Alred Luke 58-yard TD reception vs. A-State 2022
Justin Manning
28
ULM ULM 2-3 , 1-1
45
Winner Arkansas State ASU 2-3 , 1-1
ULM ULM
2-3 , 1-1
28
Final
45
Arkansas State ASU
2-3 , 1-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM ULM 7 7 7 7 28
ASU Arkansas State 10 14 14 7 45

Game Recap: Football |

ULM Can’t Keep Pace with A-State’s High-Powered Offense

By ULM Online Columnist Paul Letlow JONESBORO, Ark. – Some habits are hard to break. ULM dropped its 13th consecutive game to Arkansas State on Saturday night with a 45-28 loss at Centennial Bank Stadium. ULM's last win in Jonesboro was 16-7 on Nov. 17, 2001. "They had an answer to everything we did, they played better and they deserved to win," ULM coach Terry Bowden said. "My hat's off to them and we just had one of those games. We've got to play a lot better to win on the road against Arkansas State." Arkansas State (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) played a mean game of keep away in the first half while building a 10-point halftime lead. ULM had a hard time getting the Red Wolves' offense off the field as the home team gained 355 yards on 77 plays overall. ULM (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) gained 290 yards total, finished just 3-for-12 on third-down conversions and committed 10 penalties for 105 yards. "If you're an underdog, trying to build a program and win close games, every single penalty hurts," Bowden said. "If you're a great team, you beat people by 30 or 40, you don't give a flip about penalties. But we aren't the kind of team that can have penalties and win." Malik Jackson rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown while Chandler Rogers ran for 57 yards and a touchdown and completed 12-of-20 passes for 138 yards and two scores. "Offensively, I felt like we might need to score in the 30s tonight to win this game and we couldn't do it," Bowden said. "Right now, we're solid, but we're kind of methodical. We might have one explosive play, but we're not as consistent moving the ball down the field to get the number of points you have to score to win a game like this."
The Warhawks played from behind most of the night. Te'Vailance Hunt's 5-yard touchdown grab from James Blackman gave Arkansas State a 7-0 lead with 6:21 left in the first quarter. The Red Wolves covered 65 yards in 12 plays for the score. Alred Luke's first career touchdown tied the score at 7-7 with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter. A wide-open Luke split the seam and hauled in a 58-yard scoring pass from Rogers to cap a five-play, 75-yard drive. After a three-and-out stop by the defense, Boogie Knight's muffed punt set up Arkansas State at the ULM 28. ULM's defense stiffened again, didn't allow a yard on the series and held the Red Wolves to a 46-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada for a 10-7 lead with 2:12 showing in the first. The Warhawks took a 14-10 lead with 11:33 left in the second quarter when Rogers flipped a play-action pass to tight end Zach Rasmussen for a 5-yard touchdown. ULM needed just six plays to go 69 yards, with Rogers running for 30 yards on three carries during the march. Arkansas State reclaimed the advantage at 17-14 on Brian Snead's 13-yard touchdown run, closing out an 11-play, 85 yard drive with 6:31 left before halftime. The Red Wolves extended their lead to 24-14 by completing a nine-play, 53-yard drive with 43 seconds remaining. Blackman's screen pass to Johnnie Lang went for an 18-yard touchdown and a 10-point edge for the home team going into the break. "Football is a game of momentum," Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said. "I didn't like the way we started off. I felt like we didn't have a lot of grit and intensity. But I thought our players showed some maturity and came back with some critical third downs." Arkansas State held the ball 20:28 to win time of possession in the first half and converted 7-of-13 third-down opportunities. The Red Wolves outgained ULM 199-153 over the first two quarters as Blackman passed for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Warhawks were flagged six times for 79 penalty yards while Arkansas State made five first-half penalties for 50 yards. ULM's offense started the second half with a three-and-out, then saw the Red Wolves retaliate with a 10-play, 78-yard scoring drive to boost the deficit to 31-14. Lang punched in a 1-yard touchdown rush with 8:32 left in the third. Arkansas State scored on three consecutive possessions after trailing ULM in the second quarter. The Warhawks pulled within 31-21 after launching a much-needed 13-play, 65-yard drive. Malik Jackson scored on a 1-yard run with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter. But Arkansas State's Lang delivered a demoralizing jolt on the ensuing kickoff with a 98-yard return for a touchdown and the Red Wolves led 38-21 with 2:48 showing on the clock. "The kicking game hurts us," Bowden said. "We've had struggles with our protection and our coverage. They are another team that hurt us not only with their returns but also with their coverage." With 11:22 left in the game, Rogers dashed 22 yards around the right side for a rushing touchdown to close the margin to 38-28. The Warhawks rushed for 55 yards during their nine-play, 67-yard drive to get back on the scoreboard. Arkansas State sealed its win with another long march to go up 45-28 with 4:28 to go in the game. Snead's 10-yard touchdown run finished a 12-play, 67-yard drive. Good play: Luke's first career touchdown was a beauty as he ran past the defense for a 58-yard touchdown catch from Rogers. Something special: Lang's 98-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was a dagger touchdown. ULM had just cut the lead to 10 but Lang's return made it 38-21. Did you notice?: On the field for more than 20 minutes in the first half, ULM's defense recorded 45 tackles, three sacks, nine tackles for losses and three pass break-ups. By comparison, the Arkansas State defense played just 9:32 in the half and registered 14 total tackles. Enemy lines: Making his third career appearance vs. ULM, Blackman completed 25-of-32 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Before Saturday's start, the senior quarterback faced ULM twice while playing at Florida State. Lang scored on a rush, a reception and a kickoff return, becoming the third player in Sun Belt history to accomplish the feat. He was the first since T.Y. Hilton (FIU) in 2010 against ULM. It was only the 15th time in FBS since 2000 a player had a rushing, receiving and kickoff return TD. Up next: Homecoming arrives for ULM on Oct. 8 with a visit from unbeaten Coastal Carolina (5-0, 2-0 Sun Belt). Kickoff at Malone Stadium is 7 p.m. Tail feathers: ULM averaged 39.5 penalty yards through the first four games. … Tristan Driggers led the ULM defense with a career-high 10 tackles. Kenard Snyder made his first career start and finished with nine tackles, with three resulting in losses including a 3-yard sack. … Arkansas State improved to 31-14 in the all-time series vs. ULM. … ULM game captains were wide receiver Fred Lloyd Jr., fullback Abraham Alce and defensive end Seth Mason. … ULM's last road win, a 24-14 win at Texas State, came Oct. 10, 2019. … Rasmussen's TD catch was his second this year and fifth of his career. … Arkansas State's Trevian Thomas was ejected for targeting Malik Jackson in the third quarter.
 
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