A third quarter surge by Arkansas State led the Red Wolves to a 28-24 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, in front of 19,316 fans at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Saturday evening.
After stopping Arkansas State (2-0) on fourth down to open the game, Tulsa (1-1) got on the board first with a Seth Morgan field goal from 29 yards out.
The Red Wolves responded with an 84-yard drive in five plays, capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jaylen Raynor to Adam Jones to take a 7-3 lead.
In the second quarter, the Golden Hurricane regained the lead when Kirk Francis connected with Kamdyn Benjamin on a 39-yard touchdown play at the end of a 90-yard drive. Benjamin finished the game with six receptions for 131.
Later in the quarter, Cardell Williams entered as quarterback and extended Tulsa’s lead with a five-yard touchdown run to give Tulsa a 17-7 advantage heading into halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Francis threw his first interception of the season, and ASU went 63 yards on three plays, scoring on a 15-yard run by Raynor.
On the next Tulsa possession, Angus Davies punted on fourth down, and the kick was returned by Courtney Jackson 77 yards for a touchdown, giving ASU a 21-17 lead, with 10:53 remaining in the third quarter.
TU quickly responded by driving 65 yards on three plays and getting into the end zone with a two-yard run by Anthony Watkins to regain the lead, 24-21.
The Red Wolves got the last word when Raynor found Corey Rucker for a five-yard touchdown strike putting ASU ahead 28-24, for the final.
The quarterback platooning continued for Tulsa, but Francis took the majority of the snaps. Francis completed 16-of-28 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown and one interception. Williams threw one pass, but also found success on the ground, scoring from five yards out on his lone carry. Cooper Legas also saw some time at quarterback, but did not throw a pass or carry the ball.
For the second consecutive week, freshman Lloyd Avant led the Hurricane in rushing, gaining 61 yards on 14 carries. Anthony Watkins added 46 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Eight different receivers caught passes for Tulsa.
Tulsa will be home this Saturday to host Oklahoma State at H.A. Chapman Stadium. The kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. and the game will air on ESPN2.