News Taffy

With a crowd of 6,115 occupying the stands at ASU Stadium, the Red Wolves set a spring game attendance record Saturday afternoon at its first spring scrimmage under Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn.

Since ASU’s spring practice sessions have been closed to the public, it was the first opportunity for Red Wolves fans to see this year’s highly touted recruiting class take the field with returning players. The spring game also provided fans with their first glimpse of All-SEC running back Michael Dyer in action as a member of the Red Wolves team.

Dyer, a two-year letterman at Auburn and the Offensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, transferred to ASU in January, following Malzahn to his home state. Dyer played two years under Malzahn at Auburn. However, there has been no official word yet whether Dyer will be eligible to play for the Red Wolves in 2012 or if he will be required to sit out this season to comply with NCAA transfer rules.

In Saturday’s scrimmage, senior quarterback Ryan Aplin passed for 313 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Red team to a 28-14 victory over the Black squad. The Black team jumped out to a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Red team scored the game’s final three touchdowns on passes from Aplin to junior running back Michael Dyer, senior tight end Anthony Kincy and senior wide receiver Taylor Stockemer.

After allowing 121 yards and two touchdowns, including a 34-yard run and 8-yard pass by redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Davis during the game’s first eight minutes, the Red team’s defense clamped down to allow just 62 yards the rest of the day. The Red squad’s defensive efforts were led by senior linebacker Nathan Herrold with eight tackles, while senior corner Chaz Scales was responsible for their only turnover with an interception.

Davis’ long run opened the scoring with 10:06 left in the first quarter, but the Red team responded with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Aplin to junior receiver Carlos McCants less than a minute later. Davis’ 8-yard scoring pass was hauled in by Booker Mayes at the 7:14 mark of the first quarter, but the Black team managed just three first downs the rest of the day.

Dyer’s 18-yard touchdown reception tied the game at 14-14 with 13:14 left in the second quarter, and the score would remain deadlocked until 4:42 in the third quarter when Kincy hauled in a four-yard touchdown reception to give the Red team its first lead. The red team concluded the scoring on Stockemer’s touchdown catch covering 15 yards at the 7:35 mark of the fourth quarter.

Dyer paced ASU’s rushing attack for the Red team, recording 85 yards on 15 attempts. Sophomore running back Frankie Jackson added 59 yards on 12 carries, including a 31-yard run that was the longest of the day by the Red squad. Redshirt freshman J.D. McKissic hauled in a team-high nine receptions for 73 yards, while McCants posted four catches for a game-high 105 yards.

The Black team was led by sophomore running back Rod Smith, who recorded a game-high 97 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Playing quarterback for the Black team, Phillip Butterfield completed 5-of-13 attempts for 29 yards and Davis connected on 4-of-5 attempts for 21. Defensively, the Black squad was led by Charleston Girley with eight tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. Tim Starson added two sacks and Lawrence Cayou added another for the Black squad, which also had two fumble recoveries by Andrew Tryon and Bryan Jones. Several ASU defensive players saw time for both the Black and Red teams.

The Red Wolves will conclude their spring camp next week. Season tickets for ASU’s 2012 campaign are on sale at the ASU Ticket Office. The ticket office can be contacted at 870-972-ASU1, or tickets can be purchased online at AStateRedWolves.com.