Article by: Caleb Seaver; Photos by Alex Allen

MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama never trailed until the final seconds of the game against Arkansas State on Tuesday, October 15, when the Red Wolves put together an impressive comeback, finishing it off with a walk-off field goal to win 15-14 over the Jags.

It has been a nightmare season for South Alabama, a team that had Sun Belt championship hopes entering Tuesday’s game without an FBS win, much less a conference win. Arkansas State had also dealt with some early season struggles, entering the game 2-4 following a win the previous week against Texas State.

The defenses came out strong, both teams forcing multiple stops in the first quarter. South Alabama finally gathered some momentum and put a solid drive together late in the first quarter, finishing it off with a Kentrell Bullock touchdown run.

Arkansas State kicked a field goal in the second quarter, but this was the only score of the first half, as defenses dominated. Arkansas State struggled to pass the ball downfield, only averaging three yards per completion. South Alabama, meanwhile, was held back by several penalties. This half could be best summarized by the number of punts, as there were more punts than points in the first half.  

South Alabama opened the second half with yet another punt, giving the ball back to the Red Wolves, who finally found some success on offense. Arkansas State ran the ball well on a long seven-minute drive, bringing the ball inside the South Alabama 10. However, the South Alabama defense held, holding them to a field goal attempt that was blocked by the Jags.

South Alabama was forced to again punt after this blocked field goal, but was given the ball right back on Arkansas State’s first play, an interception caught by Nehemiah Chandler. This time the Jags capitalized, scoring five plays later on a touchdown rush by PJ Martin to put South up 14-3.

Things changed, however, heading into the fourth quarter, as Arkansas State put together a long drive before kicking a field goal, then forcing a quick stop to get the ball back. Arkansas State quickly scored in just two plays, cutting the deficit to two, with the score 14-12 entering the final minutes. 

South Alabama attempted to wind down the clock on their next possession, running the ball nearly every play and doing it successfully, driving into Red Wolf territory. However, a bad penalty assessed against the Jags and a missed field goal gave Arkansas State a chance to win it. 

That is exactly what the Red Wolves did. A few clutch plays by quarterback Jaylen Raynor helped bring Arkansas State into field goal range, where they kicked the game winning field goal as time expired.

“We didn’t capitalize, we had a couple stops, but we didn’t separate and make it a two possession game,” said Head Coach Major Applewhite, “It’s unbelievable, there’s no excuse for it, that’s [penalties are] one thing that continue to happen and it’s not getting fixed, it’s frustrating.”

Penalties were a huge issue in this one, South Alabama with an alarming 14 penalties for 175 yards. This is particularly noteworthy when considering South Alabama only passed for 118 yards. The Jags were able to run the ball well behind lead back Kentrell Bullock, rushing for 195 yards total on the day.

“We’ve got to recover, we just played a tough game, a tough loss. It’s just about recovery at this point, helping the guys get better and improve on the mental mistakes, the penalties,” said running back PJ Martin.

More information about this game and all South Alabama athletics are available on usajaguars.com