Sept. 18, 2004
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JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - Tim Goodwell forced a fumble and returned it 10 yards
for a touchdown with 2:22 left and No. 25 Memphis scored 21 points in the final
three minutes for a 47-35 comeback victory over Arkansas State on Saturday.
Goodwell's hit on Arkansas State quarterback Nick Noce that forced the
fumble gave the Tigers (3-0), ranked for the first time, their first lead of
the game, 40-35.
After Scott Vogel intercepted a deflected pass with 1:59 left, DeAngelo
Williams added a 16-yard scoring run with 59.7 seconds remaining. Williams ran
for 144 yards.
Before Goodwell's touchdown, the Tigers had trimmed the Indians' lead to
35-33 on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Danny Wimprine to Tavares Gideon with
2:45 left.
Wimprine had 356 yards passing and three touchdowns, two of them to Gideon.
Noce passed for 418 yards and four touchdowns and Antonio Warren had 90
yards rushing for the Indians (1-2).
Arkansas State had built a 35-26 lead on Noce's 18-yard touchdown pass to
Levi Dejohnette with 4:01 left.
Until the closing minutes, the Indians has an answer each time the Tigers
would draw close.
After Stephen Gostkowski's fourth field goal cut the Indians' lead to 21-19
with 5:05 left in the third quarter, Arkansas State linebacker Josh Williams
returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown to rebuild the lead.
On the second play of the game, Noce hit Chuck Walker with a 65-yard scoring
pass with 13:30 left in the first quarter.
The Indians added to that lead with 6:58 left in the quarter when Noce hit
Jermoe Stegall with a 28-yard touchdown pass.
Gideon caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Wimprine on the first play of
the second quarter to trim the Indians' lead to 14-10.
The Indians, who opened the season with one-side losses to Top 25 members
Missouri and LSU, responded with Noce's third scoring pass. Jason Wood grabbed
this toss from 27 yards to make it 21-10.
Memphis was able to narrow the margin to 21-16 at halftime on a pair of
Gostkowski' field goals. He hit from 41 yards and 24 yards.
The game was played before an Indian Stadium record crowd of 30,427.
