Junior quarterback Dwight Dasher threw four touchdown passes and the Blue Raider offense racked up 427 yards as they annihilated the Red Wolves of Arkansas State University 38-14 at Floyd Stadium Saturday.
“It was a great win for us,” head coach Rick Stockstill said. “I thought it was really dominating performance in all three phases.”
Dasher finished the game 15-of-26 with 263 yards to go with the four touchdowns. He was intercepted only once.
“I thought he threw the ball probably as well tonight as he has in any game here in a while,” Stockstill said. “We had a couple of drops but I thought he was really good with the throws that he made.”
Sophomore running back D.D. Kyles snapped his streak of 100-yard rushing games, but still contributed 80 yards on the ground on 11 carries.
Nine different Blue Raiders caught passes from Dasher, with junior receiver Garrett Andrews leading the team with three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
MT opened the first half scoring 24 unanswered points. On the second snap of its first possession, Dasher hit Kyles for an 80-yard screen pass resulting in a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead at the 12:20 mark of the first quarter.
Another defensive stop gave the Blue Raiders the ball back after the ASU punt resulted in a touchback. MT then marched 58 yards in eight plays, taking just 1:37 off the clock before kicker Alan Gendrau hit a 39-yard field goal to increase the lead to 10-0.
The Red Wolves again could not mount an offense, as they were held back by a holding penalty and forced to punt again.
MT took 2:37 to score this time, mounting a 66-yard drive in eight plays, ending with Dasher finding Chris McClover from 12 yards out for the score, giving the Blue Raiders a 17-0 lead at the 4:07 mark of the first quarter.
The teams traded the next several possessions until MT assembled a 9-play, 86-yard drive capped off by Dasher hitting Harold Turner from 32 yards out for a touchdown, increasing the lead and seemingly running away with the game early 24-0.
ASU was finally able to answer on its next possession, returning a kickoff all the way to the Blue Raider 42-yard line before a personal foul on Darin Davis moved the ball up further to the 27 yard-line.
A pass interference penalty on Jeremy Kellem set the Red Wolves up at the 2-yard line, and they finally punched it in on a run by running back Reggie Arnold at the 2:03 mark.
After punts on each team’s first possession of the second half, MT pieced together several big plays, including a 21-yard rush by Kyles and 35-yard pass by Dasher before hitting Andrews from seven yards out to score and and build a commanding 31-7 lead.
MT scored its final points of the game when, after Dasher was picked off by M.D. Jennings, Arnold fumbled the ball on the second play of the possession. The fumble was initially recovered by junior defensive end Jamari Lattimore, who ran 31 yards before pitching the ball to junior safety Jeremy Kellem, who ran 11 more yards for a touchdown.
ASU would cement the final score with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Aplin to Jahbari McLennan at the 7:08 mark of the fourth quarter.
The eighth win is the most in a season for the Blue Raiders since 2001,and further opens bowl possibilities, though the team hasn’t heard anything as of yet.
“I think we’re an attractive team not only record-wise but with our individual players and what we’re doing offensively and defensively.”
Saturday was also “Senior Day,” commemorating the final home game for the graduating class.
“This is their last game at home, but not their last football game,” Stockstill said. “I congratulated them and told them I love them, but our work’s not done.”
The Blue Raiders conclude the 2009 regular season Saturday when the team travels to Monroe, La. to take on the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
November to Remember
MT ties school record for overall wins, face Louisiana-Monroe next week
Published: Monday, November 23, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 01:11
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