Arkansas State announced that head coach Butch Jones addressed the media following the team’s latest setback against Louisiana, which dropped the Red Wolves to 5-6 on the season.
The loss marks a devastating turn for a program that appeared to have found its footing just weeks ago. Arkansas State started 1-4 but rallied with four consecutive wins, including a road victory at Troy that positioned them at 5-4 and in bowl contention.
The last two games have derailed that momentum entirely.
Against Louisiana, the Red Wolves managed six possessions inside the 21-yard line, including two snaps from the 2-yard line. They scored zero points on the final drive.
A red zone interception against Southern Miss the previous week had already put the team’s bowl hopes in jeopardy.
Butch Jones not feeling like a Champion of Life right now. pic.twitter.com/CsIorePgFW
— Michael Cauble (@Cauble) November 21, 2025
Jones didn’t avoid responsibility when discussing the team’s performance in the postgame press conference.
“Unacceptable execution. They all hurt when you lose. You hurt for your players. You hurt for everyone because everybody in here invests in victory. And this one probably hurts a little bit more. It doesn’t get you till it gets you.”
The statistics tell the story of missed opportunities. Arkansas State converted just three of 15 third-down attempts and managed only three field goals and one touchdown despite six red zone trips.
“Critical down execution, we were three for fifteen on third down. After six trips inside the 25, we come away with three field goals and one touchdown. In our conference, the margin of victory is very very small. It is fragile. And we had two consecutive turnovers at 10-0…flat out unacceptable.”
The final sequence included an incompletion and a fumble at the goal line that sealed the loss.
Jones explained the team’s approach on those crucial plays while acknowledging the execution failure.
“It has worked for us all year. We wanted a two-play sequence, wanted to go tempo, and keep the timeout. And we had a catastrophic missed assignment. We knew what they were going to be in. We practiced it all week. But we cannot make mistakes at that stage of the game.”
Arkansas State now faces a must-win situation with one regular season game remaining.
The Red Wolves travel to Appalachian State needing a victory to reach bowl eligibility. Jones was direct about the team’s situation moving forward.
“We are in a one game season going to North Carolina.”
The coach made it clear how much the loss affected him personally.
“This one will probably live with me for a lifetime.”
