TULSA -- An exasperated Arkansas State Coach Butch Jones sat underneath H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday night, trying to find any explanation for a defense that's given up nearly 2,000 yards the past three weeks.
Defensive end Kivon Bennett, like his coach, believes ASU's beleaguered unit is close.
After surrendering 663 yards against Tulsa that remains a hard sell.
The Golden Hurricane overwhelmed the Red Wolves 41-34 as ASU closed its non-conference sschedule with a third consecutive loss. Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin needed only 17 completions to throw for 355 yards and 3 touchdowns, and running back Shamari Brooks added 155 yards and a score on the ground.
The Golden Hurricane scored on five straight series spanning the second and third quarters, and Tulsa needed only one play to find the end zone on three drives, gashing ASU for touchdowns of 88 and 75 yards.
"It's very concerning," Jones said of his team's repeated defensive problems. "I do know that we have a group of young men that are very prideful. They want to get it fixed. It's the ability to reset yourself after every single play.
"There are times where we'll get the same play, we'll execute the defense and it's great. Five plays later, it's the exact same call and it goes for 40 or 50 [yards]. It's just [about having] an expectation of what it takes to play winning football on defense."
Jones was quick to highlight the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second as a damning stretch. Following Dahu Green's 39-yard touchdown late in the first quarter that put the Red Wolves up 14-7, neither team scored until Shamari Brooks broke off a 25-yard run to level things at 14-14.
Four plays later, ASU quarterback James Blackman fumbled, setting up the Golden Hurricane. Brin took advantage, connecting with JuanCarlos Santana on a screen pass that went for 34 yards and a touchdown to put Tulsa (1-3) ahead for the first time.
The Golden Hurricane then got the ball back after a Red Wolf three-and-out, kicked a field goal to lead 24-14 at halftime and needed just six snaps out of halftime to go 75 yards and extend their lead to 31-14.
And even though ASU (1-3) was able to answer with a quick touchdown drive of its own, Tulsa had yet another rapid response, with Anthony Watkins busting up the gut and going all but untouched for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the following drive.
"It's still the critical errors," Bennett said. "We're making stops, we're making [tackles for loss], we're stopping the momentum, and then it's a huge play that flips the momentum right back to them."
The Red Wolves immediately pulled back within 10 when running Alan Lamar returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown -- it was ASU's second special teams score of the game following Johnnie Lang Jr.'s 63-yard punt return to open the scoring.
Twice it looked like the visitors might even pull within three, getting to the edge of the Golden Hurricane red zone late in the third quarter and then again midway through the fourth, but sacks and penalties stalled the Red Wolves' offense, leading to a pair of field goals by Blake Grupe.
It didn't help the cause that for the minor success ASU found in its passing game -- with Blackman throwing for 321 yards and two touchdowns -- a rotated offensive line failed to get much push, leading to six Tulsa sacks and just 38 rushing yards on 26 carries for the Red Wolves.
"We're all very disappointed about the state of the running game," Lamar said. "But it's not just the [offensive] line. It's everyone -- me, the tight ends, the wide receivers. ... Just the details and technique are holding us back right now."
That's the message across the board. Small mistakes leading to catastrophic results.
And with conference play starting next Saturday at Georgia Southern, ASU's errors will continue to be magnified.
"The bottom line is: stop the ball, run the ball and win football games. We didn't do any of that today," he said. "But I love our guys, I believe in our players. We're going to come back, we're going to be stronger, we're going to be better for it. You just wait and watch and see what happens."