas State’s four-yard line and Raynor rushed it in himself from four yards out, ultimately avenging last year’s loss and securing the victory for the Red Wolves.
This marks Texas State’s first conference game of the season as a loss, finding themselves down in an early hole in the Sun Belt Conference West Division race. The team remains above .500 by a single game and looks to defend home turf in San Marcos next weekend on Oct. 11 as they take on the Troy Trojans on Homecoming Weekend.
Kickoff against Troy will begin at 7 p.m. at UFCU Stadium and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
