LAFAYETTE, La. -- Arkansas State University's most important game of the season turned into one of its wildest.
To put themselves in position to control the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference, the Red Wolves needed to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday. In a place it had not won since 2012, ASU effectively watched one of its season goals wash away in a 47-43 loss Saturday at Cajun Field.
Unless West Division rivals trade losses and chaos ensues, the Red Wolves (4-4, 1-3 Sun Belt) are out of Sun Belt Conference Championship Game contention.
"Our goal is to find a way to win eight," ASU Coach Blake Anderson said. "I'm hoping that we get some help down the stretch so we can back our way into the conference title game or go to a bowl game, and find a way to make it nine."
In the fourth quarter, the Red Wolves' hopes were revived. Arkansas State thundered back from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a 43-40 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run from freshman Marcel Murray with 5:48 remaining.
The Ragin' Cajuns' offense took over from there.
Louisiana-Lafayette strung together an 11-play, 55-yard scoring drive. Sophomore running back Trey Ragas punched in the final blow with 88 seconds remaining -- a 2-yard run that spoiled ASU's comeback with 1:18 remaining. Four Justice Hansen incomplete passes later and the Ragin' Cajuns were taking a knee.
The Red Wolves did not hold a lead until the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter, an interception nearly propelled ASU to a second conference victory. Sophomore cornerback Jerry Jacobs climbed over the back of a Cajuns' wide receiver, swiped the ball out of the air and gave the Red Wolves' offense the ball down 34-28 with 11:03 remaining.
The Red Wolves were in desperate need for flipping the interception into points after trailing for more than 45 minutes of a game that accrued 1,025 yards of total offense. Hansen, ASU's senior quarterback, connected with junior wideout Kirk Merritt, who covered 73 yards on the very next play.
Touchdown. ASU 35, Ragin' Cajuns 34.
"That felt like it broke it open," Merritt said. "We knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game. We just couldn't finish."
Murray's third rushing touchdown countered Cajuns' wideout Jarrod Jackson's 53-yard touchdown reception with 8:47 left.
ASU's 15 fourth-quarter points were not enough. Louisiana-Lafayette had scored too much early on.
The Cajuns unloaded on the Red Wolves' defense in a touchdown-happy first quarter. Louisiana-Lafayette needed 10 plays to score three times. Touchdowns of 64 and 65 yards by running back Elijah Mitchell, and another 72-yarder from Raymond Calais helped the Cajuns accumulate 246 yards and 21 points in the first 15 minutes.
"I won't say we gave up, but it was just like we shut down," Jacobs said. "We've got to come back and bounce back. The season's not over with."
ASU's offense kept climbing. ASU's defense kept giving up more and more.
Twice in the first quarter, the Red Wolves answered. Warren Wand (1 yard) and Murray (7 yards) busted through the goal line. Senior quarterback Justice Hansen punched in a 2-yard burst in the second quarter to cut ASU's lead to 28-21.
The Red Wolves went into halftime down 10. Cajuns' senior kicker Kyle Pfau booted a season-long 52-yard field goal with 0:02 remaining in the first half for a 31-21 lead.
Pfau returned in the third quarter for a 47-yard kick to stretch ASU's deficit to 34-21.
Murray powered in a 2-yard score with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter as the deficit fell to 34-28.
ASU's next drive resulted in a punt with 14:19 left in the final quarter. The next drive began because Jacobs ripped an interception out of the air. Two plays later, Hansen found Merritt for a touchdown.
"It's disappointing to lose," Anderson said. "It's disappointing to come that close and lose. It's disappointing to know now that we're going to need some help, and you're going to need some things to work in our favor on our side of the division. But, hey, that's life, and that's football."
Sports on 10/28/2018