Southern Miss wastes third-quarter chances in 23-13 loss to Arkansas State

Southern Miss had three possessions reach Arkansas State territory in the third quarter and got no points from any of them. Those missed opportunities left the Golden Eagles chasing a lead they never caught in Saturday's 23-13 loss at Renasant Stadium.

Arkansas State did enough early to make the empty drives costly. Clune Van Andel's three field goals and Kenyon Clay's rushing touchdown produced a 16-7 halftime lead. The Red Wolves then survived a scoreless third quarter before adding a touchdown and running out the final 7:21.

A nine-point deficit survives three chances

The Golden Eagles opened the second half at their 38 after a kickoff return and moved inside the Arkansas State 20. A false start interrupted that progress, and Creighton Wilbanks missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt with 12:33 left in the third.

Southern Miss later started near midfield and reached the Red Wolves' 39. Landry Lyddy threw an interception to AG McGhee at the nine-yard line, ending another chance to reduce the deficit.

A 26-yard punt return by Kaden Saunders created the next opening, placing the ball at Arkansas State's 38. Southern Miss gained seven yards on four plays. Steven Robinson was stopped for a loss on fourth down, and the Red Wolves took possession with 48 seconds left in the quarter.

The Sun Belt published these official highlights from the game:

Arkansas State makes the next possession count

Trey Owens immediately connected with James Lee for 36 yards. That completion began an eight-play, 69-yard drive that Timothy Carter finished with a two-yard touchdown run at 13:10 of the fourth quarter.

Robinson answered on a one-yard scoring run, but Southern Miss failed on the two-point try and still trailed 23-13. Its defense forced a punt with eight minutes remaining. The offense responded with one four-yard completion and three incompletions, giving Arkansas State possession at the Golden Eagles' 41.

The Red Wolves' final drive lasted 14 plays and reached the Southern Miss 11. They did not score, but they consumed every remaining second. Arkansas State finished with a 40:08-to-19:52 possession advantage and converted all three fourth-down attempts. Southern Miss failed on all three of its tries.

The yardage gap was much smaller: Arkansas State finished with 304 total yards to Southern Miss' 289. Lyddy passed for 208 yards and a touchdown, while Mario Sanders had six receptions for 88 yards. Two interceptions and the failed fourth downs limited what that production yielded.

Owens threw for 170 yards without a turnover. Van Andel connected from 29, 40 and 44 yards, and Clay supplied a two-yard touchdown run in the first half. Arkansas State improved to 3-4 and 1-2 in Sun Belt play; Southern Miss fell to 1-5 and 0-2.