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Previously: 10. Arkansas State 20 Hawaii 0. 9. Arkansas State 50 ULL 27. 8. Arkansas State 17 Kent State. 13.
#7 Red Wolves 40 Appalachian State 27: Nov. 5, 2015—HC Blake Anderson
In 2014 the Mountaineers traveled to Jonesboro for the long awaited first meeting between the two conference mates. ASU had been the recent king of the Sun Belt mountain but App. St. had other ideas as they ran off 30 points in Jonesboro to leave with a 37-32 victory. Giving up a lead in the fashion to conference member was not what Red Wolves fans had become accustom to during the back-to-back-to-back championship seasons. A Thursday night TV game in Boone appeared to be a chance for App. St. to completely turn the momentum in the conference after dispatching Georgia Southern earlier.
The Red Wolves came in as a 10.5 point underdog despite being on a conference four-game winning streak but the Mountaineers were 7-1 with an eye towards a conference championship. A one handed scoop and score on a 19-yard fumble recovery by Chris Stone kept ASU close in the first half as the two teams went to the locker room with App. St. holding a 21-17 lead. The second half would be all scarlet and black as the Monsters of the Midweek awoke with five consecutive scoring drives, reeling off 23 unanswered points to take control of the game and wrestle back their place atop the conference. The vaunted Mountaineer rushing game was held to 108 yards and Marcus Cox, who had lit the field up the year before rushing for over 200 yards on ASU, only gained 74 yards. ASU had re-established themselves as the team to beat in the Sun Belt.
#6 Red Wolves 23 Ball St. 20: Jan. 6, 2014 GoDaddy Bowl—HC John Thompson (Interim)
Arkansas State was wrapping up its third consecutive Sun Belt championship AND its third consecutive season with another head coach headed elsewhere as Brian Harsin had resigned to return to Boise State. The Red Wolves had finished 7-5 in the regular season and came to Mobile as a 9.5 point underdog to 10-win Ball State.
ASU QB Adam Kennedy was injured in the second quarter and Fredi Knighten would come off the bench looking like a cool customer. The two teams would battle to a 10-10 halftime tie with both defenses bending but not breaking. The second half would feature a wild eight minutes at the end in which both teams would throw interceptions followed by a pair of touchdown drives that would make it 23-20 Arkansas State with down the wire. Ball State. kicker Scott Secor would attempt a 38-yard field goal for the tie but Ryan Carrethers would manage to block it giving Arkansas State its second consecutive bowl win.
#5 Red Wolves 18 Texas A&M 14: Aug. 30, 2008—HC Steve Roberts
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Arkansas State would open the 2008 campaign, its first under the moniker "Red Wolves," at Kyle Field against Texas A&M coming off a 5-7 campaign in ‘07. The Aggies had won 20 consecutive home openers and were heavily favored against ASU who came in looking for their first season opening road victory since rejoining 1-A/FBS in ‘92. ASU would start the game with an impressive drive from its own 20 yard line eventually getting a field goal from kicker Josh Arauco to take a 3-0 lead.
This would be the Red Wolves only points in the first half and the defense held the Aggies to two touchdowns going into the break only down 14-3. The second half would feature three more field goals by Arauco, four turnovers by the Aggies, and an ASU defensive stand late in the game and deep in their own end to preserve the signature win that Steve Roberts and the Red Wolves faithful had been looking for.
UP NEXT: 1-4- A pair of Hail Marys and a pair of conference wins that no one will forget.