Arkansas State scored on a 3-yard Sirgregory Thornton touchdown run with 6:29 remaining and held on for a 17-16 victory over South Alabama, handing the Jaguars another one-point loss.
South Alabama outgained the Red Wolves 371-349 but could not answer the go-ahead score, turning the ball over on downs with 1:53 left.
“It’s getting tough to walk in the locker room when you lose close games like that,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said. “We played a good ballgame overall. There were some things we could have done better, but we obviously lost it in the fourth quarter again and that’s tough to take. We have a bunch of guys hurting right now.”
Defenses Control First Half
Neither team scored in the first quarter. Arkansas State was the only team to cross midfield in the period, and that drive ended with a fumble at the South Alabama 15.
The Jaguars took a 3-0 lead on a 27-yard field goal with 10:55 left in the second quarter. After failing to reach the end zone from inside the 5-yard line, South Alabama added another field goal with 1:34 left before halftime for a 6-0 lead at the break.
Third-Quarter Exchanges
South Alabama received the second-half kickoff and moved into Arkansas State territory, helped by a 42-yard completion from Ross Metheny to Shavarez Smith that reached the Red Wolves’ 18. Facing third-and-14 from the 22, Metheny’s pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Arkansas State answered with an 80-yard drive built largely on the ground. Quarterback Adam Kennedy ran for 40 of those yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run. South Alabama’s Maleki Harris had left the game with a shoulder injury, and several Jaguar defensive linemen were also playing through injuries.
T.J. Glover’s 34-yard kickoff return gave South Alabama the ball at its own 35 on the next possession. A pass interference penalty on Arkansas State in the end zone set up the Jaguars at the 2-yard line, and Kendall Houston scored to put South Alabama back in front 13-7.
Fourth Quarter
Arkansas State reached the South Alabama 27 as the third quarter ended. Alex Page sacked Kennedy for a 6-yard loss to open the fourth quarter, but Brian Davis made a 50-yard field goal to cut the lead to 13-10 with 14:12 remaining.
South Alabama answered with a 30-yard field goal after failing to convert on third-and-9 from the Arkansas State 18, taking a 16-10 lead with 9:58 left.
Following a touchback, Arkansas State drove 75 yards in nine plays, all but two of them runs, and Thornton’s 3-yard run gave the Red Wolves a 17-16 lead.
Metheny opened South Alabama’s next drive with runs of 9 and 2 yards for a first down. Two incompletions to Smith followed, and on third-and-10 from the Jaguar 36, Darrius Rosser sacked Metheny for an 8-yard loss. Scott Garber’s punt stopped at the Arkansas State 37.
South Alabama’s defense forced a punt, and the offense took over at its own 9 with 3:17 left. Metheny ran for 5 yards and hit Bryant Lavender for 20 yards to the Jaguar 34, then found Lavender for 5 more. After an incompletion on third-and-5, Metheny was pressured out of the pocket on fourth down and could not complete a pass to Jereme Jones, and Arkansas State took over on downs with 1:53 remaining.
Statistics
South Alabama held a 228-160 edge in passing yards, while Arkansas State outrushed the Jaguars 189-143.
- Ross Metheny: 15-of-29, 228 yards, 1 INT; game-high 77 rushing yards on 17 carries
- Jay Jones: 11 carries, 44 yards; 2 catches
- Kendall Houston: 5 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD
- Wes Saxton: team-high 4 catches, 49 yards
- Shavarez Smith: 3 catches, 77 yards
- Danny Woodson: 2 catches, 54 yards
- Bryant Lavender: 2 catches
- Jereme Jones: 2 catches
Jereme Jones extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 35.
For Arkansas State, Kennedy completed 15 of 17 passes for 136 yards, and Fredi Knighten went 6 of 8 for 24 yards.
Jones: Improvement Not Showing in Win Column
“I’ve never seen a team improve as much as they have and not see the rewards,” Jones said. “That’s the thing that hurts me most, because I feel like we’re much improved as a team from last year to this year. It’s not even close. But it’s not showing up in the win column, and that’s the bottom line.”
Bye Week, Then Navy
South Alabama has its third and final open date of the season before traveling to face Navy on Nov. 16. Several Jaguar defenders are nursing injuries.
