This is the Depth Dossier: the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Week 7.

Control was the whole story here. Arkansas State won 23 to 13 over Southern Miss by playing keep-away for most of the afternoon and converting every single fourth down it tried, which is about as complete a turnaround as you can get from the shootout that got away from them the week before.

Let's start with the quick numbers. Arkansas State ran 76 plays to Southern Miss's 59 and held the ball for over 40 minutes, finishing the game with a 14-play drive that ate more than seven minutes and ran the clock out completely. Quarterback Trey Owens threw for 170 yards, completed 17 of 25 passes, didn't turn the ball over, and converted three fourth downs on that final drive, including a sneak for the clinching touchdown. Kicker Clune Van Andel made all three of his field goal attempts. Running back Kenyon Clay and receiver Timothy Carter each scored from the two-yard line. And defensive backs Dontrae Henderson and A.G. McGhee each had interceptions that kept Southern Miss off the board. A week after turnovers buried this team, they finished with a plus-two turnover margin and simply never let go of the ball long enough to lose.

Now, the box score says this was a ten-point win with barely any edge in total yardage. But it felt a lot more decisive than that, because Arkansas State controlled the one thing that matters most in a game like this: time. Five of their scoring drives ran at least seven plays, and they never let Southern Miss get enough possessions to turn it into a track meet. Head coach Butch Jones called it complementary football, and the clock backs him up. Arkansas State won time of possession in every single quarter.

The strangest number on the stat sheet is this: they were just four for eighteen on third down, but three for three on fourth down. That's not a mistake, it's a philosophy. Jones twice skipped short field goal tries in the fourth quarter to go for it instead. He explained it simply: a field goal still leaves it a two-score game, and then you're kicking off anyway. All three fourth-down tries worked, capped by Owens sneaking it in on fourth and one to finish the game off.

A few other details mattered. Arkansas State allowed four sacks, which really hurt the running game once you strip out Owens' scrambles, dropping it down to about three yards a carry. On defense, they held Southern Miss to just 33 yards in the first quarter and forced three turnovers on downs, including a goal-line stop. And a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a Southern Miss punt extended an early drive and led directly to Van Andel's first field goal, a gift that set the tone. Van Andel's eleven points on the day also moved him up to fourth in program history in career scoring.

Now let's get into who's up and who's down on the depth chart.

Safety Brandon Greil got hurt on punt coverage in the fourth quarter and is considered questionable. The team hasn't said anything more, so his status going forward is worth watching rather than assuming either way.

Beyond that injury, nothing here is really a chart change so much as a confirmation of roles. Owens didn't throw a touchdown pass, but a clean, turnover-free game with three clutch fourth-down conversions, including that sneak from close range, is the strongest sign yet that Jones trusts him with the ball when the game is on the line.

Van Andel's perfect kicking night and his climb up the scoring charts confirm he's the guy Jones leans on to finish games rather than always pushing for the touchdown. And McGhee's team-high seven tackles plus his first interception of the season is the kind of performance that should keep him and Henderson featured in the back end of that defense.

The lingering concern is still up front. Four sacks allowed and real struggles running the ball are the same trench problems that hurt this offense a week ago, just in a game they won anyway. Whether that offensive line holds up is something worth watching as the season continues.

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