Arkansas State fizzles in yet another loss

2009 Arkansas State Red Wolves ... Head Coach: Steve Roberts

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 2-7

9/5 Miss Valley St W 61-0
9/12 at Nebraska :L 38-9
9/19 OPEN DATE
9/26 Troy L 30-27
10/3 at Iowa L 24-21
10/13 at ULM L 16-10
10/17 OPEN DATE
10/24 FIU W 27-10
10/31 at Louisville L 21-13
11/7 UL Lafayette L 21-18
11/14 at FAU L 35-18
11/21 at Mid Tenn.
11/28 North Texas
12/3 at WKU

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 6-6

8/30 at Texas A&M W 18-14
9/6 Texas Southern W 83-10
9/13 Southern Miss L 27-24
9/20 Middle Tenn W 31-14
9/27 at Memphis L 29-17
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11 UL Monroe W 37-29
10/18 at UL Lafayette L 28-23
10/25 OPEN DATE
11/1 at Alabama L 35-0
11/8 at FIU L 22-21
11/15 OPEN DATE
11/22 Florida Atlantic W 28-14
11/29 at North Texas W 33-28
12/6 at Troy L 35-9

Arkansas State Red Wolves

Nov. 14
at Florida Atlantic 35 … Arkansas State 18
Jeff Van Camp threw three touchdown passes including a 52-yarder to Jason Harmon, and Alfred Morris ran for scores from 21 and seven yards out and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass as FAU got up 28-9. ASU moved the ball well, but managed just four field goals before finally getting into the end zone on a Taylor Stockemer catch in the final minute. In place of Corey Leonard, Ryan Aplin ran for 82 yards and threw for 168 for the Red Wolves.
Player of the Game: Florida Atlantic QB Jeff Van Camp completed 18-of-27 passes for 242 yards and three scores and ran for six yards.
Arkansas State: Passing: Ryan Aplin, 20-27, 168 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ryan Aplin, 15-82, Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 5-43
Florida Atlantic: Passing: Jeff Van Camp, 18-27, 242 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Alfred Morris, 24-117, 2 TD, Receiving: Jason Harmon, 4-85, 1 TD
What It All Means: Corey Leonard struggled all season long, but he’s still missed. At least the 2008 version is missed. Ryan Aplin was solid as a fill in, but there wasn’t anything happening with the downfield passing game and there wasn’t enough from the running game to pick up the slack. With plenty of chances to get up big early, settling for three first half field goals proved to be a killer. FAU would’ve struggled if it had to mount a comeback, and now for ASU, a bad season is getting worse. On a three game losing streak and with a trip to Middle Tennessee up next, things are going to keep on sliding.

Nov. 7
at Louisiana-Lafayette 21 … Arkansas State 18
Lance Kelly picked off a Ryan Aplin pass late in the fourth to seal a win for the Ragin’ Cajuns and stop an ASU rally. ULL got two short touchdown runs from QB Chris Masson on the way to a 21-3 lead after three quarters, but ASU rallied with Reggie Arnold touchdown runs from two and five yards out. ASU finished 0-for-10 on third down conversion attempts and cranked out a mere 239 yards of total offense.
Player of the Game: Louisiana-Lafayette QB Chris Masson completed 28-of-40 passes for 229 yards and ran seven times for 30 yards and two scores.
Arkansas State: Passing: Ryan Aplin, 8-14, 147 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 10-38, 2 TD, Receiving: Taylor Clements, 4-55
Louisiana-Lafayette: Passing: Chris Masson, 28-40, 229 yds
Rushing: Yobes Miller, 12-51, Receiving: Marlin Miller, 8-36
What It All Means: The disaster of the disappointing season has gotten worse. Corey Leonard melted down with a 3-of-10 performance for 35 yards with an interception and an unsportsmanlike penalty. He was benched, and while Ryan Aplin wasn’t awful, he’s not Leonard when Leonard is on. Losing six of the last seven games and the lack of offensive pop has appeared to wear on the team, and now it has to go on the road for three of the final four games. 
Oct. 31
at Louisville 21 … Arkansas State 13
A banged up Louisville got up 21-3 helped by a 25-yard Brandon Heath interception return for a touchdown and two Darius Ashley touchdown runs. But Arkansas State didn’t go away quietly with Corey Leonard hitting Brandon Thompkins for a four-yard score late in the third and pulled within eight on a 21-yard Josh Arauco field goal. The Cardinals held on late even though ASU had a few chances.
Player of the Game: Louisville LB Jon Dempsey made 12 tackles with a sack.
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 23-41, 303 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 10-22, Receiving: Brandon Thompson, 7-49, 1 TD
Louisville: Passing: Will Stein, 20-39, 232 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Bilal Powell, 17-93, Receiving: Scott Long, 6-46 
What It All Means: Arkansas State isn’t getting nearly enough out of its offense. Considering Corey Leonard is a veteran quarterback who knows what he’s doing, and Reggie Arnold is a talented and proven back, getting just 143 rushing yards per game and 345 yards of total offense aren’t nearly enough. The defense has done its job, and continues to lead the Sun Belt in both total D and scoring defense, but to turn around an ugly season and make some noise in conference play, Leonard and Arnold have to start playing like the all-stars they’re supposed to be and turn the close calls into wins.

Oct. 24
at Arkansas State 27 … FIU 10
Arkansas State got up 17-0 on a five-yard Byron Blake touchdown catch and a five-yard Derek Larson run, and then the running game took over the rest of the game. Reggie Arnold ran for 104 yards and a 14-yard score, and QB Corey Leonard ran for 120 yards and threw the scoring pass to Blake. FIU scored ten straight points in the second half, led by a two-yard Darriet Perry run, but only managed 223 yards of total offense.
Player of the Game: Arkansas State QB Corey Leonard completed 12-of-18 passes for 149 yards and a score, and he ran 15 times for 120 yards.
FIU: Passing: Paul McCall, 17-31, 173 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Darriet Perry, 8-18, 1 TD, Receiving: Jason Frierson, 3-48
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 12-18, 149 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Corey Leonard, 15-120, Receiving: Taylor Stockemer, 4-81
What It All Means: After the rough four game losing streak, the Red Wolves needed to come up with an easy win to turn things around, and they did. Reggie Arnold ran for 104 yards and a score, and the team gained 276 yards, while the defense held the Golden Panthers to just 32 yards. While it might be too late to win the Sun Belt title, even with five conference games to go, there’s still time to come up with a winning season by going on a big second half run. Even with the big Sun Belt games ahead, beating Louisville next week might make an even bigger statement. 

Oct. 13
at ULM 16 … Arkansas State 10
In rainy, lousy conditions, ULM got up 16-0 helped by a 48-yard LaGregory Sapp touchdown catch and a one-yard Frank Goodin touchdown run, while it came up with a field goal after recovering a fumble because of a slick ball. ASU tried to come back with ten third quarter points highlighted by a 14-yard Brandon Thompkins touchdown grab, but the ULM defense stiffened in the fourth quarter holding firm with ASU getting down to the 20 in the final minutes and coming away with nothing.
Player of the Game: ULM LB Cardia Jackson made 11-5 tackles and broke up a pass.
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 20-39, 234 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 14-45, Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 5-90, 1 TD
ULM: Passing: Trey Revell, 3-8, 83 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Frank Goodin, 27-97, 1 TD, Receiving: Luther Ambrose, 3-42
What It All Means: ASU is going to be kicking itself for this one. The miserable conditions had a lot to do with the problems, but the rain can’t be used as an excuse for the 16 penalties and the lack of effectiveness in the running game. The defense was great after struggling early on, but the O line couldn’t protect Corey Leonard, allowing five sacks, and the running game came up with just 29 yards. 

Oct. 3
at Iowa 24 … Arkansas State 21
Iowa appeared to be cruising to a nice easy win as Ricky Stanzi hit Trey Stross for a 33-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and followed it up with a 41-yarder to Marvin McNutt, but Arkansas State kept chipping back. A 43-yard score to McNutt made it 21-7, and the Hawkeyes were driving for another score when Demario Davis returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. But Davis was hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty for doing a backflip into the end zone, and Iowa took advantage of the short field with Daniel Murray hitting a 20-yard field goal. ASU cut the lead to three in the final minutes on a Trevor Gillott scoring grab, but wouldn’t threaten again.
Player of the Game: Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi completed 18-of26 passes for 296 yards and three touchdown with two interceptions, and he ran for 19 yards on six carries.
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 22-40, 216 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 10-42, Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 8-76, 1 TD
Iowa: Passing: Ricky Stanzi, 18-26, 296 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Wegher, 11-49, Receiving: Marvin McNutt, 4-121, 2 TD 
What It All Means: ASU kept on fighting and QB Corey Leonard did his best to keep the team in the game, but the defense didn’t have enough answers early for Iowa’s passing game. Getting off the field was a problem, but there were several nice stops against the run and enough positive plays to stay alive until the end. And now it’s time to start producing in Sun Belt play with Reggie Arnold and the ground game needing to get rolling at ULM.

Sept. 26
Troy 30 … at Arkansas State 27
Troy converted a muffed punt with an eight-yard Levi Brown touchdown pass to Cornelius Williams with 7:53 to play, and the defense held on for the great Sun Belt win. Levi Brown threw two scoring passes on the day and Sam Glusman kicked three field goals, but ASU kept the heat on as Corey Leonard connected with Brandon Thompkins for a 58-yard score and Reggie Arnold ran for two one-yard scores. Troy outgained ASU 507 yards to 305, but the two teams combined for 18 penalties and six lost fumbles.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 33-of-46 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 12-24, 190 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 12-32, 2 TD, Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 4-82, 1 TD
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 33-4, 355 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 13-48, 1 TD, Receiving: TeBiarus Gill, 10-85, 1 TD
What It All Means: Arkansas State is going to be kicking itself for this one. The defense struggled with not enough pass coverage against a red-hot Levi Brown, but the offense fought its way back and took advantage of some errors to have a shot to pull off the home win. The Red Wolves couldn’t afford to lose a key home game with FAU, Middle Tennessee, and ULM on the road, and with only three home games left in the year. It’s not an overstatement to say ASU is out of the Sun Belt race now after just one game.

Sept. 12
at Nebraska 38 ... Arkansas State 9
Nebraska held the high-powered Arkansas State offense to 274 yards, while the Husker offense had few problems getting ahead and staying there. Zac Lee threw four touchdown passes including two in the first quarter, and Niles Paul ran for a 30-yard score for a 21-0 lead. ASU got into the end zone on a Reggie Arnold one-yard run, but never threatened throughout. Mike McNeill caught touchdown passes from 13 and 32 yards out, while Paul put an end to the scoring with a two-yard touchdown grab.
Player of the Game: Nebraska QB Zac Lee completed 27-of-35 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns, and hr ran for 11 yards.
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 11-20, 131 yds
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 14-83, 1 TD, Receiving: J. McLennan, 7-69
Nebraska: Passing: Zac Lee, 27-35, 340 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Roy Helu, 14-60, Receiving: Nile Paul, 6-69, 1 TD
What It All Means: The running game had a hard time getting going against Nebraska with too many plays made behind the line and not enough time for Corey Leonard to operate. On defense, Alex Carrington came up with a sack, but there wasn't nearly enough pressure to throw Husker QB Zac Lee off his game. With a week off, the Red Wolves have to get the passing game a bit sharper in practice before the showdown against Troy. It's a winnable game, but the offense will have to be clicking. It wasn't close against Nebraska.

Sept. 5
at Arkansas State 61 ... Mississippi Valley State 0
Reggie Arnold ran for four touchdowns and Corey Leonard became the school's all-time leading yardage leader in the ugly blowout. Arnold scored from 3, 20, 26 and two yards out, while Don James added a 25-yard scoring catch and a 12-yard run. Mississippi Valley State managed a mere 69 yards of total offense and five first downs
Player of the Game: Arkansas State RB Reggie Arnold ran 12 times for 126 yards and four touchdowns.
Mississippi Valley State: Passing: Paul Roberts, 6-16, 39 yds
Rushing: Johey Hargrett, 10-22, Receiving: Paul Cox, 3-15
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 8-13, 129 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 12-126, 4 TD, Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 2-65
What It All Means: Why was Reggie Arnold playing in the third quarter? ASU already had the game well in hand, but Arnold kept getting a little bit of work even though he's one of the two players the team can't afford to lose. Corey Leonard wasn't razor sharp, but he didn't need to be with a running game that rumbled for 358 yards. The 61 points was being nice. This offense is going to be able to provide a few beatdowns throughout the year, and if Arnold is rumbling half as well as he did against MVSU, the Huskers will be on their heels. It'll be a shootout, and ASU has to be ready to start airing it out a bit.