JONESBORO, Ark. — Corey Rucker caught a Jaylen Raynor pass in the corner of the end zone with three seconds remaining to give Arkansas State a 34-31 victory over FCS-member Central Arkansas on Saturday night in a season opener for both teams.
A video replay confirmed Rucker had one foot inbounds and controlled the ball to the ground.
Rucker finished with nine catches for 179 yards. Raynor was 24 of 47 for 317 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he carried it 15 times for 49 yards and another score.
It was a wild fourth quarter that started with Raynor giving Arkansas State a 27-10 lead on a 5-yard sneak.
But ShunDerrick Powell scored two plays later on an 89-yard run for the first of 21 straight points for Central Arkansas.
The Bears forced a fumble with under two minutes to play and capitalized four plays later on Darius Hale's 4-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left.
Arkansas State faced a fourth-and-4 at its own 36 before Raynor connected on a 52-yard pass to Rucker with 25 seconds left. Raynor found Ja’Quez Cross on his next two completions for 25 yards to get to the 7-yard line before the game-winner.
Powell did a bit of everything for the Central Arkansas offense. He carried it 15 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and caught three passes for a team-high 50 yards. He also completed a pass for a 29-yard gain.
The Red Wolves have won 20 of their last 21 games against FCS foes, with the lone setback coming in 2016 when it dropped a 28-23 decision against UCA.
