Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas State 33, Memphis 28

Why Arkansas State Won
Arkansas State overcame a 14-3, first-quarter deficit and a weak special teams outing thanks to solid performances from its running back by committee and its receiving game to rack up 619 total yards of offense through 97 offensive plays, the most since 1975.

Sophomore Frankie Jackson provided two of ASU’s scores on 1-yard runs in the second and third quarters and Josh Jarboe caught his second touchdown pass of the year, 42 yards from Ryan Aplin, to end a two-play drive. Jarboe finished with 101 yards on six catches.

The victory, Gus Malzahn’s first as a college head coach, was the Red Wolves's seventh straight at home dating to last season and improves ASU’s winning streak in home openers to eight.

Turning point
Both teams missed a field goal, but it hurt the Tigers more.

Paul Henriques missed a 25-yard field goal attempt with 9:09 left in the game after a 77-yard drive to give the Red Wolves the ball at their 20-yard line. ASU then drove 80 yards in nine plays for the winning score.

Player of the game: David Oku
In his first home game as a Red Wolf, junior David Oku gained 131 yards on 25 carries to lead ASU in rushing. It was Oku’s touchdown with 6:31 left in the fourth quarter that put ASU on top for the final time, 33-28.

Special Teams Failure
Fourteen of Memphis’ 28 points came courtesy of ASU’s special teams. With 10:45 left in the first half, Tevin Jones blocked a Neely Sullivent punt from the end zone and then fell on the ball to give the Tigers a 14 -3 lead.

J.D. McKissic muffed a punt return, leading to Memphis’ Wynton McManis falling on the ball in the back of the south end zone to put Memphis up 28-24 with 4:03 left in the third quarter.

Rocky Offense
True freshman Rocky Hayes took everyone by surprise Saturday when he carried four times for 68 yards and averaged 17 yards per carry. Malzahn made the decision to move Hayes from cornerback, where he had practiced all of fall camp, to running back on Tuesday.

One of Hayes’ runs went for 33 yards and set up Jarboe’s 42-yard touchdown catch with 3:18 left in the first half.

Third and Bust
It took until the final quarter for the Tigers to convert a third down, but they did it three times in one drive before missing a field goal wide left to give the ball back to ASU. Those would prove to be the only third downs the team would earn, as it finished three of 12 on conversion attempts.

Naming Rights
In a midfield ceremony before kickoff, Arkansas State announced Liberty Bank, the fifth-largest financial institution in Arkansas, has donated the largest financial gift in ASU athletics history. Liberty donated $5 million for the naming rights to ASU stadium through the 2027 season.

Speaking Out
“A lot of teams would have packed it up, that’s a tough deal to overcome. Our guys did that. I’m very proud of the way our defense played and very proud of how we finished the game offensively.” — Malzahn on the Red Wolves bouncing back from a 14-3 deficit

Up next
Arkansas State (1-1) will visit the Big 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-1) in Lincoln, Neb. The Huskers, currently ranked No. 16 the nation, are coming off a 36-30 loss to UCLA. Saturday's game kicks off at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.