The Game
The No. 23-ranked Angelo State football team will play No. 8 Colorado State-Pueblo in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. CST at the Netta & Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colo. The game will be carried on KWFR 101.9FM The Fire with Jeremy Bryant and Daniel Ramirez on the call.

Colorado State-Pueblo
Colorado State-Pueblo is 10-1 on the season and the No. 2 seed in Super Region Four. The Thunderwolves only loss was a 23-22 setback to Fort Lewis. John Wristen is in his seventh season as head coach and has a 64-16 overall record. 

The Series
This will be the second meeting between the two programs with the Thunderwolves leading the series 1-0. The first meeting was last season at the LSC Football Festival that CSU-Pueblo won 45-24. The Rams had cut a 21-0 deficit to 21-17 in the third quarter but CSU-Pueblo returned a punt for a touchdown and a fumble return for a TD to secure the win. 

Six Game Win Streak
The Rams won their sixth-straight game on Saturday. It is the first time ASU has won six in a row during a season since 1994. The 1994 Rams were the last squad to win six games in a row when the team won seven-straight to make the playoffs. 

Playoffs
The Rams are 8-7 all-time in the playoffs and 4-5 in the NCAA Division II playoffs. It is the third time as a member of NCAA Division II that the Rams have advanced to the second round. The only time ASU has advanced past the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs was in 1989 when the team advanced to the semifinals before falling to Jacksonville State. Saturday's game will be the fifth road NCAA DII playoff game with the Rams holding a 3-2 record on the road. 

Last Minute Finishes
The Rams have had five of their games this season decided in the final minute. ASU's last four games were decided with the defense making a stand. The Rams are 4-1 in games decided in the final minute. 

Back-to-Back 100 Yards Receiving
Talon Smith broke the 100-yard receiving yard barrier for the second-straight week. The  career-high 169 yards for Smith against Michigan Tech is the most by an ASU receiver this season and the 11th highest in a single game in school history. He caught five passes for 101-yards the week before against Texas A&M-Commerce. 

Record Breaker
Kyle Washington added another passing record to his resume. He became the first ASU quarterback in history to surpass the 3,000 passing yard mark in a single season. His 3,011 passing yards breaks Josh Neiswander's single-season record of 2,983 yards set in 2010. The junior also added four more passing TDs to his single-season mark and now has 32 on the season. He is currently No. 3 nationally in total offense with 357.4 yards per game. 

Receiving Milestone
Dakarai Pecikonis continued his climb on the ASU all-time career receiving list and is on the verge of adding his name to a couple more. The senior wide receiver moved is now No. 2 on the all-time receiving yards list with 2,747 yards. He is just 52 yards from surpassing Don Burrell's record of 2,798 yards. Pecikonis is also close to the all-time receptions mark and TD mark. He is four receptions away from breaking Burrell's record of 83 and one TD away from tying Darron Johnson's record of 26. 

Three RBs Score
All three running backs were able to score against Michigan Tech. Trey Green was the first on a 5-yard run on fourth down late in the second quarter. Blake Smith was next on his first career receiving touchdown from 6-yards out and Ryan Byrd was the third on a 2-yard run. It is the first time this season all three running backs have scored in the same game. 

Valuable Experience
Freshman Donovan Thompson gained some valuable experience in the win over Michigan Tech. Thompson led the team with six catches including five passes on the drive that cut the Michigan Tech lead to 41-35. The freshman has made 18 catches for 190 yards and scored one touchdown this season. 

Road Games
The Rams are 5-0 in road games with wins over Texas A&M-Commerce, Midwestern State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State and Michigan Tech. ASU has won its last seven games on the road dating back to 2013. The Rams are 13-7 under head coach Will Wagner on the road. 

Regional Poll 
The Rams secured a spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs and were ranked No. 6 in the final NCAA Division II Super Region poll. ASU will face the No. 2 seed Colorado State-Pueblo. No. 1 Ferris State will face the No. 5-seed Ohio Dominican. The two winning teams will play each other in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals next Saturday, Dec. 6. 

1,000 Yards Rushing
With 22 yards on Saturday, Kyle Washington will become the third player is ASU history to rush for 1,000-yards in back-to-back seasons. Jerry Austin in 1970 and 1971 and Charlie Franklin in 1973 and 1974 are the only two players to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He would also become the first player in ASU history to throw for 3,000-yards and rush for 1,000-yards in the same season. 

Ranked Opponents
No. 8 Colorado State-Pueblo will be the fourth-ranked opponent the Rams will face this season and the fourth on the road this season. 

Tackles
Rush Seaver has recorded 141 total tackles this season which is the third most in a single season in ASU history. Kelvin Smith's 146 in 1978 and Clayton Weishuhn's 173 are the only two higher. The senior has averaged 12.8 tackles per game and is No 7 in NCAA Division II. 

Career High Tackles
Ryan Clapsaddle picked a good game to set a career high. The junior led all tacklers with 15 total tackles against Michigan Tech. It is his is fourth game this year with double-digit tackles. He is third on the team with 91 total tackles. 

LSC Playoff Champions
The Rams won the LSC Playoff Championship by defeating No. 24 Texas A&M-Commerce 35-33. The inaugural LSC Playoff Championship is the first championship of any kind since the 1987 team won the LSC Regular Season Championship. 

AFCA Top 25 
The Rams moved into the American Football Coaches Association top 25 at No. 23 after winning the LSC Playoff Championship. It is the Rams first appearance in the AFCA Top 25 since October 5, 2009 when the team was ranked No. 23. The Rams are the only school from the Lone Star Conference ranked in the top 25.  

Offensive Record
The Rams added to a couple of offensive records. ASU broke the single-game total offense average with 486.0 yards per game which broke last season's single-season game average record of 457.9. The offense also added 417 points and scored 56 touchdowns this year. The Rams also broke the points scored per game with 41.7. 

Defensive Takeaways
The Rams have recorded 24 takeovers this season and given up only 14 turnovers. ASU is No. 23 nationally in turnover margin at .91 per game. 

Winning Season
The Rams moved to 9-2 on the season and are in the midst of the program's 31st winning season since 1964. The nine victories are the most since 2005 and it is the first win in the NCAA Division II playoffs since 1997.   

Streaking
Kyle Washington extended his streak of throwing a touchdown pass in consecutive games to 17. The Humble native added three passing touchdowns and now has 32 TD's on the season and 54 in his career.  

PATs
Peter Marquez, in his first season at Angelo State, has etched his name into the record books. The junior kicker has made 57-of-58 PATs which breaks Bryan Thompson's record of 51 set in 1987. 

Career Sacks
Clayton Callicutt has quietly moved up the ASU career sack list. The junior has 7.0 sacks this season and now has 19.0 for his career as a Ram. Callicutt is currently No. 4 on the ASU all-time career sacks. The three names in front of him are Dane Krager (31), Greg Collins (26.5) and Pierce Holt (21.5). The junior is currently No. 18 in NCAA Division II and No. 1 in LSC in tackles for loss with 1.7 per game. 

Kickoff Returns
The Rams are No. 17 in NCAA Division II by averaging 23.32 yards per kick return this season. ASU has had six games of at least 100 return yards. Anthony Yancy is No. 18 in NCAA Division II and No. 1 in the LSC at 28.3 yards per return. He is one of 10 players in NCAA Division II with two kickoff return touchdowns.  

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. 

Night Train
The Rams will play their third day game of the season. ASU had been accustomed to playing under the lights this season. ASU played nine games under the lights this season.  

Program Milestone
Angelo State won the program's 407th 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	24-20

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. 

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 24-20 in his fourth season at the helm of the Rams. The Odessa native was named the 2014 LSC Coach of the Year. Prior to ASU, he 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' offensive lineman 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.