The Game
The Angelo State football team will face its first road test of the season against No. 16 Midwestern State at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on KWFR 101.9FM The Fire with Jeremy Bryant (play-by-play) and Daniel Ramirez (color analyst) on the call. 
 
Midwestern State
The Mustangs are 3-0 this season and 2-0 in the Lone Star Conference after a 27-23 win over Tarleton State. MSU also defeated last year's co-conference champion ENMU 42-17. Head coach Bill Maskill, the winningest head coach in MSU history, has a 98-37 all-time record and a 10-2 record against ASU.
 
The Series
The Rams trail in the all-time series 5-10. Midwestern State has won the last four meetings overall. ASU is 2-6 against the Mustangs in Wichita Falls with the last win at Memorial Stadium in 1999. The Rams held on for a 21-19 win after trailing 13-7 at halftime in 1999. The last win against MSU was in 2009 in San Angelo. The Rams won 20-17 as Ryan Smith kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired.  
 
LSC Special Teams POW & School Record
Anthony Yancy set the school record for most kickoff return yards and earned LSC Special Teams Player of the Week. Yancy, a senior from Fresno, Calif., broke the ASU single-game record for kickoff return yards with 195 against West Texas A&M. He returned a kick 100-yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half to tie the LSC and ASU record for longest kick return and put the Rams up 35-21. It was his first kickoff return for a touchdown of his career at Angelo State.
 
Three First Half TDs
Ryan Byrd had only scored one touchdown, a 14-yard pass from Warren Truesdale, heading into the West Texas A&M game. He made up for it in the first half. The junior transfer scored the Rams first three TDs of the game. The first was a 3-yard run, the second was a 19-yard screen pass from Washington and the third being a 30-yard run. He added 92 yards on the ground for the game and averaged 7.1 yards per carry.

On the Road
This will be the Rams first road test of the season. Dating back to 1964, ASU is 20-29-1 in road openers. The Rams do have an 8-7 record under head coach Will Wagner on the road including a 3-2 record last season.
 
Facing a Ranked Opponent
The last ranked opponent the Rams faced was No. 12 West Texas A&M. ASU lost 34-30 to the Buffs in Canyon. ASU last defeated a ranked team on September 22, 2012. The Rams beat No. 10 Abilene Christian 28-23 in San Angelo.
 
Tackling Machine
Rush Seaver was all over the field on Saturday against West Texas A&M. The senior set a career high with 22 total tackles. He has 288 career tackles and is just two tackles away from moving into the No. 8 spot on the ASU career tackles list.
 
1st Quarter Shutout
The Rams defense have yet to give a point in the first quarter of play this season through three games this season. The offense has capitalized scoring 42 points in the first quarter and outscoring teams 80-27 in the first half.
 
Five-Straight Touchdowns
The Rams did something that hasn't been done since 2010. ASU scored touchdowns on five-straight drives against West Texas A&M in the first half. Ryan Byrd started the streak and would score three-straight TDs. The fourth touchdown came from Chris Omigie and Anthony Yancy capped it off with the 100-yard kickoff return for the fifth-straight TD. The last time the Rams scored on five-straight drives was against Incarnate Word in 2010.   
 
Sold Out
LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field has a new record. A total of 5,946 fans were in attendance against West Texas A&M which broke the inaugural game record of 5,860 fans. It is the second game to be sold out in stadium history.
 
Night Train
The Rams will be accustomed to playing under the lights this season. ASU has played three games under the lights with four more scheduled to be played at 7 p.m. The only two games not scheduled are the LSC Playoffs on November 8th and 15th.
 
Career Firsts
Chris Omigie added his named to the list of first career touchdowns. Omigie caught a 13-yard pass from Kyle Washington for his first TD as a Ram against West Texas A&M. Donovan Thompson and Ryan Byrd scored their first career TDs against McMurry.  
  
Limited Rushing Attack
The Rams defense has limited opponents rushing attack this season. Opponents are being held to 105.0 yards per game rushing. The Rams rushing defense is currently ranked No. 27 in rushing defense.
 
Rams in the National Stats
The Rams were well represented in the national stats. ASU is ranked in the top 10 in seven different categories including
 

4th Down Conversion Pct	10th	14.3%
Completion Percentage	7th	69.0%
Fumbles Lost	1st	0
Kickoff Returns	6th	27.58 YPG
Sacks Allowed	5th	.33 per game
Punt Return Defense	6th	0.00
Teams Tackles for Loss	6th	10.0

Individually, the Rams have three ranked in the top five of the nation in different categories.
 
Kyle Washington

Completion Percentage

3rd

72.8%

Clayton Callicutt

Tackles for Loss

7th

2.2 per game

Rush Seaver

Total Tackles

7th

13.7 per game

Anthony Yancy

Kickoff Return TDs

3rd

1

Receiving Milestone
After spending last season rehabbing an injury, Dakarai Pecikonis returns to the Rams with a career record in reach. The senior wide receiver is third on the ASU all-time career receiving yards with 2,348. He is 363 yards from moving into No. 2 all-time and just 450 yards from passing Don Burrell for the top spot. 
 
Coach To Cure MD
The Angelo State football staff along with the American Football Coaches Association raised awareness for and helped funding for Duchenne muscular dystrophy versus West Texas A&M as part of the Coach To Cure MD. The Rams will have Sam Killian, who was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2005, be a honorary captain for the game.  Killian's grandfather, Guy Hargrave, is an ASU alumnus. For more information on Sam follow the link to samsdaytexas.org. For information on Coach to Cure MD go to CoachToCureMD.org. 
 
Three Interceptions
The Rams defense forced three turnovers against McMurry. Doug Elliot picked off his second pass of the season while Paul Mason and Jonathan Shannon each recorded a pick. ASU has four takeaways this season after forcing 14 turnovers last season. The Rams last intercepted three passes in a game against Texas A&M-Kingsville last season.
  
LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field
The Rams will not only play the inaugural game of LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field but also the first game on the Angelo State campus. The Rams first game in 1939 was played at Old Bobcat Stadium and the team moved to San Angelo Stadium in 1956. The stadium capacity is 5,670 and is Wi-Fi friendly.
 
Career Nights
Kyle Washington, Dakarai Pecikonis and Clayton Callicutt had career nights against Western State. Washington threw for a career high 362 yards and two touchdowns. It is the ninth most passing yards in a single game in ASU history. Pecikonis caught nine passes from Washington for a career-high 163 yards. He is now 527 yards away from becoming ASU's career leader in receiving yards. Callicutt recorded three and a half sacks and five tackles for loss. Callicutt and the Ram defense held WSCU to just 288 yards of total offense.
 
Program Milestone
Angelo State hit a milestone against McMurry. ASU won the program's 400 football game dating back to 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	1985-2004	143-101-2
Dale Care	2005-2010	28-36
Will Wagner	2012-Present	17-19

ESPN Top 10 Plays
Dakarai Pecikonis made an acrobatic catch in the third quarter. The 29-yard reception made it all the way to No. 5 on ESPN Sportscenter Top 10 Plays. It is the second time in two years the Rams have been showcased on Sportscenter. Last season, Jermie Calhoun scored a touchdown after leaping over a Black Hills State defender that went all the way to No. 1 before Peyton Manning threw seven touchdowns in a single game.
 
Team Captains
Dominique McCoy, Rush Seaver, Blake Smith, Warren Truesdale and Kyle Washington were selected as captains for the 2014 season by their teammates. Seaver, Truesdale and Washington were captains last season as well.
 
New Defensive Coordinator
Girsch spent the last 17 years coaching at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, before being hired by Wagner. He has spent the last six years as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Fighting Bees. He was named a MSFA Midwest League Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008. He has coached five All-Americans and been a part of seven Mid-State Football Association Conference Championships. His defense has finished in the top 25 in scoring for the last five years highlights by a No. 2 finish in 2009 and a No. 5 finish in 2011.
 
Head Coach
Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) will begin his fourth season as head coach of the Rams. He is 17-19 in his fourth 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 AngeloSports.com. Live updates will be provided on Angelo State's Facebook page along with its Twitter account, @AngeloSports, Instagram, angelosports_com or on YouTube AngeloSports.