JONESBORO — It wasn’t pretty. Far from it.
FCS opponent Southern Illinois gave Arkansas State University all it wanted, and then some, in Coach Blake Anderson’s return to Centennial Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
The Red Wolves fended off SIU 41-28 in a game that felt much closer than what the scoreboard showed.
The Salukis (2-2) turned the ball over twice, had two turnovers on downs — including one in their own territory and the other inside the red zone. They missed a field goal and dropped a potential touchdown pass. The Red Wolves (2-2) were able to turn those mistakes into a combined 28 points.
With starting quarterback Stone Labanowitz sidelined with a shoulder injury, SIU relied on backup Kare Lyles, as well as loads of designed running plays out of the Wildcats for Javon Williams Jr., a bruising, 6-1, 239-pound running back. The Salukis found plenty of success moving the ball, outgaining ASU 526-474 and holding the ball for 15:06 longer.
But it was big mistakes throughout that turned a close game into a two-score victory for the Red Wolves.
With the game tied 7-7 early in the first quarter, SIU Coach Nick Hill gambled and went for it on 4th and 2 on the Salukis’ own 45. It didn’t pay off, as a pass by Williams fell incomplete. Moments later, junior quarterback Logan Bonner hit senior wide receiver Kirk Merritt for a 43-yard touchdown pass, which put ASU up 14-7 with 7:47 left in the opening quarter.
Early in the second quarter, with the Red Wolves leading 17-14, the Salukis hurt themselves again. SIU receiver Avante Cox put the ball on the ground on a reverse, and the ball fell at the feet of junior defensive end William Bradley-King for an easy recovery.
ASU took over at SIU’s 30, and five plays later, Bonner and Merritt hooked up for a 10-yard touchdown pass over the middle. The Red Wolves were in front 24-14 with 11:23 left in the half.
The Salukis then had two promising drives to close the second quarter that could have tightened things. But one resulted in a missed 26-yard field goal, and the other in an interception in the end zone that found the hands of junior linebacker Tajhea Chambers with 1:07 left before the half.
After Chambers’ pick, the Red Wolves delivered a huge blow. Bonner marched ASU down field 91 yards in six plays and hit junior receiver Jonathan Adams for a 25-yard touchdown pass, giving the Red Wolves a 31-14 lead heading into the half.
SIU’s mistakes kept piling up after that.
After opening with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, which trimmed ASU’s lead to 31-21 with 11:50 left in the third quarter, the Salukis decided to gamble again.
Facing fourth and 1 from ASU’s 7, SIU rolled Williams out, but his throw to the end zone fell incomplete. The Red Wolves took over, and Bonner hit senior receiver Omar Bayless deep seconds later for an 89-yard touchdown pass — the second-longest passing play in ASU history. The Red Wolves led 38-21 with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
Trailing 41-28 late in the fourth quarter, SIU still had a chance to keep the game close. But another mistake — this time a dropped pass by running back Romeir Elliott on a fourth and goal at ASU’s 5 — helped seal the victory for ASU, which was able to run out the clock.