SUN BELT FOOTBALL

Wolves’ efforts flagged

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Arkansas State thought it had a victory in the regular-season finale wrapped up a couple of times Saturday night. Western Kentucky did, too.

The Red Wolves were within seconds of winning for a fifth week in a row, one they felt would earn them a bowl invitation, when Brandon Doughty’s fourth-down pass in the final minute fell incomplete in the end zone.

But then - like three other times on the Hilltoppers’ final drive - a yellow flag gave Western Kentucky a few extra yards and new life, and four plays after Darrius Rosser’s roughing-the-passer penalty, Doughty’s 2-yard pass to Willie McNeal finally gave Western Kentucky a 34-31 victory at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Doughty’s third and final touchdown pass capped a 99-yard drive that took 16 plays and 5 minutes, 20 seconds to seal a wild game that saw five lead changes, a halftime scrum along the ASU sideline, 19 penalties and the loss of ASU quarterback Adam Kennedy to a left leg injury.

“Every time we made a stop, somehow, someway they ended up getting more opportunities,” ASU Coach Bryan Harsin said. “That was unfortunate to have to overcome those things. Bottom line is, we had our chances to win the game.”

Rosser’s penalty was the one that had so many on the ASU sideline confused.

“Rosser might have pushed him, but not enough to call a flag,” ASU defensive end Eddie Porter said. “That’s a game-winning play. That could have ended the game, and that’s just … deflating for us.”

Doughty and Antonio Andrews had driven the Hilltoppers from their own 1 - converting on fourth and 9 at one point - to the ASU 6 with less than a minute remaining when Doughty connected with Nicholas Norris on fourth and goal for what was thought to be the go-ahead touchdown.

Fireworks went off in the south end zone celebrating the touchdown, but a flag for a block below the waist pushed Western Kentucky to the 21. Doughty threw incomplete to Mitchell Henry on the next play, but the roughing-the-passer penalty was called, Chris Humes was flagged for pass interference two plays later, and Doughty’s game-winning pass to McNeal came with 10 seconds left.

“We just kept competing,” Western Kentucky Coach Bobby Petrino said. “It looked like we had won it earlier. We got a penalty and got backed up. Then we were fortunate they roughed the quarterback, got us back in position.”

ASU certainly had chances to win the game before the craziness of the final sequence. Doughty completed a fourth-and-9 pass to Jamarielle Brown along the sideline to keep the final drive going, then dumped a swing pass to Antonio Andrews for a 39-yard gain that moved Western Kentucky to the ASU 18.

“Nothing against them, they played good, they made the plays toward the end, but at the same time I feel like we got some bad calls,” said ASU safety Sterling Young, who recovered a fumble that led to J.D. McKissic’s 6-yard pass to Julian Jones that gave ASU a 31-27 lead with 9:27 left.

Western Kentucky looked to run away with the game after Doughty led three consecutive touchdown drives to start the game for a 20-7 lead.

Things looked even more bleak for ASU when Kennedy took a shot from linebacker Andrew Jackson and laid motionless on the turf. Kennedy was helped off the field and watched the entire second half on crutches and in sweats.

“He’s the toughest quarterback I’ve been around as far as being able to handle the shots he’s taken,” Harsin said. “Unfortunately he was hit hard enough tonight that he didn’t get to play.”

The injury limited what ASU could do in the passing game, but Knighten’s 1-yard run capped the drive in which Kennedy was hurt to make it 20-14 going into halftime, which was preceded by a scrum along the ASU sideline in which some Western Kentucky players ran across the field to join.

Harsin said he saw one of ASU’s coaches “get attacked” by a Western Kentucky player on the sideline but declined to name the coach or the player. Petrino did not address the skirmish, in which no penalties were called, during his postgame news conference.

Knighten, who hadn’t played since Nov. 9, led three more scoring drives in the second half, and with the help of Michael Gordon’s 132 yards rushing ASU twice took the lead. Knighten rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 108 yards of offense.

“I wanted him to get up, but sometimes that happens like that,” Knighten said of Kennedy. “Coach just says be ready, just go out, play your game, that’s all you can do.”

In other Sun Belt Conference games Saturday, Ross Metheny connected with Shavarez Smith ten times for 194 yards and one touchdown as South Alabama dominated Georgia State 38-17. Metheny threw for 280 yards while Jay Jones scored two touchdowns and had 102 yards rushing on 17 carries. … Kolton Browning threw two touchdown passes and Louisiana-Monroe held on to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-28. Despite the loss, Louisiana-Lafayette (8-3, 5-1) will at least share the conference title because of Arkansas State’s loss to Western Kentucky. The Ragin’ Cajuns have accepted an invitation to the New Orleans Bowl.

Sports, Pages 23 on 12/01/2013

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