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The Game
The Rams will play this Saturday in Commerce at 2 p.m. against Texas A&M-Commerce at Memorial Stadium. It will be the 43rd meeting between the two schools. The game will be carried locally on KWFR 101.9 The Fire.
 
Texas A&M-Commerce
The Lions are on a four-game winning streak after defeating No. 23 Tarleton State. Texas A&M-Commerce is 6-2 on the season and 2-2 in the LSC. Colby Carthel, who played football at Angelo State, is in his first season at head coach for the Lions.
 
The Series
Angelo State holds a 26-14-2 advantage in the series with Texas A&M-Commerce. The Rams have won the last four meetings and seven of the last 10. The Rams hold an 11-9-1 record in Commerce.
 
Defensive Takeaways
The Rams grabbed their 16th takeaway of the season with an interception by Dominique McCoy on Saturday night against Midwestern State. ASU also kept alive its streak of consecutive games with a takeaway which stands at 16 now. The takeaway streak started last season against Abilene Christian on Sept. 22.
 
Defensive Effort
The Rams defense stepped up on Saturday night to limit a talented Midwestern State rushing attack. The Mustangs came in averaging 296.0 yards per game on the ground and were No. 9 nationally.   ASU held the Mustangs to 175 yards rushing. It is only the second time this season MSU has been held under 200 rushing yards.
 
100 Yard Return
Quinn Reels returned a Midwestern State kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown on Saturday. It was his first special teams touchdown of his career. The senior is currently No. 3 nationally with one kickoff return touchdown on the season. He averaged 48.3 yards per return against MSU. It is the first kick-off returned for a touchdown since Jeffrey Miller return against Chadron State in 2011.
Racking Up the Yards
The Rams are averaging 477.0 yards of total offense through eight games this season. It is the No. 25 ranked offense in the nation and  No. 2 in the LSC.  ASU has the No. 13 ranked rushing offense with 261.9 yards per game. The offense is on pace to set the single season record for total yards per game and fourth most rushing yards per game.
 
Close Finishes
The Rams four LSC games have all been decided by a combined 15 points. Three of those games were decided in the final two minutes.
 
Career High
Kyle Washington set a new career high in rushing yards one week after having the best passing game of his career. The sophomore ran for 185 yards on 16 carries and scored one touchdown. He averaged 11.6 yards per carry and had a long of 35 yards. Last week the sophomore threw for a career high 298 yards on 22-of-36 passing and one touchdown.
 
Career Firsts
Anthony Yancy became the sixth Ram this season to score their first career touchdown. Yancy caught a 31-yard pass from Kyle Washington. The touchdown was setup by Dominque McCoy's first career interception. Yancy adds his name to players who have scored their first career touchdowns this season along with Brett Rasberry, Zane Hernandez, Jonathan Shannon, Warren Truesdale and Alex Young.
 
Strength of Schedule
The Rams have faced some quality teams and six of those being away from San Angelo Stadium. Four opponents made the NCAA Division II playoffs and three are currently ranked.  Valdosta State won the 2012 NCAA Division II national championship and was No. 1 earlier this season.  No. 15 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 No. 17 Midwestern State was ranked throughout 2012.
 
Individual Defensive Standouts
Rush Seaver, the junior captain, is the team's leading tackler with 80 on the season. Seaver is No. 17 in the nation in solo tackles per game with 6.3 and No. 33 in overall tackles per game at 10.0. He ranks No. 12 in forced fumbles averaging 0.38 per game. He has forced three this season. Clayton Callicutt is currently No. 9 nationally in recovered fumbles at 0.38. He recovered all three fumbles against Eastern New Mexico.
 
25 Yards or More
The Rams have had 38 plays this season go for 25 yards or more. The Rams had a season high of eight plays over 25 yards against Midwestern State. Kyle Washington leads the team in plays over 25 yards with 13.   
 
Running, Running, Running
For the seventh 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 Kyle Washington (93.4) Jermie Calhoun (92.6), and Blake Smith (59.0) are all ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 7 in the LSC in rushing yards per game, respectively.
 
Secret Weapon
Sam Fowler continued his strong season. The sophomore punter has booted it 43 times this season for 1,863 yards. He is averaging 43.3 yards per punt, No. 11 nationally and No. 2 in the LSC, and has put 20 punts inside the 20. The Crosby native has 11 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.
 
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.
 
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      12-18
 
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 12-18 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.