Red Wolves lose hard-fought battle with No. 16 Michigan

A-State rallies but falls short against Wolverines

From Arkansas State University

AStateRedWolves.com

ANN ARBOR, Mich.

(9/14/24) – Arkansas State football battled back with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, but ultimately dropped a hard-fought 28-18 decision to No. 16 Michigan Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

The Red Wolves (2-1) rallied from a 28-3 deficit and scored twice in the final six minutes on touchdown passes by Timmy McClain to Reginald Harden Jr., outscoring the Wolverines (2-1) 15-7 in the fourth. A-State forced Michigan into three interceptions thrown by UM quarterback Davis Warren – the most by an A-State team since 2017.

McClain completed 7-of-11 passes for 82 yards, while Jaylen Raynor was 19-of-33 for 140 yards. Twelve different players caught passes for A-State, led by Courtney Jackson's five receptions for 41 yards. Harden led in yardage with 52 on three catches.

Marvin Ham and Trevian Thomas recorded a game-high nine tackles each, while Thomas, Dontay Joyner and Charles Willekes recorded interceptions. The picks by Willekes and Joyner were the first of their careers.

A-State drove inside the Michigan 25 on its opening drive, but a Clune Van Andel 42-yard field-goal try careened off the right post. The Wolverines then took possession and drove 76 yards in 11 plays capped by a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Kalel Mullings, striking first for a

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7-0 lead, which would hold through the opening quarter.

Mullings rushed 15 times for 153 yards to lead the Wolverines.

After Willekes intercepted a Warren pass and returned it to the Michigan 15, Van Andel put the Red Wolves on the board with a 27-yard field goal to make it 7-3 early in the second. Michigan then answered with another lengthy drive, as Donovan Edwards ended a 13-play series that lasted over 7-and-a-half minutes with a 7-yard score to push the Wolverine lead to 14-3.

Mullings found the end zone again with 2:57 to play in the half, scoring on a 5-yard rush to push Michigan's lead to 213. Inside the final minute, Thomas picked off a Warren pass to set up a final drive for the Red Wolves before intermission. A-State drove all the way to the Wolverine 21, but a 38-yard kick by Van Andel was no good off the left upright, giving the hosts a 21-3 lead at the half.

Michigan tacked on another score with 12:49 remaining in the contest on a 9-yard strike from Alex Orji to Hogan Hansen.

A-State later responded with a touchdown at the 5:38 mark, as McClain linked up with a wide-open Harden for a 24yard score to make it 28-10.

Following a punt, McClain and Harden connected again with 8 seconds to go, and then McClain converted the twopoint try on a rush attempt.

Up Next

The Red Wolves remain on the road next week at Iowa State. Kick-off against the Cyclones is set for 1 p.m. inside Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Plus, while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network as well as the A-State Red Wolves mobile app.