FULL RELEASE
|
Date: |
Saturday, September 29, 2012 |
|
Kickoff: |
3 p.m. CST |
|
Location: |
Blackwater Draw, N.M. |
|
Stadium: |
Greyhound Stadium |
|
Series: |
ASU leads 21-14-1 |
|
Video: |
http://www.goeasternathletics.com |
|
Radio: |
KIXY 94.7 FM
Jeremy Bryant (Play-by-Play)
Randy Ward (Color) |
|
Live Stats: |
http://www.goeasternathletics.com |
|
Tickets: |
(575) 562-2153 |
The Game
The Rams will travel to face Eastern New Mexico for their first Lone Star Conference road game of the season. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST in Blackwater Draw, N.M., at Greyhound Stadium.
Eastern New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico has a 2-2 record on the season and is 1-1 in LSC play. The Greyhounds are led by head coach Josh Lynn, who is in his first year at ENMU. The Greyhounds started Lone Star Conference play with a 34-24 win over Incarnate Word followed by falling to Tarleton State 35-23. Eastern New Mexico defeatd the Rams 23-21 in San Angelo last season but the Rams own a 21-14-1 series record.
Last Week
In possibly the final meeting at San Angelo Stadium between Abilene Christian (2-2, 1-1) and Angelo State (2-2, 1-0), the Rams upset the No.19 Wildcats 28-23 in Lone Star Conference play. The Rams won for the 28th time out of 51 meetings between the two rivals.
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 15 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 2,489 passing yards so far in his career. He passed Gary Kirksey. Kirksey threw for 2,250 yards from 1971-1972. Up next on the career yardage list is Brannon Smith with 2,645 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.
Top Tackler
Sophomore
Rush Seaver is averaging 11.67 tackles per game and is the Lone Star Conference's leading tackler through three weeks. He is tied for 13th nationally. His career high for tackles is 14 set against Western State earlier this year.
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
The Ram offensive line has seen a plethora of new faces with
Trent Davis,
Anthony Landry,
Anthony Lewis,
Steven Jackson and
Rodney Smith, all seeing playing time for the first season at ASU. Isi and
Watkin Cocker, brothers from Euless, are two that have helped shore the line up as well. The duo started their first game together against Chadron State.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Team Captains
Isi Cocker,
Blake Hamblin,
Alvin Johnson and
Rush Seaver were named captains by their teammates.
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.
Dakarai Pecikonis
Rush Seaver
