The Angelo State football team (4-1, 3-0 LSC, 1-0 LSC South) takes its three-game winning streak on the road as the Rams visit Eastern New Mexico (2-3, 2-2 LSC, 0-1 LSC South) in Lone Star Conference South Division play Saturday. Game time is 3 p.m. (Central) at Greyhound Stadium in Blackwater Draw, N.M.
Rams on the air...All ASU football games can be heard on KIXY 94.7 FM in San Angelo or on-line at AngeloSports.com, as called by two-time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Jeremy Bryant, the voice of the Rams and Rambelles. Joining Bryant as color commentator this fall is Randy Ward, the 2009 LSC Broadcaster of the Year. Ward is the sports director of KSAN-TV in San Angelo. To listen on-line for free, register for Angelo All-Access on the ASU athletics web site. Live video streaming of all five Ram home games and select road games will also be available on-line on a pay-per-view basis. For more details, visit AngeloSports.com.
Against Eastern New Mexico...Saturday's contest will mark the 34th all-time meeting between Angelo State and the Greyhounds on the gridiron with ASU holding a 20-12-1 lead in the series. The Rams have won the last three meetings with ENMU, including a 25-13 victory at San Angelo Stadium last fall. Prior to the current three-game streak by ASU, the Greyhounds had won four straight meetings (2002-05), including a 38-14 win in Blackwater Draw in 2005, handing the Rams their first loss of the season after opening the campaign 5-0. The two teams first squared off in 1968 with the Greyhounds capturing a 24-0 victory in San Angelo. Angelo State would bounce back with eight straight wins in the series from 1969-84. The only tie in the series came in 1995, 10-10, in Blackwater Draw.
The last time we met...On Oct. 4, 2008, the Rams nearly set a school record for rushing yards allowed as ASU held the Greyhounds to minus 19 yards in a 25-13 win over ENMU in San Angelo. Angelo State limited the Greyhounds to just 173 yards of total offense and scored in every quarter to earn what would become the Rams' final win of the season. Daniel Thomas rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown while Terrell Lee added 87 yards as ASU rushed for 285 yards against the Greyhounds.
The coaches...Now in his fifth season with the Rams, Dale Carr (Colorado State, 1987) is looking to lead his Rams back to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Carr led ASU to the postseason in 2005, his first season with the program, but his Rams have yet to make a return trip. In his four-plus seasons, Carr has a 21-27 record with ASU. Prior to his arrival in San Angelo, Carr spent nine seasons as the head coach at Tyler Junior College, amassing a 66-31 record.
Mark Ribaudo (Arizona, 1988) is also in his fifth year as the head coach of the Greyhounds, taking over prior to the 2005 season. Before taking the reins of the program, Ribaudo served eight seasons as an assistant coach at ENMU, including seven as the team's defensive coordinator. Ribaudo is 16-32 in his four-plus seasons with the Greyhounds
Rams upset No. 17 MSU...With a 36-yard field goal with 2.9 seconds left, junior Ryan Smith gave ASU a 20-17 win over No. 17-ranked Midwestern State Saturday night. The Rams led most of the game and held a 17-9 advantage over MSU until late in the fourth quarter before the Mustangs would knot the game, 17-17, with their only touchdown of the night followed by a two-point conversion. Sophomore tailback Michael Simpers rushed for a career-best 99 yards on 13 carries with a pair of scores to lift the Rams to an early lead. The Ram defense would collect a season-best six sacks of MSU quarter Zack Eskridge and hold the Mustangs, one of the top rushing teams in the LSC, to just 47 yards on the ground.
Against the LSC South...Saturday's win over Midwestern State gave the Rams their first win in a LSC South opener in four seasons. The last previous win in a divisional opener came in 2005 when ASU downed Midwestern State, 30-29, in San Angelo. Angelo State boasted a 4-2 divisional mark in 2005, the first year of current head coach Dale Carr, but went just 4-14 against LSC South opponents from 2006-08, including a 1-5 mark against divisional foes last fall. The Rams are now 8-5 all-time in LSC South openers since the league split in divisions in 1997.
Win against ranked opponent...Saturday's 20-17 upset of No. 17-ranked Midwestern State was the first win by the Rams over a ranked team since Oct. 22, 2005, when ASU upset No. 7-ranked West Texas A&M, 58-53, in Canyon. Angelo State had dropped 10 straight games against teams in the AFCA D-II Top 25 between upsets.
Role reversal...Two weeks ago, the Rams had five turnovers and committed 16 penalties as ASU battled for a 29-9 road win at East Central. In Saturday's upset of No. 17 Midwestern State, the Rams did not commit a turnover had just four penalties (36 yards). This marked the second time this season that ASU did not give away the ball, also committing no turnovers in its 55-10 win over Southwestern Oklahoma on Sept. 12.
Getting votes...For the first time since the 2005 season, the Rams have received votes in the AFCA D-II Top 25. Angelo State picked up 21 points in the poll, equating to a tie for 29th in the country. The last time that ASU appeared in the Top 25 was in 2005 when the Rams climbed as high as No. 20 prior to the first round of the NCAA D-II playoffs.
Parker honored by LSC...Senior outside linebacker Pete Parker was recognized as the LSC South Division Defensive Player of the Week after sparking the Rams to a 20-17 upset of No. 17 Midwestern State. Parker had nine tackles, including two solo sacks, as ASU held the Mustangs to just 47 rushing yards.
Neiswander extends record...With 211 yards against No. 17 Midwestern State, junior quarterback Josh Neiswander has passed for at least 200 yards in six straight games, extending his own school record. Neiswander was 19-of-31 against the Mustangs, including 4-of-5 for 46 yards on the Rams' final drive of the night to set up the game-winning field goal. The Winnsboro native is completing 64.3 percent of his passes this season with 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Neiswander ranks fourth in the LSC with 260.4 passing yards per game and second in the league, and 17th in NCAA D-II, in passing efficiency with a rating of 156.7. He currently ranks ninth place on ASU's all-time passing list, now with 3,598 career yards, passing Mike Jinks (3,399, 1992-94) this past weekend. Neiswander is 188 yards behind Sterlin Gibert, who passed for 3,786 yards from 1998-2001 for eighth place on ASU's passing list. At his current pace, he will finish his junior season ranked third on the ASU passing list.
Lacey leads Rams...Just five games into the season, junior V'Keon Lacey already has 32 catches for 473 yards, averaging 94.6 yards per game. Lacey ranks fourth in the LSC, 22nd in NCAA D-II, in receiving yards per game and sits tied for third in the league, tied for 27th in NCAA D-II, in catches per game (6.4 catches per game). At his current pace, Lacey will set the Rams' season record for catches (56, Don Burrell in 1968) and would nearly set the schools' record for receiving yardage (1,091, Chris Brazzell in 1997).
Simpers breaks out...After back-to-back games with more than 90 rushing yards, sophomore tailback Michael Simpers is now averaging 59.2 rushing yards per game, a team best. In Saturday's 20-17 upset of No. 17 Midwestern State, Simpers rushed for a career-high 99 yards on 13 carries with a pair of touchdowns. His 45-yard touchdown run against the Mustangs in the third quarter matched his career-long run set just one week earlier at East Central. Simpers now has three rushing touchdowns to his credit this season.
Getting offensive...Last fall, the Rams ended the season ranked last in both scoring offense and passing offense and next-to-last in total offense. Through five games, it is clear that will definitely not be the case in 2009. The Rams rank fifth in the LSC in passing offense (269.2 ypg), scoring offense (30.6 ppg) and total offense (401.4 ypg) and sixth in rushing offense (132.2 ypg).
Five times 20...For just the sixth time in school history, the Rams have scored 20 or more points in the first five games of the season. The last time the feat was accomplished was in 2005 when ASU opened the season 5-0 and averaged 29 points per game before suffering its first loss in the sixth game of the season, 38-14 at Eastern New Mexico. Only once in program history have the Rams scored 20 more or points in the first six games of the season. That occurred in 1989 when ASU hit the 20-point mark in the first 10 games of the year en route to a deep run into the NCAA D-II playoffs, falling in the national semifinals.
Rams get defensive, too...Angelo State is ranked second in the LSC and fourth in NCAA D-II in rushing defense, allowing just 56.8 yards per game on the ground. The Rams sit fifth in the LSC in both scoring defense (18.2 ppg) and total defense (290 ypg) and sixth in pass defense (233.2 ypg).
Sack it to me...Thanks to a season-high six sacks in Saturday's upset of No. 17 Midwestern State, the Rams lead the LSC with 20 sacks already though just five games. ASU ranks fourth in NCAA D-II with four sacks per game. Last fall, the Rams made a drastic improvement in sacks, but ended the season with just 23.
Protection...Not only does ASU lead the conference in sacks but also in sacks allowed. The Ram offensive line has given up just four sacks through five games, ranking 14th in NCAA D-II. Last fall, ASU allowed 35 sacks, 3.2 per game. Twice this season, at Texas State and against Midwestern State, the Rams did not allow a sack.
Making returns...The Rams leads the conference in kickoff returns and rank sixth in the league in punt returns. ASU averages a league-best 27.1 yards per kickoff return through five games while adding 9.3 yards per punt return. The return due of junior Garrett Tidwell and freshman Dakarai Pecikonis spark the Rams. Tidwell averages 31.8 yards per kickoff return while Pecikonis is equally as dangerous with 27.2 yards per kickoff return. Neither Rams qualifies for the conference report due to limited returns. Pecikonis ranks fourth in the LSC in punt returns, however, with 11.4 yards per return.
Scouting the Greyhounds...The only way to describe the Eastern New Mexico offense is explosive. Just two years removed from running the option, the Greyhounds lead NCAA D-II with 595.6 yards per game. ENMU's spread offense is responsible for 535.4 passing yards per game, also tops in the nation. The Greyhounds also lead the LSC and rank second in the country by scoring 44.8 points per game.
The Greyhounds enter Saturday's contest with a 2-3 overall record after dropping their LSC South opener, 44-33, at Abilene Christian last weekend. ENMU's failure to run the ball hurt the Greyhounds as they rushed for minus 1 (-1) yards in the loss to ACU. ENMU ranks 10th in the LSC in rushing with just 58.2 yards per game.
Sophomore quarterback J.J. Harp leads the LSC and NCAA D-II with 521.2 passing yards per game. Harp is completing 62 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions through five games. His 132.1 passing efficiency rating ranks him seventh in the conference. Thanks to the spread offense, the Greyhounds boast the top two receivers in the LSC as well. Senior Jesse Poku is averaging 10.4 catches for 145 yards per game for eight touchdowns catches, all league highs. Sophomore Darian Dale is second in the LSC in both catches per game (8.5) and receiving yards per game (106.8). ENMU's top rusher is freshman Troy Harris with 61 yards per game, ranking him 10th in the LSC.
Defensively, the Greyhounds rank ninth in pass defense (254 ypg), 11th in run defense (205 ypg) and 12th in both scoring defense (36.8 ppg) and total defense (459 ypg). Senior safety Texavier Henry leads the charge for the Greyhounds with 10.8 tackles per game, ranking his second in the LSC. Senior safety Mark Patterson is second on the team, sixth in the LSC, with 8.8 stops per game and junior cornerback Rodney Mitchell is third on the team, 14th in the LSC, with 7.6 tackles per game. The Greyhounds lead the conference with 12 interceptions through five games with Mitchell leading the league with five picks on his own. Henry has three interceptions.
What's Next...The Rams return home Saturday, Oct. 10, to celebrate Homecoming as they host long-time rival Abilene Christian. Game time is 6 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium.
