Arkansas State University defeated LSU 27-17 in a non-conference match that perhaps says more good things about LSU than the Red Wolves.

For Arkansas State, it was another warmup game as they look to the start of the Mid-South conference season. Playing against the wind in the first half, ASU kept running into penalty problems around the breakdown.

“We got a lot of penalties on us in the first half, mostly in the ruck area,” said ASU Head Coach Shaun Potgeiter. “Every penalty, with the wind at their backs, LSU would just kick it downfield.”

LSU struck first, pushing the phases and earning a penalty try. Hunter Breit converted, and added a penalty goal later on to make it 10-0 at halftime. ASU replied, with two unconverted tries before LSU retook the lead when wing Mike Houston broke down the sideline and set up Cameron Troxler. Breit's conversion made it 17-10 LSU late in the second half. But Arkansas State's impact subs did exactly that, create an impact, and scored three tries to win it. 

Potgeiter said he wasn’t worried even though his team was behind at halftime, saying the wind and the huge penalty count were clear reasons. 

“We made adjustments in the second half, and we knew we’d have the wind to our advantage,” Potgeiter said. “And we knew the bench would inject a lot of energy.”

And so they did. LSU might have tired in the second half, but still, to score 17 on a team as strong as Arkansas State, and to stay within ten points was impressive on its own.

Preston Weigel scored two tries, while Nick Abreus, Zach Young, and Brandon van Niekerk all scored once. Abreus continued to put in good performances, while Garrett Soileau and freshman Calvin Gentry both played well on the day.

Meanwhile, as LSU continues through an undefeated Red River schedule, the Tigers may well have taken some good lessons, and a confidence boost, from a close loss to one of the better programs in the country.