By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow
MONROE, La.  –  A fourth-quarter surge helped Arkansas State outlast ULM 34-24 on a warm afternoon at Malone Stadium.

The Red Wolves (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) claimed their 14th straight win over the Warhawks (2-6, 0-5 Sun Belt), a streak that dates back to 2010. ULM dropped its sixth-straight game this season after a 2-0 start.

"That was just disappointing," ULM coach Terry Bowden said. "They went out and won the game and we didn't. They went out and did what they had to do to win the game in the fourth quarter and we did not."

Freshman quarterback Blake Murphy, who saw his first collegiate action a week ago, made his first start in ULM's Homecoming game.

"It didn't come easy," Murphy said. "I had to work for it since I got here in the summer. I gained chemistry with Coach (Matt) Kubik and the O-line and the receivers and we made a bond. When the time came, I just had to step up and make the right decisions."

Murphy completed 25-of-44 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns. He passed for 320 yards in his debut at Georgia Southern, positioning him to start over Jiya Wright.

"We decided to go with Blake Murphy the entire game," Bowden said. "He can throw the football but he also plays a little bit like a true freshman in his second game."

ULM led 16-10 after scoring on the opening drive of the third quarter before Arkansas State regained the lead 17-16 in the period. The Red Wolves outscored ULM 17-8 in the fourth quarter to pull away.

"After our first drive offensively, we were three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out," Bowden said. "Defensively they started producing and they started scoring. Once we got in that situation, they just outplayed us in the fourth quarter."

The Warhawks committed nine penalties for 75 yards and had three touchdowns negated by flags. ULM lost a 73-yard punt return, a 33-yard touchdown pass and a blocked punt return for a score to penalties.

"I don't think I've ever had three touchdowns called back," Bowden said. "Three. Twenty one points. It happened so fast, you don't even realize that it happened."

The Warhawks gained 448 yards total offense with 148 rushing. Bugs Mortimer caught five passes for 76 yards while Hunter Smith rushed for 60 yards on 13 carries.

Ja'Terious Evans led the ULM defense with eight tackles. Kenard Snyder had a sack and 2.5 tackles for losses.

ULM had two touchdowns erased by penalties (a punt return and a passing TD) before Derek McCormick's 50-yard field goal gave the Warhawks a 3-0 lead with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter.

Arkansas State responded quickly, using a 58-yard pass play to flip the field before Jaylen Raynor scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left in the opening period. Raynor, also a true freshman starting quarterback, completed 15-of-30 passes for 298 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception.

The Warhawks needed 13 plays to cover 62 yards and add a 30-yard field goal by McCormick to cut the deficit to 7-6 with 10:45 left in the quarter. Murphy hit a 33-yard pass to NyNy Davis and ULM converted on fourth-and-1 to the ASU 15 to keep the drive flowing.

ULM regained the lead at 9-7 on a 20-yard field goal from McCormick with 5:27 left in the half. Murphy's 24-yard pass to tight end Nolan Quinlan to the ASU 22 was the big play in ULM's 10-play, 61-yard scoring drive.

Arkansas State's Dominic Zvada gave his team a leg up with a 49-yard field goal with 2:02 remaining in the second quarter. The Red Wolves drove 33 yards in eight plays to go ahead 10-9, which stood as the halftime score.

ULM outgained Arkansas State 207-184 in the first half, as Murphy completed 12-of-20 passes for 158 yards. His most productive target was Mortimer, who caught three balls for 60 yards.

The third quarter started with a pair of marathon marches by both offenses.

The Warhawks took the opening drive 75 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Murphy to Nolan Quinlan, the first in the tight end's ULM career. ULM led 16-10 with 9:27 remaining in the third quarter.

Arkansas State countered with a long scoring drive of its own, moving 75 yards in 13 plays. Raynor's 5-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Jackson with 4:10 left in the third put the Red Wolves up 17-16.

Zak Wallace ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run to cap a swift, three-play, 81-yard drive and Arkansas State's lead increased to 24-16 with 12:41 left in regulation. Corey Rucker's 36-yard reception on the previous play set up the scoring dash.

After a ULM punt, Wallace scored again on a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:28 to go. The Red Wolves covered 72 yards in five plays, including a 38-yard pass from Raynor to Jackson to set up the TD plunge. Wallace finished with 118 rushing yards and two scores on 18 attempts.

The Red Wolves added a 42-yard field goal by Zvada with 2:08 left in the game for a 34-16 score.

Murphy orchestrated a nine-play, 75-yard drive and hit Davis on a 12-yard touchdown pass for ULM's final points with 22 seconds remaining. Murphy ran in the 2-point conversion to set the 34-24 final margin.

"We coaches have to do a better job of getting our guys to take care of the little things," Bowden said. "This team has played a lot of good football and played a lot of good football tonight. We didn't play good enough football at the end."

Up next: ULM is on the road at Southern Miss on Nov. 4. Kickoff is 3 p.m.