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Date: |
Saturday, October 6, 2012 |
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Kickoff: |
6 p.m. |
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Location: |
San Angelo, Texas |
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Stadium |
San Angelo Stadium |
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Series: |
West Texas A&M leads 15-9 |
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Video: |
AngeloSports.com Showcase
Subscription Rates: Daily - $5.95 // Monthly - $9.95 // Yearly - $79.95
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Radio: |
KIXY 94.7 FM
Jeremy Bryant (Play-by-Play)
Randy Ward (Color)
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Live Stats: |
AngeloSports.com |
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Tickets: |
(325)942-BLUE
or email tickets@angelo.edu
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FULL RELEASE
The Game
The Rams will host No. 21 West Texas A&M in a battle between the top two teams in the Lone Star Conference. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium. The Buffs own a 15-9 series advantage and has won the last six meetings.
West Texas A&M
West Texas A&M comes into the game at 4-1 and 3-0 in LSC play. After a season-opening loss to CSU-Pueblo the Buffs have won four straight including wins over Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Incarnate Word. The Buffs are coached by Don Carthel in his eighth season.
Last Week
Angelo State (3-2, 2-0) quarterbacks
Blake Hamblin and
Michael Cochran combined for 341 yards passing and two touchdowns as the Rams remained unbeaten in the Lone Star Conference with a 49-19 victory at Eastern New Mexico (2-3, 1-1).
Red Zone Production
The Rams offense in the last two games has been not only productive but efficient. In the last two wins the Rams are nine for nine in the red zone and all nine scores have been touchdowns. Seven of the touchdowns have been rushing and two of the touchdowns were through the air.
A Long Touchdown
C.J. Akins took the first pass of the day from
Blake Hamblin and ran 89-yards for the Rams first touchdown. Akins finished the game with a career high 160 yards receiving on four receptions and the 89-yard touchdown is the longest passing touchdown since 2010.
Defensive Touchdown
Rush Seaver's 25-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico is the first interception returned for a touchdown since
Terrance Preston performed the feat on Sept 11, 2010.
LSC's No. 1 Defense
The Rams enter this week at the No. 1 overall defense in the Lone Star Conference. The defense is giving up 301.2 yards per game this season. It is the No. 23 ranked defense in NCAA Division II as well.
Defensive Player of the Week
Rush Seaver was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 22 after upsetting No. 19 Abilene Christian. The sophomore registered 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and led the Rams with eight tackles. He was a part of the defense that limited the Wildcats to nine yards rushing.
Stopping the Run
In 16 games under defensive coordinator Mike Walton, the Ram defense has held opponents under 100-yards rushing seven times. The nine rushing yards that Abilene Christian tallied is tied for the second lowest.
Sacks Galore
The Rams pressured the LSC's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Mitchell Gale, all game and produced seven sacks for a defense that came in with only two for the season. The seven sacks are the most under defensive coordinator Mike Walton and the most since recording seven against Texas A&M-Commerce back on Sept. 11, 2011.
Beating a Ranked Team
The Rams win over No. 19 Abilene Christian marks the first time Angelo State has defeated a ranked opponent since 2009. ASU beat No. 17 Midwestern State 20-17 on a last second field goal by Ryan Smith.
Answering the Bell
No. 19 Abilene Christian got out to an early 9-0 lead after its first two drives of the game. Trailing in its third-straight game, the Rams were able to fight the adversity. A one-yard run by
Blake Hamblin cut the lead to 9-7 and the defense took up the slack. The Wildcats were held scoreless through the second and third quarters as the Rams scored 28 points en route to a 28-23 victory.
Fan Attendance
The fans are showing up to see the 2012 Rams. Through the first three homes games of the season an average of 6,652 fans have come through the gates at San Angelo Stadium. The three game attendance is the highest since the Rams averaged 6,733 through the first three games in 2007.
Moving Up The List
Blake Hamblin has thrown for 2,664 passing yards so far in his career. He passed Brannon Smith for 12th on the list. Smith threw for 2,645 yards in his career. Up next on the career yardage list is Dwight Burns with 2,972 yards.
The Century Mark Part II
One game after
Dakarai Pecikonis caught his 100th career reception, senior
C.J. Akins grabbed his 100th career reception against ACU. Akins totaled six catches on the night for 56 yards.
The End of a Rivalry
The rivarly betwen ACU and Angelo Stat started back in 1964 with ACU winning the first meeting 33-22. Over the next 44 years the two teams have faced each other every season except for 1971. The teams have battled twice during a season three times. The Rams have the longest winning streak with 11 straight victories form 1987 to 1995. The Wildcats are winners of the last six games. Abilene Christian is the team the Rams have played the most in program history.
Anchoring the Line
Too Many Turnovers
The Rams gave Chadron State four turnovers that prevented Angelo State from finding a rhythm on the offensive end. The three fumbles and one interception were the most in a game since ACU forced two fumbles and two interceptions on Oct. 10, 2009.
Defensive Stand
The Rams defense held Western State to 175 total yards in its season opening 42-14 win. The 175 yards is the fewest yards allowed by an Angelo State defense since Sept. 19, 2009 when Central Oklahoma only mustered 172 total yards.
Rare Feats
Fans got to see something that the Rams haven't done in quite a while during the Western State game. The first quarter blocked punt by Jared Ross and the scoop and score by
Courtney Moore were both something the Rams haven't accomplished in a while. The last time the Rams blocked a punt was against Texas A&M-Commerce in 2008. Ram fans haven't seen a blocked punt returned for a touchdown since prior to 1999.
Building a Foundation
The 2012 Rams roster will take on a younger look with 73 players being underclassmen. A total of 56 have yet to receive any experience at the collegiate level. The infusion of youth should provide the foundation needed to build success at Angelo State.
Team Captains
Young Guns
A year after not playing a single true freshman, the Rams had five true freshman in the first game of the season.
Clayton Callicutt,
Riley Davis,
Jared Kutz, Brandon Lee and
Joseph Pickett all saw action. Pickett averaged 50.5 yards per punt while Kutz recorded a 58.0 yard per kick average on kickoffs. Davis was the Rams fourth leading tackler and Callicutt made four tackles. Lee had one tackle for loss during the game.
Five States Represent the Rams
Five states throughout the United States makeup the Rams football roster. Arizona, Illinois and New Mexico each have one player with California being second most with five. Texas dominates the roster as 93 of the team's 101 players call the Lone Star State home.
Head Coach
Angelo State:
Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) in his second season as head coach of the Rams. The Odessa native helped Northwest Missouri State win three national championships as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach.
Staff Additions
Head coach
Will Wagner added three new coaches to his staff.
Drew Dallas and
Gary Salgado both were promoted from graduate assistant positions. Dallas is the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach, while Salgado takesRA over the special teams unit and coach the defensive line. The other new member is offensive line coach
Jay Eilers. Eilers played collegiately at Northwest Missouri State and has 13 years of experience in both the high school and college ranks.
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 Rams' tackle Rodney Cason.
Follow From Home
If you cannot attend the Angelo State football game, ASU has you covered. Jeremy Bryant will call the game with help from analyst Randy Ward on 94.7 KIXY-FM, which will also be streamed on AngeloSports.com. Live updates will be provided on Angelo State's Facebook page along with its Twitter account, @AngeloSports.
