Football | 9/3/2019 5:06:00 PM

SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State University Ram football team kicks off its 2019 season hosting Western Oregon University for the second time in school history that these two teams have met.

Game Info:

Angelo State vs. Western Oregon
Thursday, September 5 | 6:00 p.m.
 
Series Meeting…
 
The Rams and Wolves will meet on the gridiron for the second time in school history. Last season, ASU travelled to Monmouth, Oregon for the first time, claiming a 24-17 victory. Charlie Rotherham threw a pass to Lawson Ayo with 52 seconds left in the game to secure the win. The Rams lead the series 1-0.
 
Girsch at the helm…
 
Head coach Jeff Girsch enters his first season as head coach of the Rams, after working as the defensive coordinator for the past five seasons. Girsch, who has 20 years of college coaching experience, led an impressive defensive unit in 2017 that received four Lone Star Conference first-team selections and was second in the conference by limiting opponents to 348.5 yards per game. Girsch took over the reins from Will Wagner, after going 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the conference in 2018.
 
Players to Watch…
 
Lawson Ayo is a returning starter for the Rams offense. Ayo grabbed 58 receptions for 1,073 yards, scoring seven touchdowns last season. Ayo had a season high 134 reception yards against Tarleton State (9/29) and received a career-high 58 yard pass against Western New Mexico (10/6). Ayo currently sits in fifth in the record book for all-time receiving yards with 2,135 yards in his career.
 
Keke Chism returns to the Rams offense as a starter. He posted a season-high 159 yard reception against Central Oklahoma (12/1) along with a longest reception of 55-yards in the same game. Chism holds a career 1,343 receiving yard record.
 
Western Oregon visits…
 
Western Oregon comes to San Angelo for the first time in school history. The Wolves finished 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Offensively, they averaged 324.0 yards per game. On the ground, the Wolves held their opponents to 99.1 yards per game.
 
Up next…
 
Following Thursday's game, the Rams get set to host Simon Fraser, British Columbia. This will be the first matchup against a Canadian team in school history. The Rams will be honoring all military personnel for military appreciation day. Kickoff is scheduled for September 14th at 6:00 p.m.