Aplin named ASUs LRTD Club Player of the Year

JONESBORO (12/17/10) - The Little Rock Touchdown Club announced Friday that sophomore quarterback Ryan Aplin, a 2010 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference choice, was selected as its Arkansas State MVP and will be honored at its annual banquet on Jan. 27 along with 27 other award winners.

Aplin joins former ASU stars Antonio Warren (2004), Eric Neihouse (2005), Reggie Arnold (2006), Tyrell Johnson (2007) and Alex Carrington (2008 and 2009) as winners of the LRTC's Arkansas State MVP honor.

Aplin, recently named to CollegeFootballNews.com's Sophomore All-America Team, was named the Sun Belt Conference's Offensive Player of the Week three times this season. He broke the single-season school records for total offense (3,416 yards), total offensive plays (548), pass completions (252), pass yards (2,939), passing touchdowns (21) and pass attempts (410). His 61.5 completion percentage was the second highest in school history.

Aplin's 2010 numbers place him tied for second in Sun Belt Conference history in touchdowns responsible for (32), third in total plays, fourth in total offense, sixth in passing yards and passing touchdowns and seventh in completions. Nationally, he ranks tied for 13th in points responsible for, 18th in total offense, 27th in passing yards and 49th in passing efficiency.

The Tampa, Fla. native leads the Sun Belt Conference in total offense and touchdowns responsible for and is ranked second in passing touchdowns, passing yards and completions and third in pass efficiency.

He was responsible for 70 percent of ASU's total offense that broke the school record and ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference. He threw at least one touchdown pass in every game and had at least one rushing touchdown in eight games. Aplin recorded a school-record 438 passing yards against Louisiana-Lafayette, which was the most by a Sun Belt Conference player this season and the 17th most in the nation. He also broke the school record for completions (33) and total offense (442) in a game. Aplin passed for at least 200 yards in nine games and recorded at least 200 yards of total offense in 11 outings.

The Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on Jan. 27 is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Embassy Suites hotel in Little Rock, where each award winner will have an opportunity to speak. In addition to all the college awards, the LRTC will also honor players and coaches of the year in each high school classification. Ticket information for the banquet can be found at www.LRTouchdown.com.