PHOTO COURTESY OF A-STATE ATHLETICS

Arkansas State started the 2025 football season with one of the worst defenses in the country, but nobody would know it now after they laid the smackdown on the Troy Trojans on the road.

The Red Wolves got nine sacks in the game, tying Minnesota for the most in a game this season and it is the second most in program history in a single game. The A-State defense held Troy to only 21 team rushing yards thanks to the sacks.

The Red Wolves’ offense helped out their defense in a big way in the first quarter. Thanks to a hurry-up no-huddle offensive scheme in the early drives, quarterback Jaylen Raynor was able to lead A-State down the field quickly on the first drive and connected with tight end Tyler Fortenberry on a 4-yard touchdown pass.

Troy coughed up the ball on their next drive and A-State scored again thanks to excellent field position. This time, it only took two passes from Raynor to reach the endzone, and WR Hunter Summers reeled in a 19-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-0.

These would be the last touchdowns of the game for the Red Wolves. Offense inexplicably slowed down and the Red Wolves struggled, especially in the red zone. Kicker Clune Van Andel came through when the offense fell short, and ended the game going 3/4 on his field goal attempts. Van Andel nailed his first attempt and the Red Wolves ended the first quarter with a 17-0 lead.

A-State’s defense got 4 sacks in the second quarter, but they finally allowed a Trojan score on a 43-yard field goal. The Red Wolves’ offense could not get the ball moving, and Van Andel missed their only scoring opportunity of the quarter. The half ended with a score of 17-3.

Van Andel kicked another field goal to open the second half and made the score 20-3. Defensive end Demarcus Hendricks and defensive tackle Ethan Hassler got a brutal sandwich sack and prevented Troy from scoring in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter went a little better for the Trojans, but it wasn’t enough. Despite allowing another sack in the first drive, Troy drove down the field and Trojans’ quarterback Tucker Kilcrease scored on a 1-yard bootleg touchdown run to make the score 20-10.

A Trojan’s comeback was starting to look possible by the end of the next drive. WR Chauncy Cobb, who up until this point had been having a great game, fumbled the ball after a hard collision. But the Red Wolves’ defense came through once again. Hendricks got another Red Wolves sack and Kilcrease was kind enough to throw the ball to Red Wolves safety AG McGhee. 

A-State nailed one last field goal to put the game away. The defense forced the turnover on downs from Troy and the game was over.

With the victory, the Red Wolves extended their winning streak to four games. The win also moves them to a winning record at 5-4, and at 4-1 in conference play the Red Wolves replace Troy for second place in the Sun Belt West. 

The Red Wolves will take on the first-place Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles on Saturday. If the Red Wolves defeat Southern Miss, they will officially control their own destiny in the division, as winning out would all but assure a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game. The Red Wolves take on the Golden Eagles at 11 a.m. in Jonesboro.

Categories: Sports