Arkansas State football churned out 261 yards rushing on Saturday at CenterParc Stadium and achieved bowl eligibility for the second straight season, topping Georgia State 27-20.
The Red Wolves (6-4, 4-2 SBC) also had seven tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball and forced the Panthers (2-8, 0-6) into a pair of interceptions – including one by Trevian Thomas with 1:32 to play. A-State’s defense also limited the hosts to just 73 yards on the ground.
Jaylen Raynor led the ground assault with a career-high 114 yards on 16 carries, becoming the first A-State quarterback with 100-plus rushing yards since Justice Hansen had 121 against Louisiana on Oct. 19, 2017. Ja’Quez Cross had 76 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, while Zak Wallace scored twice on 14 carries for 62 yards. Through the air, Raynor completed 10-of-17 passes for 97 yards.
Websley Etienne led the Red Wolves defensively with six tackles – five solos. Bryan Whitehead had 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as part of five stops. In addition to Thomas’ fourth-quarter pick, Justin Parks recorded an interception in the second quarter.
GSU struck first when Zach Gibson found Ted Hurst for a 24-yard strike. Hurst hauled in nine catches for 173 yards, while Gibson passed for 101 yards 9-of-14. As a team, the Panthers passed for 346 yards.
Wallace scored from 13 yards out on the next drive to even the score at 7-all, which would hold until halftime.
The Red Wolves took their first lead of the night with 9:32 left in the third, when Wallace powered across the line for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. Georgia State then tied it at 14 when Christian Veilleux (17-35, 245 yards) completed a 12-yard scoring pass to Michel Dukes.
Clune Van Andel netted a 44-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in the quarter – his 15th straight to tie Josh Arauco’s program record for consecutive made field goals – to put A-State ahead 17-14 after three.
After a 57-yard punt return from Courtney Jackson, Cross scored two players later on a 15-yard rush, giving the Scarlet and Black a 24-14 advantage, but GSU pulled within a touchdown on a 48-yard kick by Braeden McAlister.
Van Andel then broke Arauco’s record with a career-long 52-yard field goal with 7:59 to play, putting A-State back ahead by 10, 27-17. The Panthers managed one more score – a 40-yard field goal by Liam Rickman, but could not complete the comeback, as Thomas’ interception stalled their final drive.
A-State returns home for its final two regular-season contests, with the home stand beginning Saturday, Nov. 23, against ULM. Kick-off against the Warhawks is set for 2 p.m. at Centennial Bank Stadium, with the game being carried live on ESPN+.
