JONESBORO, Ark. (12/3/12) – Arkansas
State swept the Sun Belt Conference's weekly football awards after the Red
Wolves' 45-0 win over Middle Tennessee on Dec. 1 that clinched the Red Wolves'
second consecutive league title.
Senior quarterback Ryan Aplin
claimed his third straight Offensive Player of the Week award, senior
linebacker Nathan Herrold earned the Defensive Player of the Week award for the second
time this season, and junior kicker Brian Davis came away with his second
Special Teams Player of the Week award this season.
This is the third time since joining the Sun
Belt Conference that Arkansas State has claimed all three awards during the
same week and the first time since 2008.
Since the Sun Belt Conference's inaugural season in 2001, the same team
has swept the conference's weekly awards just 16 times.
This is the eighth time in Aplin's
career that he's earned the league's weekly honor. In Saturday's game, Aplin completed 19-of-21
passes (.905 percentage) for 238 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding
64 yards on the ground on six attempts and one touchdown to give him 302 yards
of total offense on the day.
Aplin's completion percentage tied
the second highest in ASU history for a single game and his three passing
touchdowns gave him a school-record 23 on the season. He averaged 12.5 yards per completion without
an interception and 10.7 yards per rushing attempt. The game marked the 32nd time Aplin has
thrown for over 200 yards in his career and 19th time he collected at least 300
yards of total offense in his career.
Herrold recorded a team-high 10
tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception and a pass break-up in the
A-State victory. This was the fifth time
this season that Herrold recorded double-digit stops and the eighth time of his
career, pushing his season total to 109 to make him the first Arkansas State
player with over 100 tackles in a season since the 2007 campaign.
His 109 tackles are the most by an
Arkansas State player since 2005 when Tyrell Johnson had 112. The interception gave him three on the season
and he returned it 45 yards. With ASU
leading 7-0, his pick stopped a Middle Tennessee drive at the ASU 31-yard line
and set the Red Wolves' offense up at the Blue Raiders' 33 for its second
touchdown of the game and a 14-0 lead.
Davis earned his third career weekly
award from the conference. He was
responsible for 10 points by kicking, including seven extra points and a field
goal. Davis connected on his only field
goal attempt from 21 yards out to give him 40 career field goals, which ties
the second most in school history.
He pushed his season field goals
total to 16, giving him sole possession of the fifth most in school history for
a single season. His ten points by
kicking gave him a school-record 100 on the season, topping his own record of
98 that was set last season.
The win over Middle Tennessee
improved Arkansas State's record to 9-3 overall and 7-1 in conference. The Red Wolves accepted an invitation to play
in the GoDaddy.com Bowl for the second consecutive season. ASU will take on the 11-2 and 25th-ranked
Kent State Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference at Ladd-Peebles
Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m.
Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase GoDaddy.com Bowl tickets
only through the ASU Ticket Office to directly support the Red Wolves and to
ensure they receive priority seating within the designated A-State area.
Bowl tickets are only $45
per ticket when purchased through the ASU Ticket
Office. Fans can go to AStateRedWolves.com to order tickets, and the ASU Ticket Office, located at the Convocation Center's lower red entrance, is taking
walk-up and telephone (870-972-ASU1 or 888-278-3267) orders.