Georgia Southern reverses field to stun favored Arkansas State

Georgia Southern successfully deviated from the triple-option twice.

Sophomore quarterback Shai Werts fired a 61-yard passing touchdown to senior running back Wesley Fields in the second quarter, beginning an uphill climb too high for Arkansas State (3-2, 0-1 Sun Belt Conference) in a 28-21 road loss Saturday at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. It was the Red Wolves’ first loss to begin conference play in six seasons.

“We knew this was possible,” said Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson. “Anytime you go on the road, anytime you play at home with a team in this league, everybody is capable of winning. Everybody is capable of beating you. You’ve got to play your best ball. We didn’t play it tonight.”

Fighting off a second-half comeback from the Red Wolves, Georgia Southern (3-1, 1-0) strayed from its run-only offense once again in the fourth quarter.

At first, it looked like another one of the 49 rushing attempts for 348 yards from the Eagles, a fading run to the left side of its offensive line with a pitch to a tailback or a possible quarterback keeper.

Werts instead flipped a reverse to sophomore receiver Wesley Kennedy running toward the vacant side of the Arkansas State defense. Kennedy busted out a 47-yard touchdown with 0:19 remaining to sour the Red Wolves’ conference opener.

“We’ve been chasing the ball so well all night,” Anderson said. “Our team is built on speed. It’s just a great call by them. They called it at the right time.

“It’s one of those things if it works, you’re a hero. If it doesn’t, we’re going to go into overtime and we’ll keep playing.”

Georgia Southern only gained 12 total yards on its opening three drives. The 61-yard pass, Werts’ first and only completion of the game, came on the fourth drive.

Helped by a 45-yard field goal

from redshirt freshman kicker Blake Grupe, the Red Wolves entered halftime trailing, 7-3, while having the more productive offense through two quarters.

The Red Wolves posted 235 yards to Georgia Stouerhn’s 159 in the first half, which was promising, Anderson told ASU’s radio broadcast at halftime. However, a season-worst performance by the offensive line was not.

Senior quarter Justice Hansen was sacked four times through the first two quarters. It was the most the Arkansas State offensive line has allowed in a game all season.

The Eagles met Hansen for six total sacks. A clogged and muddied pocket did not allow Arkansas State to cash in on points that would have forced the Eagles out of their slowand-steady offense.

The Red Wolves’ passing game briefly found life away from the pass rush.

Grupe knocked in a 27-yard field goal, and Hansen found his 67th career passing touchdown — an 11-yard pass to junior receiver Kirk Merritt — to tie the game at 14-14 with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

Fifty-eight seconds later, Georgia Southern needed one play to step on the gas once again.

Fields broke off a 64-yard rush as the final play of the third quarter and landed on Arkansas State’s 6 before Monteo Garrett punched it in the for six points.

Hansen was Arkansas State’s leading rusher and passer with 42 rushing yards and 376 passing yards on 38 completions. He steered the Red Wolves to a 16-play, 77-yard drive in the fourth quarter.

His 67th career passing touchdown tied the school’s record on Saturday. He scored on a four-yard run before the Eagles soaked up 4:42 of the fourth quarter’s remaining five minutes before the reverse.

“We moved the ball everywhere,” Anderson said, “just found ways to derail.”