Georgia Southern vs. Arkansas State 2025 Recap: Red Wolves Tear Through Eagles, 34-24

The Arkansas State Red Wolves defeated the Georgia Southern Eagles, 34-24, covering the 1.5-point spread but just barely staying under the 60.5-point total. Auburn-transfer, and Georgia Southern star Camden Brown set the Eagles single-season receiving touchdown record with his ninth of the year and the first in the game. Let’s dive into the Georgia Southern vs. Arkansas State 2025 recap.

Georgia Southern vs. Arkansas State 2025 Recap

First Half Hope

Georgia Southern came out swinging and drove right down the field before quarterback JC French found Camden Brown for the 24-yard touchdown. Arkansas State drove down the field themselves, but on a goal line pass, the Eagles defenders tipped the ball and defensive lineman Elijah Fears managed to catch it for the interception.

Georgia Southern cashed in on that turnover in a 10-play drive that ended with a beautiful 18-yard touchdown catch and run by wide receiver Marcus Sanders Jr. Just like that the Eagles were up 14-0.

The Red Wolves quickly answered with a five-play drive that included a 36-yard burst by running back Devin Spencer that set Arkansas State up for the one-yard touchdown run by starting Kenyon Clay. Then, the Eagle offense began to stall.

Arkansas State got the ball back, eventually getting a field goal. Eagles’ backup quarterback Weston Bryan came into the game for the first time on a 3rd-and-2, and got stuffed at the line of scrimmage, losing one yard. Arkansas State got the ball back, but a bad snap sent the ball 30-ish yards past the Red Wolves and the Eagles recovered. Five plays later (four rushing one pass), and Georgia Southern’s French had a rushing touchdown.

Right before the half, Arkansas State starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor marched right down the field with a 13-play drive. The Red Wolves capitalized on the drive with a Raynor 2-yard rushing touchdown and cut into the lead knowing they would get the ball out of the half.

Second Half Collapse

The second half was dominated by the Red Wolves.

Arkansas State opened with the ball and put together another 13-play drive that ended with Raynor’s second rushing touchdown, and the Wolves took the lead, 24-21, and would not give it up for the rest of the game. The Eagles next offense was stalling, and an eight-yard sack on third and long forced another punt. The Raynor touchdown was the only score in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Red Wolves put together an 11-play drive that ended in Raynor’s third rushing touchdown of the game. That caused the Eagles to go from up 14 points in the first quarter, to down 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Southern fans were frustrated with the late-game clock management after a drive that started with over seven minutes left ended in a field goal inside the two-minute warning. The Red Wolves got the ball back, up by seven, inside the two-minute warning. A Kenyon Clay 30-yard burst put the nail in the coffin, allowing Arkansas State to kick a field goal and go up 10. The Eagles tried a hail marry but it fell incomplete as time expired, and Arkansas State won the game.

This loss drops the Eagles to a 1-3 record in the Sun Belt, and the Red Wolves advance to 3-1. With three Sun Belt teams currently sitting 4-0 in the conference (JMU, Troy, and Southern Miss), this loss eliminates the Eagles from Sun Belt Championship contention.

Look Ahead: A Thursday Night Rivalry

Georgia Southern will get a bye week as they prepare to take on their rivals, Appalachian State, on Thursday, November 6. This is the second Thursday night game the Eagles will have had. App State will also get a bye this week after a 24-21 loss against ODU.

The Mountaineers are also 1-3 in the Sun Belt but expect both teams to play like this is the National Championship. App State has two quarterbacks with over 900 passing yards but typically started JJ Kohl because he had no interceptions on the year. In the ODU game, Kohl threw his first two interceptions and AJ Swann played the rest of the game, throwing two 30+ yard passing touchdowns. Neither quarterback is that mobile and mobile players have been an issue for the Eagles, as Raynor put on display.

Shrine Bowl Prospects

Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor was stellar against the Eagles. The six-foot, 200-pound junior threw for over 200 yards and rushed for over 50, with a hat-trick of rushing touchdowns. Although the stat sheet will say he had an interception, it is worth remembering that the ball was tipped and an Eagle defensive lineman made a great play bringing it down. Raynor can throw down field and knows when to get out of the pocket and use his leg talent to move the chains or score three touchdowns.

It felt like Eagles defensive back Justin Meyers did it all. The redshirt senior had 10 solo tackles, which obviously led the team. The six-foot safety also had three assisted tackles and half a tackle-for-loss. Meyers has been a stud for the Eagles all year in both limiting the run and protecting the deep pass. With his 10-tackle performance on Saturday, Meyers is now just one tackle shy of tying the season team tackle leader, linebacker Brendan Harrington who has 37 solo tackles on the year.