The GameThe No. 24 Angelo State football team will head to Blackwater Draw for the final time to face Eastern New Mexico at 2 p.m. CDT / 1 p.m. MDT. The game will be carried locally on KWFR 101.9FM The Fire with Jeremy Bryant (play-by-play) and Daniel Ramirez (color analyst) on the call.
Eastern New MexicoThe Greyhounds are 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in the LSC. ENMU has won its last three games including a 49-44 win over Tarleton State. Josh Lynn is in his third season at the helm and has a 19-9 overall record. ENMU has the No. 2 scoring offense, No. 8 total offense and No. 3 rushing offense in the nation.
The SeriesThe Rams leads the series 23-15-1 and own a 7-3 advantage in the last 10 matchups. The last game in Blackwater Draw was a 49-19 win for Angelo State. ASU is 7-8-1 all-time at Blackwater Draw.
Close WinThe Rams scored on a 16 yard reception by
Trey Green with 11 seconds left in the game to take down Texas A&M-Kingsville 39-34. It is ASU's 19th game under head coach
Will Wagner decided by a touchdown or less. ASU is 8-9 under Wagner in the close games but has improved to 5-2 in the last two years decided by a tuochdown or less.
Three Important CatchesTrey Green waited until the final drive of the game to make his three catches of the game. The junior's first catch was the drives openign play and gained 11 yards. His next reception was for no gain with the clock running. His final reception was the 16 yard game winner he darted around a defender with to score the game winning touchdown.
Chasing 31Clayton Callicutt added 1.5 sacks after the Texas A&M-Kingsville game. The senior now has 9.0 sacks on the season which is the most in an indivdual season since Dane Krager had 15.0 in 1999. Callicutt is inching closer to Krager's career record as well with 29.0 career sacks. Dane Krager's mark of 31.0 sacks was set from 1998-2001. Krager owns the ASU single season record with 15 sacks in 1999. Callicutt has a season high 3.0 sacks against West Texas A&M.
RankingsThe Rams moved up to No. 24 in the most recent American Football Coaches Assocation poll after being No. 25 a week ago. ASU also reappeared in the D2Football.com poll at No. 19.
100-Yard Rusher Ryan Bryd grinded out his second 100-yards rushing game of the season against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The senior rushed for 106 yards on 17 carries and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. He also rushed for over 100-yards against against Western State. Byrd has five career games with at least 100 yards with a career high of 143 last season versus TAMUK.
National Total Offensive LeaderKyle Washington is currently the national leader in total offense avearging 401.4 yards per game. He has six games of at least 350 yards of total offense. The Humble nativesrecorded a career high of 500 yards of total offense versus West Texas A&M and his low of the season was 228 against Bacone.
No. 1 Total OffenseThe Rams moved back into the top spot in total offense this week. ASU is averaging 550.4 yards per game. Saturday was the fifth game of the season that ASU has at least 500 yards of total offense. The 557 yards versus TAMUK was the fourth highest of the season for the Rams.
More WashingtonKyle Washington is close to adding two new records to his lengthy list this weekend. The senior is tied for the ASU record for career completions and is just 46 yards away from passing Josh Neiswander for the career passing yards. He became the first quarterback in school history to throw for at least 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons the week before against TAMUC. The senior has set nine career highs this season. He owns the ASU career passing touchdowns and total offensive yards. Washington is still on the verge of breaking a few more ASU career records as well.
Current Record | | Washington's Stats |
1,205 | Passing Attempts | 1099 |
685 | Completions | 685 |
61 | Passing TDs | 73 (NEW RECORD) |
3,743 | Rushing Yards | 2,528 |
8,212 | Passing Yards | 8166 |
8.084 | Total Offense | 10,694 (NEW RECORD) |
Washington National RanksCompletions per Gam | No. 6 / No. 1 LSC | 26.2 |
Passing Yards | No. 5 / No. 1 LSC | 2,372 |
Passing Yards per Game | No. 5 / No. 1 LSC | 338.9 |
Points Responsible | No. 6 / No. 1 LSC | 150 |
Points Responsible per Game | No. 7 / No. 1 LSC | 22.0 |
Rushing TD's | No. 24 / No. 2 LSC | 9 |
Total Offense | No. 1 / No. 1 LSC | 401.4 |
Big Game for PiersonAnthony Pierson scored a career high two touchdowns to help the Rams beat TAMUK 39-34. The redshirt freshman caught seven passes for 114 yards. His first touchdown recepction came with 1:58 to go in the second quarter and his second was a 12 yard pass to open the fourth quarter.
Top 10 ReceiverDonovan Thompson continued on his pace to break the single season receptions and yards records. The sophomore caught five passes for 92 yards against TAMUK. He is chasing V'Keon Lacey's record of 74 receptions in a season and 1,091 yards held by Chris Brazzell. Thompson has 53 receptions and 772 yards so far this season. He is currently No. 5 nationally with 772 yards, No. 6 in receiving yards per game (110.3) and No. 11 in receptions per game (7.6).
InterceptionRyan Clapsaddle recorded his eighth interception of his career and second of the season. The senior had a career high three interceptions as a sophomore. He has made 32 tackles this season and has 220 total tackles.
It's Good!Sam Fowler recorded his first field goal of his ASU career against Texas A&M-Kingsville The senior set a 31-yard kick through the uprights to cut the TAMUK lead to 28-27. It is his first points of the season.
Road WarriorsASU will look to improve its road record under head coach
Will Wagner. The Rams are 14-9 under Wagner on the road and 6-2 in the last two seasons. The only losses on the road in the last two seasons have been to Colorado State-Pueblo and Texas A&M-Commerce.
Career HighDespite being injured the last two games,
John Siliga didn't let the injury affect his play against Texas A&M-Commerce. The senior recorded a career high 10 tackles with three solo. He made his first sack of the season and added 2.5 tackles for loss. Siliga has made 23 stops on the season with 5.5 tackles for loss.
Career FirstTrevor Stafford added a career first with his second career catch against Texas A&M-Commerce. The junior caught a two-yard pass from
Kyle Washington for his first career touchdown at the 7:40 mark of the fourth quarter. The junior has two career catches. The first was an eight yard reception in 2014.
Top D-LinemenThe defensive line has been a key to ASU's defense this season. The Rams are No. 21 nationally with 14 sacks per game and No. 8 with 9.0 tackles for loss per game. ASU has 63 tackles for loss which is tops in the LSC and the 22 sacks on the year is also No. 1 in the confernece.
National Stats RankThe Rams have been visible in the top 10 of various categories.
Total Offense | 550.4 | 1st |
First Downs Offense | 190 | 3rd |
Team Tackles for Loss | 9.0 | 8th |
Defensive TD's | 4 | 4th |
Passing Offense | 347.3 | 5th |
Scoring on the GroundThe Rams scored all five touchdowns against West Texas A&M on the ground. ASU has scored 16 rushing touchdowns on the season and leads the conference. It is the second game of the season the Rams have scored five rushing touchdowns in a single game, the other being against Oklahoma Panhandle State.
School RecordTrey Green wrote his name in the ASU record book with one run against Bacone. The junior took a handoff made a move and carried the ball 96 yards to pay dirt, the longest rush in school history. The previous long was 95 yards set by Kyle Fox in 2005 against West Texas A&M.
Team CaptainsKyle Washington,
Talon Smith,
Clayton Callicutt and
Richard Franklin were selected as captains for the 2015 season by their teammates. Washington is a three-time captain while Smith, Callicutt and Franklin are serving for the first time.
Consecutive Games ScoringASU has also scored in a program record 76-straight games. The last time the Rams were shutout was in 2008 in back-to-back games versus Southwestern Oklahoma and West Texas A&M.
Raising the BarThe Rams returned to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the sixth time since entering the league in 1981. ASU has never made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The Rams did make three-straight trips to the NAIA Playoffs from 1978-1980. The Rams best record following a NCAA Division II Playoff season was in 1990 with a 7-3 record.
Playoff Year | Record | Following Year | Record |
1987 | 8-3 | 1988 | 6-4 |
1989 | 11-3 | 1990 | 7-3 |
1994 | 6-5 | 1995 | 6-3-1 |
1997 | 10-2 | 1998 | 6-4 |
2005 | 9-3 | 2006 | 2-8 |
2014 | 9-3 | 2015 | 5-2 |
Head CoachWill Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) will begin his fifth season as head coach of the Rams. He is 29-23 in his four seasons at the helm of the Rams. The Odessa native helped lead the Rams back to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2005 and win its first playoff game since 1997.
412 and CountingAngelo State has won a total of 412 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 | 1985-2004 | 143-101-2 |
Dale Care | 2005-2010 | 28-36 |
Will Wagner | 2012-Present | 29-23 |
The ProgramAngelo State won the NAIA National Championship in 1978 and has won three Lone Star Conference Championships (1978, 1984, 1987). The Rams have seen six NCAA D-II playoff appearances and produced 62 All-Americans. ASU has earned 31 winning seasons dating back to 1964. 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 HomeIf 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.