Somebody had to be on the receiving end of the Red Wolves first touchdowns of the season, and that somebody was Stony Brook, a now 0-3 FCS team who didn’t have nearly enough horses to challenge an Arkansas State team that struggled mightily on the offensive side for large chunks of the game.

Redshirt freshman Jaxon Dailey started the game at quarterback, replacing JT Shrout, where he led the Red Wolves to a quick 17 point lead. However, he and the offensive struggled mightily to make a connection with Red Wolves receivers, finishing his evening near the end of the third quarter 7 for 17 passing for just 62 yards. It wasn’t until true freshman Jaylen Raynor took over behind center when the offense appeared to have enough layers to truly flummox the opponent.

Raynor set up his first touchdown by breaking off a 32 yard run, then jumpstarting a second score with a big 44 yard pass to Jeff Foreman and then the team’s first TD pass of the season to Courtney Jackson. Raynor finished his evening with one passing TD and 78 yards passing (plus 57 yards on the ground.

Running back Ja’Quez Cross delivered a career game, rushing for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “The O-line did great,” said Cross. “We wanted to pound to rock early and that’s what we did.” The ground game collected 345 yards on the ground, the most rushing yards since 2014 against New Mexico State (469). The attack was led by Cross and Zak Wallace (57 yards, 1 TD), but freshman Cedric Hawkins also chipped in 52 yards on 8.7 YPC. “I can’t say enough about Cedric Hawkins. He has some juice in him,” said Coach Jones.

With many members of the defense dinged or injured, the unit only managed a handful of sacks, including one from defensive end Blayne Toll and one from Denard Flowers. Overall, the defense limited the Seawolves to just one score and just 14 first downs. “Practice is harder than any game situation,” said Melique Straker, who collected 9 total tackles plus one for a loss. “We think of ourselves as hard nosed.”

Was the win big enough to instill confidence in the Red Wolves offense? No doubt, Raynor’s presence lifted the team, with his ability to run and pass offering an interesting wrinkles to the A-State offense. Will Raynor be The One moving forward? “Just like any week, the QBs will compete. We get JT back next week, and whoever has the best practice will be the starter.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine