The Angelo State football team (2-3) returns home this weekend to celebrate Homecoming as the Rams host nationally-ranked Abilene Christian University (5-1) this Saturday. Kickoff at San Angelo Stadium is 6 p.m.
Against the Wildcats...Saturday will mark the 46th all-time meeting between the Rams and ACU with Angelo State leading the series, 27-17-1. Last season, the Rams suffered a 35-7 loss in Abilene as the Wildcats celebrated their Homecoming. ACU enters Saturday's contest as winners of four of the last five meetings between the two programs with the lone Ram victory during that five-year stretch coming in 2005, 27-24, in San Angelo. Prior to 2002, Angelo State had claimed five straight wins and victories in 16 of 17 meetings from 1988-2001. The two teams have met at least once each season dating back to 1972.
Last Time We Met...On Oct. 14, 2006, the Rams fell 35-7 in Abilene as the Wildcats dominated the contest. ACU amassed 457 yards while limiting the Rams to just 187 yards in the lop-sided victory. ACU took a 21-0 lead at halftime and added a pair of third quarter touchdowns before the Rams could find the end zone. ASU's lone score came in the fourth quarter as Jay Immel connected with Joseph Hankins on an 11-yard touchdown pass. Daniel Thomas led the Rams on the ground with 84 yards on just 11 carries. Ian Ritchey led ASU with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops.
The Coaches...Dale Carr (Colorado State, 1987) is in his third season as the head coach for the Angelo State Rams and boasts a 14-13 career record at ASU. In his debut season in 2005, Carr turned around a program that had three straight losing seasons into a playoff-caliber team. The native of Odessa guided the Rams to a 9-3 record in 2005 and their first postseason appearance in eight seasons. Last fall, his squad ended the season with a 3-7 overall mark, going 2-4 in LSC South Division play. Prior to taking over at ASU, Carr spent nine seasons as the head coach at Tyler Junior College. During his stint with TJC, Carr boasted a 66-31 overall record and led the Apaches to five bowl game appearances.
Chris Thomsen (Texas Christian, 1993) is in his third year as the head coach of the Wildcats and has a 17-10 career mark at the helm. Thomsen led his ACU squad to an 8-3 record in 2006, guiding the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA DII playoff appearance. He was honored as the Southwest Region Coach of the Year by the AFCA after his team posted its best season in more than 30 years. Thomsen is in his second stint with ACU, also serving as an assistant coach from 1994-99. He served as the Wildcats' offensive coordinator for the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
Rams Down ENMU in Double OT...The Rams grabbed their second win of the season last Saturday with a 28-21 double-overtime victory at Eastern New Mexico University. ASU improved to 2-2 all-time in overtime games.
Junior tailback Daniel Thomas was honored as the Lone Star Conference South Division Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 156 yards and three scores in the victory over ENMU. Sophomore quarterback Josh Neiswander nearly recorded his second 200-yard output of the season as he tossed for 199 yards, completing 19-of-38 passes, with a touchdown. Sophomore wide out Chris Fowler led the Rams in receiving for the fourth straight week with eight grabs for a career-high 130 yards and a score.
Defensively, junior safety Michael McLeod recorded a career-best 16 tackles, including 11 solo stops, against the run-happy Greyhounds. Sophomore linebacker Ian Ritchey added 13 tackles and sophomore safety Pete Parker tallied 11 stops to round out the Rams in double digits.
Thomas Climbing Charts...Junior tailback Daniel Thomas has recorded four games with more than 100 rushing yards over a five-game span to start the season. Now with 1,868 career yards, Thomas currently sits fifth on the ASU career rushing list, moving past former Ram Johnny Cole (1,717, 1975-76) with his 156-yard performance at Eastern New Mexico. With 107 against Abilene Christian this weekend, Thomas would move past Anthony Johnson (1,974, 1978-81) for fourth all-time. In addition, Thomas now has five career 100-yard rushing performances, one game shy of both Cole and Johnson for fifth all-time for the Rams.
Through five games, Thomas sits second in the LSC and 15th in NCAA DII in rushing with 143.6 yards per game. In addition, Thomas ranks third in the conference and 15th in NCAA DII in scoring with 10.8 points per contest. He also sits third in the conference and 31st in NCAA DII in all-purpose yardage with 155.6 yards per game.
Carrying the Load...Daniel Thomas is the very definition of a workhorse. Through five games, Thomas has carried the ball 145 times, ranking second in the LSC. He is averaging nearly 30 carries per contest and at that pace he would set the ASU single-season record for rushing attempts, breaking the current mark of 280 held by Jerry Austin in 1970. Only seven players in NCAA DII have more carries than Thomas this season.
Very "Neis" Stats...Sophomore quarterback Josh Neiswander is ranked seventh in the LSC in both passing and total offense. Neiswander is averaging 202.2 yards per game through the air, completing 52 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Add his 15 yards per game on the ground and he is averaging 217.2 yards of total offense per contest.
Fowler Racking Up Yards...Sophomore wide out Chris Fowler is ranked third in the LSC and 31st in NCAA DII in receiving yardage after his career day against Eastern New Mexico last weekend. Fowler pulled in eight grabs for a career-best 130 yards against the Greyhounds and is now averaging 84 yards per game. He has led the Rams in receiving yards in each of the past four games and has had more than 100 receiving yards in each of the past two contests.
Give Me That...The Rams are second in the LSC and 13th in NCAA DII in turnover margin (+7), thanks to 13 takeaways by the defense in the first five games. The Rams have tallied six interceptions, by six different players, and seven fumble recoveries, by six different players. ASU's six turnovers on the offensive side of the ball ranks as the sixth-lowest total in NCAA DII this season.
Big Rams Up Front...The Angelo State offensive line has allowed just five sacks in five games this season. The Rams rank second in the LSC and 12th in NCAA DII in sacks allowed. The Rams rank only behind Eastern New Mexico in the LSC in the category, an offense that averages three pass attempts per game. Two of ASU's five seniors reside on the offensive line, Josh Hammerquist and Matt Owens.
Scouting the Wildcats...Saturday will mark the second time in three weeks that the Rams have faced a nationally-ranked opponent. No. 15 Abilene Christian (5-1, 4-0 LSC, 1-0 LSC South) enters Saturday's contest riding a five-game winning streak after dropping its season opener.
The Wildcats boast one of the most explosive and balanced offenses in the conference, averaging 42.7 points and 483.5 yards per game. ACU ranks ninth in NCAA DII in both scoring offense and total offense. The Wildcats' passing attack ranks third in the LSC and 16th in NCAA DII with 277 yards per game while ACU ranks third on the ground as well with over 206 rushing yards per outing.
Leading the offense for ACU is junior quarterback Billy Malone. Malone leads the LSC in passing efficiency, ranking fourth in NCAA DII, while ranking second in the league in passing with 268.2 yards per game. He has tossed 18 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions. Last weekend, Malone completed 17-of-24 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns before he was given the second half off in the Wildcats' trouncing of Northeastern State.
Malone's favorite target is junior Johnny Knox, who ranks second in the LSC in receptions per game and fifth in the league in receiving yards. Knox has 34 catches for 503 yards through six games with seven touchdowns grabs, second highest in the conference. He is averaging 5.7 catches per game and 83.8 yards per outing. Senior Jerale Badon, the 2006 LSC South Receiver of the Year, is second on the Wildcats with 64 yards per game, ranking 10th in the LSC. Badon missed ACU's game with Northeastern State due to injury.
On the ground, junior Bernard Scott is ranked third in the LSC with 127.2 rushing yards per game. Scott was limited to just 32 yards on nine carries against NSU last week. It marked the first time this season that Scott had not rushed for at least 120 yards for the Wildcats.
Defensively, ACU ranks third in the LSC in scoring (16.3 ppg) and fourth in the league in total defense (306 ypg). The Wildcats sit second in the conference against the pass, allowing just 162.2 yards per contest, while ranking 10th against the run, giving up 143.8 yards per game.
The Wildcats are sparked by senior linebacker Cody Stutts. Stutts ranks ninth in the conference in tackles with just under nine stops per outing. Sophomore defensive back Tony Harp ranks second on the squad with 34 tackles and junior linebacker Michael Kern sits third with 25 stops.
As a team, ACU leads the conference, and ranks eighth in NCAA DII, in turnover margin (+10), thanks mostly to its league-leading 11 interceptions. The Wildcats have forced a league-high 17 turnovers through six games while giving up the ball on just seven occasions.
On Tap for the Rams...Angelo State begins a two-game road trip next weekend as the Rams pay a visit to Texas A&M University-Commerce on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Commerce is set for 2 p.m.
