Game StatsPostgame QuotesPhoto GalleryJONESBORO, Ark. – Fredi Knighten entered Saturday's Sun Belt Conference football contest against the University of South Alabama leading the league in total offense. The Arkansas State quarterback showed why he carried that status, throwing for 186 yards and adding 80 more on the ground — accounting for three touchdowns in the process — to guide the Red Wolves to a 45-10 win over the Jaguars at Centennial Bank Stadium.
It was the third straight victory in the series for ASU, which improved to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference, while the Jags dropped to 5-4, 4-3 in league action with their second consecutive defeat. USA closes out Sun Belt play next Saturday against Texas State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Michael Gordon supplied 77 yards and a score on 21 carries as well, and although he was held below 100 yards for the first time in five outings he helped the Red Wolves total 214 yards rushing and 400 in all. Andrew Tryon and Qushaun Lee paced a defensive unit that recorded an opponent-high-tying four takeaways with eight and seven stops, respectively; the latter accounted for two of the four USA turnovers after intercepting a pair of passes.
ASU would score 17 points off those Jaguar turnovers, while also moving the chains on 10-of-19 third downs — limiting USA to just 1-of-12 conversions — in handing the Jags their largest margin of defeat.
ASU broke open the game in the second quarter with 17 unanswered points, aided by an average starting field position at the USA-40 in the period. Knighten scored on a 17-yard run just over two minutes into the quarter to extended the Red Wolves' edge to 14-3, and it looked like ASU would have a chance to add to that when Dextor Blakmon recovered a fumble on the USA-15 on the Jaguars' next offensive snap; but, Roman Buchanan and Theo Rich combined to stop Gordon for no gain on fourth-and-one. Lee ended the following USA possession with a third-down interception, however, with the result a 46-yard Luke Ferguson field goal that extended the ASU advantage to 17-3 midway through the period.
When Knighten tacked on a two-yard scoring pass to Warren Leaphart two-and-a-half minutes before the break, it gave the Red Wolves a 24-3 lead at the half as they outgained the Jaguars, 284-22, over the first 30 minutes of the contest.
Lee's second interception of the game — which he ran back 23 yards to the USA-22 — set up a one-yard Gordon touchdown run seven plays later with more than 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, while Johnston White added a scoring run from five yards out with five-and-a-half minutes to go in the period as the ASU lead grew to 38-3.
On their opening drive, the Red Wolves picked up four first downs, with the last — on a 20-yard completion from Knighten to Dijon Paschal — moving the ball to the USA-16. But on third-and-eight, Demarius Rancifer came up the middle and pressured Knighten into an incompletion, and Ferguson's subsequent 31-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left as the Jaguars started their first possession on their own 20-yard line. Aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties called on ASU, the Jags advanced to the Red Wolves' 33-yard line before a pass intended for Marvin Shinn on fourth-and-four fell incomplete in the end zone.
ASU posted the first points of the game late in the first quarter when Knighten found Paschal for a 47-yard touchdown pass, which came one play after Knighten converted a third down with a nine-yard gain. It wrapped up a seven-play, 75-yard match that took less than two minutes off the clock.
Paschal led all players with 95 yards on five receptions while Tres Houston chipped in with a game-best six catches for 41 yards.
The Jaguars' ensuing possession began on the Red Wolves' half of the field after a failed onside kick attempt, with USA cutting into its deficit before the end of the period after Aleem Sunanon kicked a field goal from 41 yards out; it was the 26th of his career, setting a new career record in the process. The Jags also scored when Berron Tyson crossed the goal line from one yard out with just over a minute left in the contest.
Davin Hawkins had a career-high 14 tackles to pace not only USA but all players in the category, with Terrell Brigham, Montell Garner and Rancifer credited with seven stops apiece. The Jaguar offense recorded 111 of its season-low 201 total yards on the ground, with Hunter Vaughn rushing for 38, Tyson 34 and Xavier Johnson contributing 28. Braedon Bowman, Cameron Broadnax and Shavarez Smith each posted two receptions, with Matt Floyd — in his first start as a Jag — going 8-of-20 passing for 86 yards.
"They [Arkansas State] came out and just played hard," USA head coach Joey Jones said. "We had a lot of guys [eight starters] out; it makes a difference even if it shouldn't have. I just don't think we played very well — we didn't run it or throw it well on offense. Defensively, we weren't our usual self; we had three starters out on that side of the ball including Maleki [Harris], who is our team captain and our quarterback out there. They were on the field entirely too much.
"I think it's going to come down to us and Texas State for that third bowl game," he continued. "I told the kids that we have to put this one behind us. It's a loss and a bad loss, but we have to do something about next week. We want to go to a bowl, and our kids will bounce back; they're hurting right now, but they'll bounce back tomorrow."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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