They sat conspicuously on the visitor’s sideline at Arizona Stadium: An oversized pair of bright red boxing gloves — the kind your grandfather might have bought your dad to teach him self-defense.
An Arkansas State’s defensive player receives the gloves every time he forces a ball loose. It’s not the only “turnover prop” used by assistant head coach Trooper Taylor, who helped popularize the trend when he was in the Southeastern Conference. A-State players can wear championship belts and bank bags if the plays they make are big enough.
Saturday, the Red Wolves’ defense came away with every reward imaginable — except for a Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl trophy. Such is the result when an offense fails in the end zone, two standout defensive players get hurt and the opponent pulls out razzle-dazzle — from a wheel route to a flea-flicker — after laying dormant for three quarters.
Arkansas State’s defense allowed just 98 yards in the first three quarters, more than enough to bury most teams. Then Nevada gained 197 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the short-handed, exhausted Red Wolves fell.
“We were having a blast up until the very last play,” said A-State safety BJ Edmonds, the game’s defensive MVP. “For our seniors, that hurts for us. We were playing great the whole game, and we should’ve finished the job.”
Arkansas State had its chance. Needing one more stop to end the game with 1:44 left in regulation, A-State allowed Nevada to convert on fourth-and-seven. Nevada quarterback Ty Gangi found Dominic Christian for 15 yards to keep the drive going; two plays later, Gangi hit Ben Putnam for 44 yards to the A-State 1-yard line. Devonte Lee’s touchdown dive gave Nevada a 10-7 lead with 1:06 left.
Though A-State would drive, score and force overtime, the momentum was clearly in Nevada’s favor. A-State played conservatively in overtime, opting for three consecutive runs before a field goal by Blake Grupe gave the Red Wolves the lead.
Tight end Jacob Drahos celebrates after the Wolf Pack knocked off Arkansas State in overtime. Nevada took its first lead with 1:06 left in regulation.
The strategy was clear: Anderson was putting the game on his defense’s shoulders, with hopes that the unit would make one last stop. A-State had already forced intercepted two passes and sacked Nevada three times
But then Toa Taua rushed four straight times for 14 total yards, moving Nevada to the A-State 11. And then, on third-and-7, Gangi found tight end Reagan Roberson with what he called “a little foot-fire” on the flat. The tight end caught the pass, bolted for the pylon, beat Edmonds and dove in for the win.
“I gave him a chance,” Gangi said, “and he made a great play for me.”
Gangi said the A-State defense was a tough one to crack.
“They were big and physical and fast,” he said.
They were also short-handed. Senior defensive end Ronheen Bingham exited the game early with a left knee injury. Defensive back Justin Clifton was hurt on the first play of the second half and did not return.
“Who knows what (more) could have happened if they were there on the field?” Edmonds said.
Coach Blake Anderson described Bingham’s injury as “not good” and “significant” — bad news for a potential NFL Draft prospect.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Even without Bingham and Clifton, A-State rendered Nevada’s offense nearly irrelevant for three-plus quarters. Linebacker Tahje Chambers led the team with nine tackles, and Edmonds added eight.
A-State’s downfall was offense, and Anderson admitted as much. The Red Wolves were uncharacteristically sloppy. Quarterback Justice Hansen threw his first interception since Oct. 27 — and then threw two more. The Sun Belt Conference’s Player of the Year completed just 26 of 46 passes for 275 yards. The Red Wolves and blew a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with an ill-advised pass to an offensive lineman.
“It’s my job as the head coach and the offensive coordinator to put points on the board, and we left too many,” he said. “This one goes on me. …
“I hate it for the fans and the seniors.”
Arkansas State’s players were still grappling with the shocking loss in the minutes after the game ended. Some fell to their knees, sobbing. One ran immediately off the field. Coaches gazed off, wondering how a game that was so in hand for nearly 3 hours came off the rails.
“We haven’t had a struggle like that in a long time,” Anderson said. “You can blame it on whatever you want to. At the end of the day, we just didn’t get it done.”
