Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Why Arkansas State Won
Almost everyone contributed to Arkansas State’s eighth consecutive home victory Saturday night as the Red Wolves trounced the Alcorn State Braves. After a dismal offensive showing against Nebraska, ASU was able to flex its muscles as seven different Red Wolves scored touchdowns, with six their eight touchdowns coming in the first half to give ASU a 42-0 lead.

The defense held the Braves, of the Football Championship Subdivision, to 130 yards of total offense and continued its turnover production from last week as John Thompson’s unit forced two in the first half, with both resulting in scores.

The 56-0 score is the largest margin of victory and the first shutout for ASU since defeating Mississippi Valley State 61-0 in the season opener in 2009 and it extended ASU’s winning streak over FCS teams to eight.

Turning Point
It’s hard to find a turning point in a one-sided game. The pounding began with 9:02 left in the first quarter when Eddie Porter sacked Alcorn’s Jordan Payne and forced a fumble, his second in two weeks. Senior Ronnell Wright picked the fumble up and took it 7 yards for a touchdown.

Player Of The Game: Ryan Aplin
The defending Sun Belt Player of the Year finally looked like it Saturday night, getting all ASU needed out of him in the first half. Aplin finished 12 of 13 for 198 yards and three touchdowns.

Aplin passed Cleo Lemon for ASU’s career touchdown lead with 49. Aplin broke the record on an 11-yard pass to Julian Jones in the north end zone.

Aplin also moved into second on the Sun Belt’s all–time offensive yards list, passing Florida Atlantic’s Rusty Smith after a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kedric Murray with 2:26 remaining in the first half.

Oku Takes Control
After the running game couldn’t produce anything of note against Nebraska, David Oku returned to his Memphis form, taking 17 carries in the first half for 92 yards and putting up two touchdowns.

Oku scored on a 12-yard run with 3:37 left in the first quarter. With 9:54 left in the half he scored on a 1-yard run to cap an 18-yard drive. The two touchdowns are a career high.

The second score came after a Don Jones returned an interception from the Alcorn 40 to its 18.

Defensive Line Breaks Out
During the first half, a sportswriter noted that Tim Starson “was in the backfield more than the running backs.”

That’s because the senior defensive lineman made four tackles, three for losses, by the end of the first half. The senior added another in the second half to give the Red Wolves 11 tackles for a loss.

The defense held the Braves to four of 17 on third down conversions, but Alcorn State coverted twice on fourth down.