Red Wolves rally to clip Owls
Summary
Pick/market: JONESBORO – The south end zone was unkind to kickers Saturday night at Centennial Bank Stadium.
JONESBORO – The south end zone was unkind to kickers Saturday night at Centennial Bank Stadium.
Three tries, three misses, the last leading to Arkansas State's 17-14 victory over the Kennesaw State Owls (1-3).
"It was a game that we needed to win to be the team that we need to be,'' said A-State coach Butch Jones.
The Owls' Daniel Kinney was wide left on a 32-yard field goal with 2:59 left that would have tied the score. The Red Wolves' reliable Clune VanAndel missed twice on kicks into the south end zone.
From there, the Red Wolves (2-2) were able to run out the clock behind freshman Solomon Baggett, who gained all 36 yards on the final time-killing drive. Baggett, who ran for 63 yards in the game, had 29 yards rushing on the final drive and caught a vital third-down pass for a 7-yard gain that gave the drive momentum.
"At the end of the day when the game was on the line we made the plays we needed to make,'' said Jones.
Van Andel hit a 33-yard field goal with 4:03 left to give the Red Wolves a 17-14 lead. The drive was set up on a fourth-and-1 stop with 12:23 left at the A-State 44.
It was 7-7 at the half after Arkansas State led 7-0.
"We left 10 points out there in the first half,'' said Jones. "We had a missed field goal and a dropped touchdown pass. But we believe in Clune. He has a body of work behind him."
The Owls, who scored with 1:23 left in the half to force the halftime tie, took a 14-7 lead on Boogie Woods' 6-yard run with 4:24 left in the third.
Arkansas State tied it when Trey Owens scored from the 2 with 1:19 left in the third quarter. It was a 76-yard drive, the big play a 46-yard screen pass to Chauncey Cobb.
Kennesaw twice drove into A-State territory in the fourth quarter, once stopped on downs and the other the missed field goal.
A-State scored first on a 14-yard pass from Owens, who was 24 of 31 for 144 yards, to Hunter Summers, who finished with 7 receptions for 57 yards.
Baggett, a true freshman from Mississippi, finished with 63 yards rushing and had 21 yards on 3 receptions.
Daniel Vuckovic had just 3 punts for a 37.7 average but all 3 were inside the 20.
The Red Wolves begin Sun Belt play next week at Louisiana-Lafayette.
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Teams:
Arkansas State
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