In their first game of the 2026-27 season, Arkansas State football came up short against the Memphis Tigers in a 42-24 loss but showed flashes of what this team can look like at its peak.

The first half standoff

Going against a team poised to be one of the best in the Group of Six, A-State played the first half like they wanted to prove they belonged alongside Memphis. 

The opening period defense from both sides kept the game at a stalemate for nearly the entire quarter. The first drive for A-State ended with an interception in the red zone while Memphis was held to a three-and-out possession. 

The shutout would continue until the Red Wolves created the first momentum shift with their own interception from cornerback Dontrae Henderson. While they did not convert in the end zone, kicker Clune Van Andel scored on a field goal, giving A-State their first points of the season along with a 3-0 lead to end the first quarter. 

However, the second quarter started a pattern for the Red Wolves’ defense. 

The Tigers opened up the period with a 36-yard run, and from there the rushing game kept flowing for them. Their offense solely advanced the ball on their first touchdown drive through their running backs Jaylin Carter and Manny Covey. 

Both Tigers continued to break through the A-State defensive line, with the two cracking the 100-yard mark by the end of the night. Carter especially feasted off the lax run defense from A-State and posted a career high four rushing touchdowns and 183 rushing yards.

Memphis’s first score of the game led to the two teams trading blows back and forth to finish out the second quarter. While A-State tacked on two touchdowns before the end of the first half, the Tigers converted in the end zone on each drive to hoist themselves to a narrow 21-17 lead. 

The Red Wolves received the kickoff on the final possession of the half, however, head coach Butch Jones decided to kneel at the 20-yard line with 40 seconds left and three timeouts remaining. The strategy follows a similar history from A-State’s play caller, opting to play it safe to end the half and avoid using timeouts. This was a much more conservative call from Jones than his usual strategy, considering he still had all of his remaining timeouts. 

Jones said the risks of putting his players in harm’s way outweighed the gamble for a field goal.

“It’s all about managing the game, and you know, why would you put your players in harm’s way?” Jones said.

The three points may not have mattered in the end deficit, but the field goal could have made an impact on the momentum of the game. A-State filled the first half with plenty of explosive plays to keep their offensive flow going, from a 75-yard reception from running back Kenyon Clay and back-to-back 20 yard rushes from first-time starting quarterback Trey Owens.

The second half collapse

Going into the second half, A-State fell apart in nearly every aspect, giving up huge plays on defense while coming up short on offense.

While the Tigers found themselves often stifled on offense in the opening thirty minutes, they ran away with the game as the A-State defense crumbled following halftime. Memphis poked holes in every formation A-State threw their way, either by finding blown coverage down field or bashing through weak points in the defensive line. 

A-State’s run defense became fragile and gave way to Memphis’ rushers, giving up 210 yards on the ground in the second half alone. Even though they had significantly less air distance than in the first half, Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes passed with efficiency on the rare occasion when the ball wasn’t handed off to the running back. He averaged over ten yards on his five completions, only missing two throws in the final two quarters.

Despite the continuous dismantling of their strategies, the Red Wolves made some headway into the opposing offense. 

Safety Brandon Greil got the second interception of the game early in the fourth quarter, hoping to spark some life into the team. On the following defensive possession, linebacker Robert Stevens III made the lone sack of the game on Stokes and forced a fourth-down punt, giving the offense one more chance to cut into the deficit. However, the continuous collapses piled up for the defense and created a major hole to overcome.

Those costly mistakes proved too much for the offense to recover from as the Memphis defense tightened up after halftime.

One of the glaring flaws in A-State’s attack during the first half was the decision making under pressure from Owens. He struggled with pocket collapse situations, throwing his first interception while scrambling away from a potential sack. 

Memphis saw the weak point and proceeded to exploit it as a major part of their second half strategy. A-State’s first possession from the break saw the Tigers defense hammering at the offensive line in an attempt to get to Owens, leading to a sack and another interception on a quarterback scramble.

While the passing game faced interference through pressure, A-State’s running game was nearly completely stifled by Memphis. After gaining 87 yards on the ground in the first half, the Red Wolves came up with a mere 22 yards in the second. The fourth quarter produced the most brutal results of the Tigers’ work at the defensive line as the Red Wolves coughed up a mere -2 rushing yards. 

Clay, who led the team with 50 rushing yards on 13 carries, said Memphis will be the toughest defense A-State will face this season.

“That defense was pretty elite. I don’t think they were anything to fear,” Clay said. “I don’t think we’re going to play a line that’s as amped up and energetic as theirs.”

The lack of production from the running backs led to A-State forcing more passes, placing mental pressure on top of physical interference for Owens. This led to two more interceptions thrown by the newbie quarterback to end his final two drives, totalling four in his debut for the Red Wolves. 

With all of the mistakes on both sides of the ball, the Tigers ran away with the lead. Memphis outscored A-State 24-7 in the second half, dashing the Red Wolves’ hope for an upset against a possible College Football Playoff contender. 

When it was all said and done, A-State left Memphis feeling blue after recording their sixth straight loss against the Tigers. 

Upsides to the defeat

However, glimmers of hope shone in the disappointing season debut.

Despite his turnover troubles, Owens showed out in his first collegiate start, recording 325 yards and a passing touchdown with a 70% completion rate. On his best drives, he played at a tempo the defense could not keep up with, coming up with explosive passes and runs to keep possessions afloat. His quarterback rating ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference during week one action, giving him a great base to build upon in the future.

Jones said while Owens made a few questionable turnovers, these mistakes are growing pains as he continues gaining experience under center.

“This is his first live game action of his college career, and there’s a lot of many things to build upon,” Jones said. “I’m actually very encouraged by what I saw, but also part of playing quarterback is managing the game. He’ll be better for it moving forward.”

The wide receiver room benefitted from Owen’s stellar passing as well. Receivers Chauncy Cobb, Hunter Summers, and Jaylen Bonelli all averaged over ten yards per carry. Meanwhile, Clay’s 75 yard touchdown catch matched a career-high reception, giving way to more receiving plays for the running back.

On defense, the two interceptions against the Tigers matched a 2025 season high against both the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

While the end result was the opposite of what they wanted, the Red Wolves showed small bits of their potential in their season opener against possibly one of their toughest opponents this year. 

A-State hopes to show their improvements from this loss on Sep. 12 as the West Georgia Wolves visit Jonesboro for the home opener at Centennial Bank Stadium.

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