For the first time ever, the Arkansas State Red Wolves played the Arkansas Razorbacks in football, and it did not go well for the Red Wolves.

Both teams entered War Memorial Stadium 1-0 after playing teams in the Football Championship Subdivision last week. The Red Wolves defeated Southeastern Missouri State 42-24, and the Razorbacks defeated Alabama A&M 52-7.

Right away, the Hogs came out swinging with four first quarter touchdowns. Razorbacks running back Mike Washington Jr. ran for a 53-yard touchdown on the second play of the game. The Red Wolves offense failed to respond and the Hogs scored another touchdown after Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Razorbacks wide receiver Raylen Sharpe.

“You have to start fast and this is two weeks where we haven’t started fast,” Red Wolves head coach Butch Jones said. “We had way too many missed assignments on both sides of the football. We did not tackle well starting the game, where I thought Arkansas was a really good tackling team on defense, we were inept and didn’t have the ability to beat man coverage.”

Photo by Abigail Leggett | Staff Photographer

The Red Wolves finally responded, not on offense but special teams. WR Chauncy Cobb, who had taken over for RB Ja’Quez Cross after Cross tore his ACL, returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, making the score 14-7. The Razorbacks scored another two touchdowns in the first quarter.

The Red Wolves defense helped A-State get back into the game in the second quarter. While looking completely lost in the first quarter and allowing four Razorback touchdowns, they looked different in the second quarter. The Red Wolves held the Razorbacks to one touchdown at the end of the half, and forced their second interception of the game.

QB Jaylen Raynor led a successful drive down the field and threw a touchdown to offensive tackle Cameron Ambrose on a trick play. This was the Red Wolves only offensive touchdown, as the previous drive saw a 21-yard passing touchdown to WR Hunter Summers called back after an illegal hands to the face penalty on A-State.

Photo by Abigail Leggett | Staff Photographer

The Red Wolves did not score again. The second half resulted in a beatdown from the Hogs, with 21 unanswered points. The Red Wolves lost 56-14.

“I’m just disappointed because we didn’t compete up to the Arkansas State standard,” Jones said. “We didn’t compete, we didn’t play with the effort that’s needed.”

The Red Wolves will be at home to take on the fourteenth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, the highest ranked team to ever travel to Jonesboro. The game will be Saturday at 3 p.m. in Centennial Bank Stadium.

Categories: Sports