Southern Miss got behind early and could never catch up as Will Hall and the Golden Eagles lost their fifth straight, falling to Arkansas State 44-28 in Hattiesburg.
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) racked up 467 total yards of offense, including 281 on the ground, and forced three Southern Miss (1-6, 0-3) turnovers to find its second straight win over the Golden Eagles. Before 2023, Southern Miss had won seven in a row over the Red Wolves.
Scoring summary
Starting the game with the ball, Arkansas State drove down the field in nine plays as quarterback Jaylen Raynor tossed a 14-yard touchdown to Adam Jones. With a quick three and out by Southern Miss, Arkansas State wide receiver Malik Hornsby took a jet sweep 73 yards to the end zone to put the Red Wolves up 14-0 less than five minutes into play.
Southern Miss responded with an 11-play drive that ended with running back Kenyon Clay pushing his way in from one yard out for the touchdown. The run briefly cut into the Arkansas State lead but not for long as moments later, Ja’Quez Cross caught a 10-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first quarter to put the Red Wolves up 21-7.
Golden Eagle quarterback Ethan Crawford took the first drive of the second quarter down the field and ended it with a five-yard touchdown run, making for the longest offensive possession for Southern Miss this season. The defense couldn’t hold up, though, as Raynor countered with a touchdown of his own – a 13-yard pass to Yazoo City native Corey Rucker, Jr.
Before the first half ended, Southern Miss cut the lead to one possession again with four-yard touchdown run by Jalen Washington. However, the second half was all Arkansas State. The Red Wolves managed to outscore the Golden Eagles 16-7 in the third and fourth quarters to win 44-28 in front of a homecoming crowd in Hattiesburg.
Numbers never lie
Even with Crawford finishing with 272 total yards and two rushing touchdowns, the sophomore signal-caller threw one interception and fumbled the ball twice. A lack of protection from the offensive line resulted in Crawford being sacked six times.
Southern Miss running backs Clay and Dreke Clark combined for 77 yards rushing, freshman tight end Reed Jesiolowski led the team with 51 yards receiving on four catches. On defense, freshman linebacker Chris Jones had nine tackles, but the unit as a whole could not manage a single sack or takeaway.
For Arkansas State, Raynor was efficient with three touchdown passes along with 220 total yards. Of the seven receivers Raynor connected with, four finished with over 30 yards in a spread-out offensive attack. Defensively, Jayden Jones led with eight tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Next up
Southern Miss will look to end its losing skid in a road contest against James Madison on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff in Harrisonburg, Va., is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
