Recap: Arkansas State 37, Montana State 10
Aug 30, 2014
Arkansas State 37, Montana State 10: Fredi Knighten accounted for 368 total yards and a touchdown as the Red Wolves scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to draw clear from the visiting Bobcats.
Michael Gordon, Johnston White and Terrance Hollingsworth each rushed for a touchdown for Arkansas State (1-0), which amassed 294 of its 558 total yards on the ground and won its 10th consecutive home opener. Knighten was 19-of-29 for 219 yards and a score, rushed 15 times for 104 yards and added 45 receiving yards.
Dakota Prukop completed 14-of-26 passes for 142 yards with two interceptions for Montana State (0-1), which was 2-of-18 on third-down conversions and had 228 yards in total offense. The Bobcats pulled even at 7-7 on Anthony Knight’s 1-yard TD midway through the first quarter but were held scoreless after Luke Daly drilled a 34-yard field goal early in the second half.
Daly’s field goal cut the lead to 13-10 before Luke Ferguson’s 41-yard field goal with 5:26 left in the third quarter sparked the Red Wolves’ 27-0 run. Arkansas State, which has won the last three Sun Belt Conference championships, moved ahead 23-10 on Knighten’s 23-yard TD pass to Darion Griswold late in the third quarter.
The Red Wolves took control early in the final quarter as Hollingsworth scored on a 1-yard TD run with 14:21 remaining and White added a 1-yard score on the team’s next possession. Arkansas State’s Blake Anderson’s head coaching debut closed on a strong note with his defense limiting the Bobcats to 23 total yards in the fourth quarter.