With 55 seconds left on the clock, the game was all over but for the gnashing of teeth. Central Arkansas, a double-digit dog to the Red Wolves at kickoff, just scored its go-ahead touchdown on an Arkansas State defense that allowed zero points in the first half, but 31 in the second. “I got nothing, guys” I tweeted to nobody in particular. The UCA Bears, picked to finish first in the United Athletic Conference and a top 15 FCS team nationally, are a good football team. Supposedly, so are the Red Wolves. But at that moment, Arkansas State didn’t look good; they looked cooked.
Red Wolves took possession at the thirty, and Jaylen Raynor – who had struggled with accuracy all evening – went to work. A six yard pass to Corey Rucker. A forty-two yard pass to Rucker. A twenty yard chip to Ja’Quez Cross, and the Red Wolves were on the Bears’ seven yard line with six seconds on the clock – enough time for two shots into the end zone.
“Jay said he was going to put it in a place for me to catch it,” said Rucker after the game, as if Raynor had been tossing precision darts all evening. It was a testament to the faith the team has in Raynor. At the game’s most crucial moment, Butch Jones didn’t dial up a end-around pitch to Cross or even a QB keeper. It was Raynor’s arm or nothing.
The play was a corner fade, into the light mist provided by the water feature. Rucker raced past Bears 6’3 defensive back L.J. Hewitt and looked up to find Raynor’s pass floating above his head. He pulled the pigskin to his body, his right toe tickling the end zone’s red paint and fell into a heap onto the sideline. Immediately, the referee ruled “incomplete,” and Rucker hustled back to the huddle.
The replay review seemed perfunctory; a reflex triggered by procedure. In the press box, everyone understood that while Rucker had made an extraordinary effort, the play was for naught. The Red Wolves were huddled up, deciding what to do with their remaining three seconds.
“We were going right back to the fade,” revealed Rucker. Of course. It was Raynor or nothing. Rucker or nothing. And while they hammered out the details of what they assumed would be the last play of the game, the referee was still beneath the monitor hood, examining the multitude of angles provide by Arkansas State media.
“Shout out to Arkansas State media,” said Butch Jones after the game. “Without their coverage, the outcome of the game would have been much different.”
Meanwhile, the replay was also projected on the Jumbotron, and the fans came to understand a special truth: Rucker was in. The catch was good. A rumble of realization became a cacophony of cheers from the A-State faithful and assertions of doubt from the fans in purple. The Bears on the field crossed their arms frantically at the forearm – no catch. The Red Wolves on the field held their hands defiantly over their head – touchdown. Both sides expressed their beliefs with the proper enthusiasm.
The referees continued to parlay. There were key elements to the rule to consider. Was his foot in at the point of the catch? Did Rucker maintain possession? He seemed to lose control when he hit the ground. As my friend Luke Matheson later explained, “When a player attempts to make a catch at the sideline and going to the ground out of bounds, if he loses control of the ball which then touches the ground before he regains control, it is not a catch. If he regains control inbounds prior to the ball touching the ground it is a catch.” Rucker appeared to regain control.
When at last the referees made their decision and reversed the call from “incomplete pass” to “touchdown,” a roar erupted from Centennial Bank Stadium – an incredible drive down field capped by a sensational play in the end zone, all delivered in under a minute. Personally, I was flummoxed beyond comprehension. Somebody should have confiscated my car keys.
Understandably, the UCA Bears are not amused. There was that gnashing of teeth that had previously been earmarked to the Red Wolves mere seconds earlier. There were fingers pointed to the referees and accusations from fans of a school not even affiliated with either team that the origin of the cooking was Jonesboro. The loss will leave a bad taste in the Bears’ mouth, but at least it wasn’t Arkansas State eating the bitter L.
Predictably, I Was Wrong About Many Things
Admittedly, I expected the Red Wolves to steamroll the Bears, and I expected that steamrolling to come courtesy of the offense. The second-half defensive struggles were something I expected, while the first half shutout was a pleasant surprise.
In reality, the Red Wolves seemed to lose focus around the end zone, eschewing a close-out mentality for experimental concepts over proven methods. Raynor was not sharp. During one series, he badly missed two wide-open lateral passes. He under-threw his deep routes. He was prone to be flushed under pressure.
It’s prudent to remember that the team’s starting center (Jacob Bayer) and starting left tackle (Makilan Thomas) were unavailable for the game. The UCA defensive end, David Walker, is an All-American select and a future NFL player. The Red Wolves had their handicaps.
Defensively, the second-half breakdowns were alarming. The defense did, for the most part, mitigate the damage of well-seasoned QB Will McElvain, who finished the game with just 168 yards and one touchdown. But UCA star running back ShunDerrick Powell broke off enormous chunks of yardage through wide open expanses in the middle of the field. Senior star linebacker Justin Parks attributed some of the breakdowns to a lack of execution after he went down for several plays due to cramping. One can only hope that Rob Harley finds a Plan B to Parks.
A doff of the cap to the UCA Bears. That offensive line is legit, David Walker is a stud, and the ball should find itself in Powell’s hands for 90% of the offensive plays. If UCA doesn’t win conference, it will be a shocker.
The game against UCA was never meant to be a tune-up. It was a test. And when the chips were down, the Red Wolves didn’t fold. They went to their stud QB and their stud wide receiver and engineered and imperfect win.
PHOTOS: Mostly mine
Howlraiser 