ASU holds on, nears 2nd title

Sunday, November 18, 2012

— On a wild night when more than 1,100 yards were gained and 75 points scored, Arkansas State senior quarterback Ryan Aplin had to dive on the ball during a kneel-down to secure the Red Wolves’ sixth consecutive victory.

WIth ASU clinging to a seven-point lead with 40 seconds left, Aplin bobbled a snap at his 31 as Troy defenders barreled into the ASU offensive line in a last-gasp effort to draw even Saturday in front of 20,614 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Ala.

It took officials about a minute to unpile skirmishing players and find the Red Wolves in possession, allowing ASU (8-3, 6-1) to hold on for a 41-34 victory over Troy (5-6, 3-4) and stay on track for a second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title.

Even then, ASU Coach Gus Malzahn said he wasn’t certain ASU had avoided a calamity.

“I thought they swiped the ball,” Malzahn said. “The [ASU] center came back and said they swiped the ball.”

The officials, though, kept the ball in the Red Wolves’ hands, and ASU can secure its crown at Liberty Bank Stadium on Dec. 1 against Middle Tennessee (7-3, 5-1), which held off South Alabama 20-12 on Saturday.

A replay showed Troy defensive lineman Kyle Lucas with his arms around the ball, but the officials saw it otherwise.

“I was trying to do anything to get the ball, and our guy came out of the pile with it,” Troy Coach Larry Blakeney said. “Some people in the coaches’ box told me that our guy put his hands on it first, and that’s the guy that came out of the pile with it.”

Consider it the most important break of the game for Arkansas State.

The Red Wolves, who rolled up 595 yards of total offense, weren’t in the clear until running back David Oku ran into the end zone from 1 yard out with 4:49 left for a 10-point lead.

That came after Troy pulled within 34-31 on a 70-yard interception return for a score by safety Brynden Trawick. “We’re on a roll now, and we played one of the hotter teams in America out there,” Malzahn said. “Feels good to get a victory and get home.”

Aplin threw for a season high 369 yards and career-high 4 touchdowns on 28 of 38 passing, and added a season high 85 yards on 12 carries to help a running game that sputtered early.

“It feels good,” Aplin said. “At the same time, obviously, [there are] a lot of corrections we need to make, but it’s great to get a win.”

Aplin completed passes to eight receivers, led by redshirt sophomore J.D. McKissic’s 12 catches for 138 yards and a 31-yard touchdown catch to put the Red Wolves in front 13-7 with three minutes left in the first half.

“We knew that their offensive changes and personnel would give us a problem,” Blakeney said. “We knew Aplin would be a problem because he can run and he makes plays in the passing game.”

Troy, which entered averaging 499.5 yards per game and ranked 10th nationally in passing at 325 yards per game, proved capable of matching the Red Wolves’ production.

Quarterback Corey Robinson put up 417 yards passing and 1 touchdown, a 51-yard throw to receiver Chip Reeves to make it 7-6 with 6:13 left in the first quarter. He completed 26 of 35 passes as Troy totaled 518 yards.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Robinson said. “I got one touchdown pass tonight, not four. [Aplin] had four. He helped them win a lot better than I did.”

Reeves, who was one of nine Troy receivers to catch a pass, finished with a game high 142 yards on 6 catches, while running back Shawn Southward added 51 yards rushing on 13 carries.

The Red Wolves appeared poised to put Troy away entering the fourth quarter after Oku, who finished with 93yards on 20 carries, scored on a 5-yard run for a 34-23 lead with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Things got dicey for ASU with 10:23 left in the fourth quarter. Aplin, scrambling to avoid pressure, made an ill advised throw from the Troy 44 with ASU leading 34-23. Trawick intercepted the ball and raced untouched to the end zone.

Backup quarterback Deon Anthony threw a two-point conversion pass to Justin Albert to make it 34-31.

ASU answered with a nine play, 75-yard drive that took 5:34 and ended with Oku’s touchdown run with 4:49 to play.

Trailing 41-31, Troy settled for a 29-yard field goal with 3:31 left after Robinson’s throw on a crossing pattern for Robinson sailed through the back of the end zone on third down at the ASU 18.

ASU ran out the clock with two first downs before Troy’s last-ditch effort to force a turnover.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE 20, SOUTH ALABAMA 12

MOBILE, Ala. - Jordan Parker ran for 154 yards on 24 carries and Logan Kilgore threw two touchdown passes as Middle Tennessee held off South Alabama.

Kilgore’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Bryson put the Blue Raiders (7-3, 5-1 Sun Belt) up 7-3 with 5:14 left in the first quarter, and Middle Tennessee maintained the lead over the Jaguars (2-9, 1-6) the rest of the way.

Carlos Lopez kicked field goals of 26 and 19 yards for the Blue Raiders, and Anthony Amos caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Kilgore, who finished with 233 yards on 16 of 29 passing.

LOUISIANA-MONROE 42, NORTH TEXAS 16

MONROE, La. - Kolton Browning returned from a foot injury to throw for 324 yards and three touchdowns as Louisiana-Monroe defeated North Texas to earn its first winning season as a Football Bowl Subdivision team.

Browning completed 25 of 34 passes for the Warhawks (7-4, 5-2), whose record is the program’s best since going 9-3 in 1993.

Wide receiver Je’Ron Hamm caught seven of Browning’s passes for a career high 119 yards, including fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 24 and 61 yards that stretched the lead to 35-10.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 31, WESTERN KENTUCKY 27

LAFAYETTE, La. - Terrance Broadway threw for 258 yards and ran for a touchdown with 38 seconds left to help Louisiana-Lafayette rally and beat Western Kentucky.

Broadway, who completed 23 of 33 passes, struggled early on, throwing two interceptions as the Ragin’ Cajuns trailed 27-17 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Louisiana-Lafayette (6-4, 4-2), which lost to Florida 27-20 last week on a blocked punt return for a touchdown with two seconds left, began its rally on its 28.

From there, Broadway drove Louisiana-Lafayette 72 yards in 11 plays, connecting with Jamal Robinson for a 4-yard touchdown pass to draw the Ragin’ Cajuns within 27-24.

Western Kentucky (6-5, 3-4) recovered the ensuing kickoff, but after going three-and-out, Broadway drove his team 79 yards in 52 seconds to set up his game-winning, 14-yard touchdown run.

Broadway completed 11 of his last 16 passes.

Sports, Pages 25 on 11/18/2012