Blake Hamblin and the Angelo State offense took the field with 2:34 remaining and 94 yards and the Chadron State defense in front of them. Eleven plays later, Hamblin and the Rams were back on their sideline celebrating an improbable comeback as the Eagles walked to their sideline in shock.
Hamblin, a sophomore quarterback from Rowlett and last season's backup quarterback to record setter Josh Neiswander, capped a four-touchdown fourth quarter by the Rams with a 26-yard pass to C.J. Akins. The score gave the Rams the lead for the first time with only 24 seconds remaining in a game where they trailed by 21 points two times.
For his individual accomplishments against Chadron State – four touchdown passes, 271 yards passing and 44 yards rushing – Hamblin was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
“I'm real excited about the game and winning the award, but the most important thing was coming out with a win,” Hamblin said. “It is a team award to me because I wouldn't have won it without our line blocking so well and our receiver catching the ball the way they did. We wouldn't have won without D.J. Clough stripping the ball from them and running it in for a touchdown or our defense making important tackles.”
Hamblin, whose previous career high for touchdowns was three against North Garland in his senior year of high school, threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone against Chadron State. Making only his second collegiate start, he also ran for two key first downs in the game-winning drive that ended on a slant route across the middle to Akins.
“Coach (Russell) Gaskamp and I always talk about wanting a quarterback that is mobile and can get out of situations,” ASU head coach Will Wagner said. “We need him to be a threat for the defense, not only throwing but also being able to run for first downs. There were some times in the game on Saturday where he needed to run, and he was able to make some huge plays with his legs.”
Hamblin, whose lone completion last year went to Joey Knight went for 86 yards, has thrown for 433 yards on 37 completions in the first two games this season. The positive accomplishments from the game all came after he fumbled on the Rams' second possession and threw an interception which was returned for a touchdown on the third.
“Blake has gotten more and more comfortable each week with what we are doing offensively,” Wagner said. “Some of his passes were sailing early in the game, but he did a great job of settling in and showed a lot of confidence as a quarterback. He didn't let the fumble or interception affect his game. He kept fighting and leading our team. He did a great job fighting through some adversity.”
Angelo State returns to action at 2 p.m. on Saturday against the University of Central Oklahoma at San Angelo Stadium.
