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The Game
The Rams hit the road to face No. 17 West Texas A&M at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon at 6 p.m on Saturday night. It is the 26th all-time meeting with ASU leading 14-11. The game will be carried locally on KWFR 101.9 The Fire.
 
West Texas A&M
The Buffs are coming off their first loss of the season to No. 14 Tarleton State. Mike Nesbitt is in his first season as interim head coach for West Texas A&M. The Buffs advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinal round last season. 
 
The Series
The Rams have a 14-11 advantage in the series but have dropped the last seven matchups. ASU is 7-6 in Canyon and the last win against the Buffs was a 58-53 win at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in 2005. The Rams won the first ever meeting 10-3 between the two schools in 1983.
 
The Rushing Attack
The Rams rushing attack has been extremely potent all season. ASU is the No. 18th nationally  ranked and No. 2 in the LSC in rushing average at 259.5 yards per game. If the pace continues the Rams would run for 2,884 yards this season and it would be the third most in program history.
 
Defensive Touchdowns
The Ram defense forced three fumbles and an intercpetion against Eastern New Mexico and recorded its second straight touchdown. Clayton Callicutt scored for the second straight game by picking up a fumble forced by  Matthew Gholston.
 
Defensive Takeaways
The Ram defense continued its turnover streak against Eastern New Mexico for the 14th straight game. Clayton Callicutt grabbed three fumble recoveries forced by Matthew Gholston, Rush Seaver and Jarred Ross. Ross also intercepted the Greyhounds for his second career interception. The takeaway streak started last season against Abilene Christian on Sept. 22.
 
Running, Running, Running
For the fifth time this season the Rams have rushed for at least 200 yards in a game. Valdosta State is the only team to hold the Rams under 200 yards when ASU rushed for 179. The trio of Jermie Calhoun (103.5), Kyle Washington (76.0) and Blake Smith (61.5) are all ranked in the top 10 of the LSC in rushing yards per game.
 
Career High
Rush Seaver led the Rams on defense against ENMU with a career high 17 total tackles. He recorded 13 total tackles and forced one of three ENMU fumbles on the night. The junior made 2.5 tackles for loss as well to increase his season total to 7.0. The Lampasas native is the Rams leading tackler with 62 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss this season. He has two forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown.
 
Secret Weapon
Sam Fowler continued his strong season. The sophomore punter has booted it 36 times this season for 1,608 yards. He is averaging 43.9 yards per punt, No. 8 nationally, and has put 18 punts inside the 20. The Crosby native had nine punts over 50 yards including a season long of 70 against CSU-Pueblo and a 66 yarder against ENMU.
 
Rare Feat
The running back duo of Jermie Calhoun and Blake Smith both rushed for over 100  yards for the second time this season against McMurry.  Calhoun's 152 yards was a career high for the senior while the 111 for Blake Smith was the second time he set a career high. It marks the first time two Rams have rushed for over 100 yards in a game since Oct. 5, 1993.
 
Career Firsts
Jonathan Shannon became the fifth Ram this season to score their first career touchdown. The senior caught a 15-yard pass from Kyle Washington in the first quarter against Tarleton State. He adds his name to players who have scored their first career touchdowns this season along with Brett Rasberry, Zane Hernandez, Warren Truesdale and Alex Young.
 
25 Yard or More
The Rams have had 24 plays this season go for 25 yards or more. The longest this season was Rush Seaver's 100 yard interception return for a touchdown against Colorado State-Pueblo. Five of the plays have went for a touchdown and four of the 25 or more plays came against McMurry.  
 
Plays from Scrimmage
Kyle Washington's 78-yard scamper for a touchdown to open up the third quarter against Colorado State-Pueblo is the longest play from scrimmage this season. The rush is the longest since Daniel Thomas scored on an 87-yard run against Abilene Christian on Oct. 11, 2008.
  
Strength of Schedule
The Rams will face some quality teams and six of those being away from San Angelo Stadium. Four opponents made the NCAA Division II playoffs and five are currently ranked.  No. 12 Valdosta State won the 2012 NCAA Division II national championship and No. 17 West Texas A&M advancing to the semifinals. No. 3 Colorado State-Pueblo was ranked No. 1 for a majority of the 2012 season and Midwestern State was ranked throughout 2012. Tarleton State has jumped up to No. 14 this week. 
 
Interception Return
Rush Seaver scored his second career touchdown on Saturday night in the fourth quarter. The junior linebacker intercepted a pass in the Thunderwolves end zone and raced down the sideline for a 101-yard touchdown. It is the second career interception return for a touchdown of Seaver's career. His first touchdown came against Eastern New Mexico in 2012.
 
Home Field Advantage
The Ram Fam came out to see the 2013 Rams during the season opener against Black Hills State. The crowd of 7,643 was the biggest crowd since Oct. 10, 2009 when 10,250 fans watched Angelo State take on Abilene Christian.
 
Ground Game
The Rams were able to run with ease in their season opening win of the season. ASU rushed for the third most yards in a single game since 1974 with 377 yards. The Rams 168 yards at halftime was the most the Rams had during a single game during the entire 2012 season.
 
Highlight Reel
Senior Jermie Calhoun had an impressive 23-yard run late in the second quarter against Black Hills State. Calhoun rushed up the middle and leaped over a defensive back to score. The play was the No. 1 play on ESPN's Sportscenter Top Plays until Denver Bronco Peyton Manning threw seven touchdowns in a single game.
 
Miles and Miles
The Rams will spend a total of 4,766 miles on the road traveling this season. The six games away from San Angelo Stadium will be the most traveled season since 2011. The longest trip will be 2,374 round trip to Valdosta, Georgia. The shortest will be a quick 180 miles trip to Abilene to face the War hawks of McMurry.
 
Returning Rams
The Rams will return 15 starters from a year ago including all-conference selections Joey Searcy II, Blake Smith, Rush Seaver, Clayton Callicutt, Isi Cocker and Trent Davis. Joey Knight returns with the most touchdowns after catching 33 balls for 476 yards and six touchdowns. Seaver, Calicutt and Austin Sparks were three of the top five in tackles last season.
 
Team Captains
Isi Cocker, Kyle Patterson, Rush Seaver, Warren Truesdale and Kyle Washington were selected as captains for the 2013 season by their teammates.
 
35 Years
This season marks the 35-year anniversary that ASU won the 1978 NAIA Championship. Angelo State concluded an undefeated season by knocking off the Elon College (N.C.) Christians in the NAIA Championship Game, 34-14. The victory marked the ninth consecutive year that a Lone Star Conference team had won the title. Mark Embry was named the game's Offensive MVP after throwing for 197 yards and two scores. Alvin Garrett and Eldridge Beverly caught scoring passes, and Jerry Aldridge capped his brilliant career with 119 rushing yards and two scores. It was the 17th consecutive game that Aldridge had rushed for at least 100 yards.
 
395 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 395 football games since 1939. The following lists the coaches and record breakdown in Ram football history.
 
Pete Sikes                                        1939-1949      41-23-5
Max Bumgardner                            1950-1968      74-74-2
Grant Teaff                                       1969-1971      19-11
James Cameron                              1972-1973      13-7
Jim Hess                                          1974-1981      65-23-3
Jerry Vandergriff                             1982-2004      143-101-2
Dale Carr                                         2005-2010      28-36
Will Wagner                                2011-Present      12-16
 
Rams Represented by Four States and Two Countries
Four states throughout the United States makeup the Rams football roster. Arizona, Illinois and California have representatives while Texas student-athletes dominate the roster. Blair Smith, a transfer from New Mexico Military Institute, is the one player not from the United States. Smith grew up and played high school football in Canada.
 
Head Coach
Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) is in his third season as head coach of the Rams. He is 12-16 in his third season at the helm of the Rams. The Odessa native helped Northwest Missouri State win three national championships as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach.
 
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 Daniel Ramirez on 101.9 KWFR-FM, which will also be streamed on FoxSportsSouthwest.com. Live updates will be provided on Angelo State's Facebook page along with its Twitter account, @AngeloSports.