The Game
The Angelo State football team returns home following its first Lone Star Conference victory of the season for homecoming at 6 p.m. against Oklahoma Panhandle State at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field.
Oklahoma Panhandle State
Oklahoma Panhandle State enters with a record of 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the LSC. Former Angelo State assistant coach Russell Gaskamp is in his fifth season at OPSU with a career record of 21-25. OPSU defeated Arkansas Pine Bluff 20-16 and has dropped its three contests.
The Series
It will be the second overall meeting between the two programs. The first meeting was a 52-31 Ram victory to open last season. Former Ram asssitant coach Russell Gaskamp serves as head coach for OPSU.
#BlueMob Leads Nation
The Rams special teams added to their school record for blocks in a season with thier eighth of the season against TAMUK. . The total surpassed the 2003 team that blocked six kicks. ASU leads FCS, FBS, Division II and Division III in blocked kicks this season.
LSC Player of the Week
Justin Jackson earned ASU's second consecutive LSC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He helped the Rams defense hold Texas A&M-Kingsville to just 262 total yards and only 76 yards on the ground. The sophomore made six tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss. He broke up four passes and recovered the fumble that sealed the victory for ASU.
National Leader and School Record
Markus Jones has been a force this season on special teams. The sophomore has set the school record for blocked kicks in a season wtih his sixth of the season. The six blocked kicks are also the most in college football in any division. The Crowley native had blocked a kick in four straight games and has six of the team's eight blocks. He also leads the LSC in tackles for loss with 8.5.
Limiting Rushing Yards
The Rams defense held TAMK to a season low 262 yards of total offense and just 76 yards on the ground. The defense was stingy only allowing 2.1 yards per carry on 35 carries. It is the lowest rushing total since holding Western State to 46 last season. It is also the eighth time since
Jeff Girsch took over as defensive coordinator that ASU has held a team to under 100 yards rushing.
Defensive Takeaways
The Rams defense has forced an interception or fumble in 10 straight games. The streak started against Texas A&M-Kingsville last season and has continued through the first five games of this season.
Justin Jackson recovered a fumble against TAMUK to extend the streak.
Third Down Defense
The Rams have one of the top third down defenses in Division II. ASU has forced teams into a fourth down on 73.5 percent of the time which is No. 7 nationally. Opponents have attempted 83 third downs this season and ASU has only allowed 22 converseions (26.5 percent) on the season.
First Career Touchdown
When the Rams needed a touchdown to go ahead of Texas A&M-Kingsville, they went to a senior on the offensive line. With the ball rolling around in the end zone after a fumble,
Rance Layton made sure ASU would gain the lead. The Seminole native pounced on the ball for his first career touchdown and give the Rams the go ahead touchdown to seal the win.
Top Tackler
Melvin Robinson has become one of the top tacklers in the LSC this season. The senior linebacker is No. 2 in the LSC with 52 tackles and 10.4 tackles per game. He has a season high of 19 tackles against ENMU which is the second most in a single game in NCAA Division II this season.
Field Position Threat
Casey Eyman has helped the Rams flip field positions all season. He has booted 37 punts for 1,541 yards and has a LSC best 13 punts inside the 20. He is No. 1 in the LSC and No. 17 in the nation with a 42.2 punt average.
Game-Winning Drive
The Ram offense scored on three drives that were at least 10 plays. ASU opened the game with a 14 play drive that ended in a field goal. Needing to score to take the lead, the Rams grinded out 79 yards over the next 15 plays that results in the game-winning score. The 15-play drive is the longest of the season for the ASU offense.
Team Captains
Fred Lawrence,
Richard Franklin,
Willie Brown,
Donovan Thompson and
Trey Green were selected as captains for the 2016 season by their teammates.
Rams Draft Anthony Quintana
The Angelo State football team added a new member to its team by drafting TeamIMPACT's Anthony Quintana. ASU is the first LSC school to draft a player from TeamIMPACT. Anthony, a nine-year old from Water Valley, will spend the next three years with the Ram football team interacting with the team while battling recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.
Road Warriors
ASU will travel a total of 8,062 miles to all seven road games this season. The longest trip of the season was 3,064 miles to Marquette, Michigan, to play Northern Michigan and the shortest is 312 mile round trip to Wichita Falls. ASU will look to improve its road record under head coach
Will Wagner. The Rams are 18-13 under Wagner on the road.
Overtime Victory
The Rams defeated Northern Michigan in triple overtime 47-41. ASU has seen very few overtime games over the years. The only other overtime game under head coach
Will Wagner was against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Oct. 29, 2011. The Javelinas won 36-33 in triple overtime. The last ASU victory in overtime was a 28-21 win over Eastern New Mexico on Oct. 6, 2007.
#RamFam Connection
Two current Rams have connections to Rams of the past.
Brennan Bibbs heard about ASU from former All-American uncle Henry Alsbrooks. Alsbrooks played defense for ASU and was a 1988 All-Americna. He recorded 271 tackles and is No. 10 all-time in career tackles. Myron Turner, Jr. plays opposite side of his dad Myron. The elder was an all-conference performer in 1989 and 1990. He is No. 8 on the career receiving yard list with 1,704 yards and led ASU in yards in 1989 with 706 yards.
Listen to the Rams
The Rams will once again be carried on KWFR 101.9 The Fire with four-time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Jeremy Bryant on the call. He will add Dr. John Klingemann in the booth for color analysis. Dr. Klingemann is the chair of the history department and an associate professor at Angelo State
Live in HD
Every Ram home game will be broadcasted on RamTV Suddenlink Channel 6 and 106HD. Fans will be able to see the games in full high definition with Angelo State students directing the broadcast and giving play-by-play and color analysis.
New Offensive Coordinator
Will Wagner promoted
Drew Dallas to offensive coordinator. Dallas has been an integral part of the offensive staff at Angelo State since 2011 as a graduate assistant and promoted to assistant coach in 2012. He has worked with the wide receivers since 2011 and picked up recruiting coordinator duties in 2012.The Ram offense is coming off a record-setting season by leading the nation in total offense with 560.4 yards per game.
Head Coach
Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) will begin his sixth season as head coach of the Rams. He is 32-28 in his three seasons at the helm of the Rams. The Odessa native helped Northwest Missouri State win three national championships as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach.
Winning Season
ASU secured the program's 32nd winning season since 1964 with a 7-4 record last year.It was the first time the Rams have had winning seasons in back-to-back years since 2000-2001 under former head coach Jerry Vandergriff.
416 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 416 football games since 1939. The following lists the coaches and record breakdown in Ram football history.
Pete Sikes 1939-1949 41-23-5
Max Bumgardner 1950-1968 74-74-2
Grant Teaff 1969-1971 19-11
James Cameron 1972-1973 13-7
Jim Hess 1974-1981 65-23-3
Jerry Vandergriff 1982-2004 143-101-2
Dale Carr 2005-2010 28-36
Will Wagner 2012-Present 33-28
The Program
Angelo State won the NAIA National Championship in 1978 and has won three Lone Star Conference Championships (1978, 1984, 1987). The Rams have seen five NCAA D-II playoff appearances and produced 57 All-Americans. Angelo State has sent 11 student-athletes on to successful NFL careers, including Pierce Holt, who earned two Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers in 1988 and 1989. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted into the NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Legendary Baylor head coach Grant Teaff coached at ASU, and has been inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame with Holt and former Ram tackle Rodney Cason.
Follow From Home
If you cannot attend the Angelo State football game, ASU has you covered. Live updates will be provided on Angelo State's Facebook page along with its Twitter account, @AngeloSports, Instagram, angeloathletics or on YouTube AngeloSports.
