With the win, Arkansas State have become major players in the Sun Belt West
Kenyon Clay carried the ball up the middle late in the fourth quarter of Arkansas State’s 34-24 win over Georgia Southern. Just when it looked like he had nowhere to go, Clay bounced outside, scampering for 30 yards. He slid to the rain-soaked ground. He didn’t have to score. The game was effectively over.
At first, it didn’t look like Arkansas State would be on the right side of the result. Georgia Southern raced out to an early 14-0 lead. JC French IV tossed two first quarter touchdown passes and racked up 134 yards through the air. The Eagles high-flying air attack was grounded for the remainder of the game, as French IV finished with just 208 passing yards.
Arkansas State rumbled back with a one-yard score from Clay, but French IV answered with a rushing touchdown of his own to make it 21-7. It looked like fans were in for a track meet, but only one team was ready to run.
Spectacular 🙂↕️ https://t.co/RoaqAqPx28 pic.twitter.com/CgU91sysm5
— Georgia Southern Football (@GSAthletics_FB) October 26, 2025
The Red Wolves rushing attack had been underwhelming all season. The team ranked second to last in the Sun Belt in rushing yards per game, coming into the contest averaging 124.6. Despite this, the Eagles had no answer. Clay paced the Red Wolves with 124 rushing yards, as the team totaled 266. Devin Spencer also excelled, racking up 123 yards. It was the first time since 2016 that two Arkansas State players ran for over 100 yards in a game.
“We talked about it being a dirty, slimy and grimy game,” head coach Butch Jones said. “Every yard would be contested.”
With the rain coming down in Jonesboro, the passing game for both teams would be limited. While the Red Wolves were able to revive their run game, the Eagles did not find the same success. Coming into the game, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern were the two worst run defenses in the Sun Belt. The Eagles only rushed for 128 yards, averaging 3.1 yards per carry. It’s not easy to win in the rain, or hold a lead, without a run game.
The Eagles saw their 21-7 lead slowly slip away. The Red Wolves continued to drive into the red zone, where Jaylen Raynor was unstoppable. The quarterback scored three rushing touchdowns. Each one came from inside the Georgia Southern ten-yard line. His first of the game came with 12 seconds remaining in the first half, cutting the score to 21-17.
“We talk a lot about winning the middle eight (minutes),” Raynor said. “We were able to carry that offense into the second half.”
He was right. They carried that momentum out of the locker room, with Raynor rushing for another score on the opening drive of the second half to make it 24-21 in favor of Arkansas State. The Red Wolves would never look back despite a late push from the Eagles.
Georgia Southern now finds themselves sitting second to last in the Sun Belt East. Their 1-3 conference record all but eliminates them from Sun Belt Championship contention. Since the conference switched to a divisional format in 2018, only one team has lost three conference games and won their division.
With the win, Arkansas State have become major players in the Sun Belt West. Their 3-1 conference record places them in third place, trailing Southern Miss and Troy. Those teams just so happen to be their next two opponents. It’s a tall task, but the Red Wolves control their own destiny.
Just a few weeks ago, Arkansas State was 1-4. They had lost four consecutive games. In the next three games, they would trail at some point in the second half.
They would also win each of them. The Red Wolves have clawed back to 4-4. Jones credits the process for his team’s success.
“This team is winning because it’s a byproduct of the way we’ve been winning throughout the course of the week.”
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