SUN BELT FOOTBALL

ASU tiptoes to victory

Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin (16) outruns Louisiana-Monroe safety Cordero Smith (10) for a 38-yard first-quarter touchdown at Liberty Bank Stadium in Jonesboro on Thursday night.
Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin (16) outruns Louisiana-Monroe safety Cordero Smith (10) for a 38-yard first-quarter touchdown at Liberty Bank Stadium in Jonesboro on Thursday night.

— Rolling out to his left, Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin said he could feel the pass rushers bearing down, his feet bringing him closer to a point of no return.

“I kind of jumped back and stayed away from the line,” Aplin said. “All I know is it was close.”

A yard from the line of scrimmage, Aplin let the ball fly, turning a read-option run into a game-breaking touchdown throw to wide receiver Taylor Stockemer for 70-yard score to help ASU to a 45-23 victory Thursday at Liberty Bank Stadium.

In doing so, the Red Wolves (7-3, 5-1) sent a message by dispatching the wounded Warhawks (6-4, 4-1) in a meeting of first-place teams in the Sun Belt Conference.

The path to a conference title still runs through Jonesboro.

“You want to be the team everyone wants to knock off,” said Aplin, who had 334 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26-of-34 passing. “You want that pressure.”

The Red Wolves, who are a half-game ahead of Middle Tennessee (4-1), pulled away to win their fifth consecutive game in front of representatives from the New Orleans Bowl and Liberty Bowl.

“We just talked to our guys about getting better each game, and over the past four or five games we have,” ASU Coach Gus Malzahn said. “We still have some deficiencies, but we play to our strengths and it’s starting to come together.”

Running back David Oku, who rushed 22 times for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns, removed any doubt of an ASU victory with his 1-yard touchdown run for a 31-17 lead with 7:49 left in the third quarter.

“Some of those were tough yards, too,” Malzahn said. “He had some broken tackles and spun out of some things.”

Arkansas State’s defense, which allowed 433 yards but forced two turnovers, rebuffed the Warhawks’ reply.

Under heavy pressure, Cody Wells threw an interception into the arms of linebacker Nathan Herrold at the ASU 21 with 2:35 left in the third quarter as the Warhawks couldn’t overcome the absence of starting quarterback Kolton Browning and six other starters.

“We’ve got some guys out there that are playing because we don’t have anyone else to go,” Louisiana-Monroe Coach Todd Berry said. “Four weeks ago, we were a lot better football team than we are now.”

Not that Wells didn’t try, completing 37 of 53 passes for 357 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brent Leonard led Louisiana-Monroe with 14 catches for 134 yards.

Trailing 17-10 at the half, the Warhawks wasted no time pulling into a 17-17 tie in the third quarter on a quick slant from Wells to an uncovered Reshon Cesar for a 37-yard touchdown with 13:00 left in the third quarter.

It was the lone time Wells nicked up the ASU secondary in the second half.

“Our defense matched up routes very well, got some pressure on him and hit him a couple times,” Malzahn said. “They didn’t give big, big plays.”

The Red Wolves’ defense limited Louisiana-Monroe to 76 yards rushing, making Wells’ arm the only steady supply of yardage. Even then, Wells was under constant duress, getting sacked three times.

“If you stop it early it really makes them predictable,” Herrold said. “You can’t run the ball, too, when you’re down 20 points.”

The defense also helped the Red Wolves, who retook a 24-17 lead with 12:43 to play in the third quarter, after a failed onside kick and a 5-yard penalty for illegal blocking put the Warhawks at the 44 to set up a possible trying drive.

ASU trailed early after Wells dumped a swing pass in the flat to Monterrell Washington, who ran around the edge and raced 27 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 10:05 left in the first quarter.

Aplin pulled the Red Wolves even with a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Julian Jones after Jones raced by Henry Mitchell in single coverage to tie it 7- 7 with 6:39 left in the first quarter.

“We’re starting to get more of those receivers in the right spot for him,” Malzahn said. “He really spreads the ball around well, too.”

It was Aplin’s legs that put the Red Wolves ahead 14-7 en route to a 17-10 halftime lead.

Under heavy pressure on second-and-10 from the Monroe 39, Aplin tucked the ball up and sprinted upfield, angling toward the right corner of the end zone as receivers threw downfield blocks before diving toward the pylon with 1:09 left in the first quarter.

The Warhawks answered on their next drive when Justin Manton kicked a 37-yard field goal to pull within 14-10 at 13:19 in the second quarter. ASU answered with a 37-yard field goal from Davis on the ensuing drive with 9:14 left in the first half.

Aplin needed 10 seconds to put ASU ahead 24-17 with 12:43 left in the third quarter, but an officials’ review found he hadn’t crossed the line of scrimmage.

“I debated on it quickly,” Aplin said of his decision to throw the ball.

The Warhawks couldn’t capitalize down 31-17, watching Wells’ scrambling throw on fourth-and-12 sail over the head of wide receiver Cesar to give the Red Wolves the ball at their 36.

It was over from there, with Oku adding a 6-yard touchdown with 3:48 left in the third quarter for a 38-17 lead.

“That’s a problem we had early in the year,” Oku said of putting away teams. “When we get up, it’s just about finishing teams off. We did that tonight.”

Sports, Pages 19 on 11/09/2012

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