The Game
The No. 12/13 Angelo State football team opens the season at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the ASU Ticket Office or by calling 325-942-BLUE 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.  

Oklahoma Panhandle State
The Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State are coming off a 7-3 season. OPSU will enter the LSC next season as an affiliate member and will play in the LSC Playoffs this season. The Aggies are coached by former Angelo State offensive coordinator Russell Gaskamp who is 11-10 in three seasons as head coach. 

The Series
This will be the first meeting between the two programs. 

Season & Home Openers
Angelo State is 28-22-1 in season openers dating back to 1964. The Rams are currently on a six game winning streak in season openers and have won the last 10 home openers.  ASU is 40-11 in home openers since 1964. It is the first Thursday game for the Rams since defeating Black Hill State 38-26 in 2013. 

Rankings
The Rams received some attention from voters in the D2Football.com and AFCA polls. ASU is No. 12 in the D2Football.com poll and No. 13 according to the AFCA poll. It is the highest that the Rams have been ranked in either poll. 
 
LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field
The Rams begin their second season at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field Angelo State went 4-2 at home last season in the friendly confines. The stadium capacity is 5,670 and is Wi-Fi friendly. This season a new sound system has been added to improve the atmosphere. 

Lights, Camera, Action
The Rams will be seen in the Concho Valley this Thursday as KLST-TV will broadcast the game.  Boomer Kingston and Chris Austin 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. 

Team Captains
Kyle 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. 

Harlon Hill Candidate 
Kyle Washington returns for his senior season at quarterback and is in the discussion for the Harlon Hill Trophy. Washington was selected as a preseason All-American by D2Football.com.  The Humble native is already the ASU record holder for single season passing yards (3.236), completions (265), completion percentage (.635), passing touchdowns (34) and total offense (4,147). He is also the first player to throw for 3,000 yards in a season and as a sophomore became the first in ASU history to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000. His 34 passing TDs are the most by a returning QB in the state of Texas in any division and his 345.4  yards per game was fifth best in Division II last season. He is on the verge of breaking a few ASU career records as well. 

Current Record		Washington's Stats
1,205	Passing Attempts	801
685	Completions	501
61	Passing TDs	57
3,743	Rushing Yards	2,090
8,212	Passing Yards	5,794
8.084	Total Offense	7,884

 
Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year Candidate 
Clayton Callicutt, the 2014 LSC Lineman of the Year, returns for his senior season. The Crosby native led the LSC with 20.0 tackles for loss and recorded 8.0 sacks. It is the most sacks by a Ram since Dane Krager had 8.0 in 2000. The senior has tallied 20.0 sacks in three years for the Rams defense. He is No. 4 on the ASU all-time sack list behind Dane Krage (31), Greg Collins (26.5) and Pierce Holt (21.5). Callicutt was named a Preseason All-American by D2Football.com and Lindy's Sports.

LSC Preseason Favorite
The Rams were picked as the Lone Star Conference favorite receiving 142 total votes and 17 first place votes. Angelo State has won three conference titles in program history in 1978, 1984 and 1987. Kyle Washington was selected as the LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

All-LSC Returners
The Rams return nine All-LSC selections from last season including first team members Kyle Washington, Ryan Byrd, Clayton Callicutt and Sam Fowler. John Siliga is the lone second team returner while Rance Layton, Tyler Hamilton, Talon Smith and Ryan Clapsaddle were honorable mention choices. 

Passing Touchdown Streak
Kyle Washington has thrown a passing touchdown in 19-straight games and has thrown at least one TD pass in 16 of his 31 games played. The senior has 57 career passing touchdowns.

Raising the Bar
The 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	?

High-Powered Offense
The Rams offense scored the most points in program history last season with 473 points. ASU averaged 39.3 points per game and were only held under that three times all season. The previous record of 466 points was set in 1989. 

Consecutive  Games Scoring
ASU has also scored in a program record 68-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. 

Interceptions
The Ram defense made 17 interceptions last season which is the most since taking away 17 in 2008. Fred Lawrence was the team's co-leader with three interceptions. Ryan Clapsaddle (2), Richard Franklin (2) and Jonathan Shannon (1) return after picking off passes last season. 

Sack Artists
ASU recorded 30.0 total sacks last season. It is the second consecutive season the Rams have made at least 30 sacks. Eight players combined to make 26.0 sacks return for the 2015 season. The defensive line of Clayton Callicutt (8.0), John Siliga (5.5), Raymond Coen (2.0), Andy Gonzalez (1.5), Matthew Gholston (4.0), Jesse Hanson IV (2.5) and Akujiuba Inyanma (1.0) make up the bulk of the returners.

Close Finishes
Angelo State has five games decided by less than seven points. The Rams went 4-1 in those games including four straight wins going into the playoffs. The only loss was a 41-40 loss to Texas A&M-Commerce.     

Road Warriors
The Rams thrived on the road last season going 5-1 away from home. The Rams are 13-8 under head coach Will Wagner on the road. 

Head Coach
Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) will begin his fifth season as head coach of the Rams. He is 24-21 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.

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 RAMFAM WiFi and receive wireless internet free of charge during all ASU home football games.  

407 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 407 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	24-21

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 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 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.