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The Game
The 69th season of Ram football will be one to remember. The Rams start the season against Western State Colorado on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the inaugural game of LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field. Tickets can be purchased at the ASU Ticket Office or by calling 325-942-BLUE (2583) or online at AngeloStateTickets.com. 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.  

Western State Colorado
This will be the second game of the season for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers are 1-0 on  the season after a  38-21 over Wayland Baptist. Austin Ekeler ran for 247 yards on the ground while the Mountaineers defense forced five turnovers.. Head coach Jas Bains  is in his fourth season as head coach. 

The Series
The Rams hold the all-time series 6-0. The first meeting was in 1978 when the Rams routed Western State Colorado 35-3 on ASU's way to a national championship. The last meeting between the two schools was the season opener in 2012 as the Rams won 42-14. Donavan Roberts, Joey Knight and Dakarai Pecikonis all caught touchdown passes in the win. 

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. 

Lights, Camera, Action
The Rams will be seen in the Concho Valley this Saturday as KLST-TV will broadcast the game. Randy Ward and Jonathan Thomas will provide the play-by-play and color analysis during the game. It will be the first time this season the Rams will be on television. 

Season & Home Openers
Angelo State is 27-22-1 in season openers dating back to 1964. The Rams are currently on a five-game winning streak in season openers and have won the last nine home openers.  ASU is 39-11 in home openers since 1964. 

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. 

#WHITEOUT
The inaugural game at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field has been declared a whiteout. The Rams will wear white uniforms with white helmets for the first time in school history. All fans are encouraged to wear white on Saturday, Sept. 13. 

Preseason Accolades
Kyle Washington was tabbed the Lone Star Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for over 1,000 yards last season. Rush Seaver, Blake Smith, Washington and Sam Fowler were named USA College Football Preaseason All-American team while Fowler was also a Beyond Sports Network Preseason All-American.

Experienced O-Line
The Rams offensive line returns two starters (Rance Layton, Steven Jackson) but the group as a whole is an experienced one. The group of Quade Huckaba, Austin Landin, Anthony Landry, Jeremy Mertink and Nolan Osmanski has a total of 59 games of experience and six starts from last season alone.   

Record Breaking Offense
Last season the Rams broke the single-season records for rushing yards, total offense, yards per game and plays in a season. 
 

New Record		Old Record
3,034	Rushing Yards	3,003 (1970)
5,037	Total Offense	5,000 (2005)
457.9	Yards Per Game	448.8 (1989)
854	Total Plays	838 (1985)

Defense Returns
Angelo State has five of the top six tacklers returning from last year's defense. Rush Seaver (107), Ryan Clapsaddle (72), Clayton Callicutt (69), Blair Smith (59), Matthew Gholston (43). The five combined to make 350 of the Rams 784 tackles.    

Program First
Kyle Washington became the first player in ASU history to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season.  He threw for 2,048 yards and rushed for 1,102 yards.  The Humble native became the first player since Josh Neiswander in 2010 to throw for over 2,000 yards in a season and the first player since Daniel Thomas in 2008 to rush for over 1,000 yards. 

100-Yard Rushing Games
Kyle Washington and Blake Smith ran for a combined 1,711 yards last season in the Rams record breaking offense. Smith rushed for over 100-yards in two games with his career high of 111 yards coming against McMurry. Washington has a current streak of five-straight games rushing over 100 yards dating back to last season. He totaled six games of over 100-yards with his career high of 185 yards coming against Midwestern State. 

Close Calls
The Rams had six games last season decided by a touchdown less including five of their last six. ASU went 2-3 in games decided by a touchdown or less. 

Fowler's Leg 
Sam Fowler quietly had a strong season in his first season at Angelo State. The Crosby native  finished No. 8 in NCAA Division II last year in averaged 42.9 yards per punt. He had 27 punts inside the 20 and 17 punts of at least 50 yards. He booted a career-long punt of 70 against CSU-Pueblo. 

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 2,108. He is 603 yards from moving into No. 2 all-time and just 690 yards from passing Don Burrell for the top spot.  

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 15-18 in his three seasons 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.

WIFI Friendly
LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Field will be one of the few if the only stadium in Division II to offer free WIFI for fans. Fans will be able to connect to stadium.angelo.edu and receive wireless internet free of charge during all ASU home football games.  

398 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 398 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	2012-Present	15-18

Ram Jam
The ASU Alumni Association hosts a pre-game tailgate at the LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center two and a half hours prior to kickoff. Food and refreshment will be available as will live music throughout the season. Bring your family out to support the Rams at Ram Jam. For a tailgate spot call the Alumni Association at (325) 942-2122

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.