JONESBORO — After fumbling three times during a 36-29 victory against South Alabama on Oct. 13, Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin found a solution by watching television.
Scanning the channels, Aplin couldn’t help but notice a growing trend among many of his NCAA and NFL counterparts.
Gloves.
More and more quarterbacks over the past few seasons have started slipping them on for better ball security, especially in chilly or wet conditions. The examples range from former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner to last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III.
So during practices leading up to ASU’s 50-27 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 23, Aplin slipped a glove on his nonthrowing left hand to see how it felt.
“I just thought, ‘Hey, let’s try it out,’ ” Aplin said. “I wanted to see what it would do for me as far as having a better grip, so I went with it.”
Aplin passed for 269 yards and rushed seven times without a fumble against Louisiana-Lafayette, so don’t be surprised if he’s wearing it again Saturday when Arkansas State (5-3, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference) visits North Texas (3-5, 2-2) in Denton, Texas.
Donning a glove may serve more as a mental tool than an actual insurance policy against giving the ball away.
As ASU offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee pointed out, the glove doesn’t prevent Aplin from forcing a throw to a wide receiver who is covered or from securing the ball when he escapes oncoming rushers as pass protection breaks down.
“At the end of the day, it’s still all mental,” Lashlee said. “If it helps him, great, but I don’t think you fumble because you either have a glove on or you don’t.”
Entering the season, Aplin said his focus rested largely on cutting down interceptions from the 16 he threw during the 2011 season.
Aplin has done that so far, throwing 12 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions in 8 games. But the senior has fumbled a career-high seven times and has lost five of them.
The most egregious took place late in the first half against South Alabama.
On second and goal from the 9, Aplin tucked the ball away on a designed quarterback draw to the right side, only to let his arm extend away from his body. Jaguars linebacker Clifton Crews knocked the ball out, and South Alabama recovered with 34 seconds left in the half.
“I cost us points,” Aplin said. “It’s something, especially as the person running the offense, I can’t let happen.”
Coach Gus Malzahn said the staff haven’t spent much time talking with Aplin about the change.
“He just felt more comfortable going with it,” Malzahn said.
Roughly two weeks after deciding to wear the glove, Aplin said he hardly notices it amid the day-to-day grind of practice.
“The first couple times, it’s really different. You really notice how much more you latch onto the ball,” Aplin said. “Once you’re out there in practice, it’s the last thing you’re thinking about with the glove. There’s just so much to manage that you don’t notice it on.”
Aplin has been less turnover-prone this season than in his first two seasons as a starter.
Among his 599 offensive snaps, Aplin has either attempted a pass or pulled the ball down for a run 312 times and has turned it over only seven times. All total, Aplin is on pace for seven fewer turnovers this season than the 18 he had in 2011.
Malzahn’s up-tempo offense, which aims to run more plays, has actually reduced the risk of turnovers by Aplin. The quarterback is averaging slightly more than eight carries per game, down from the 12 rushes he averaged in former coach Hugh Freeze’s system.
Aplin said he believes there are benefits to having a gloved hand on the ball when running a zone-read play, or when he has to tuck away the ball under pressure.
“It’s that reminder to have better ball security when guys are trying to wrap up and punch it out of there,” he said.
At a glance
ARKANSAS STATE
AT NORTH TEXAS
WHEN 4 p.m. Central Saturday WHERE Apogee Stadium, Denton, Texas RECORDS ASU: 5-3, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference; North Texas: 3-5, 2-2 COACHES ASU Gus Malzahn (5-3 in first season at Arkansas State and overall); North Texas: Dan McCarney (7-12 in second season at North Texas and 64-97 overall) SERIES ASU leads 12-8 RADIO KFIN-FM, 107.9, in Jonesboro; KKSP-FM, 93.3, in Bryant/Little Rock INTERNET astate redwolves.com, meangreen.com
Sports, Pages 17 on 11/01/2012