The Game
The Angelo State football team will open conference play against Tarleton State on Saturday, Sept. 16 with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field. 

Tarleton State
The Texans are 1-1 on the season after defeating Oklahoma Panhandle State 48-20 last week. Todd Whitten is in his second season of his most recent stint as the head coach of Tarleton State.

The Series
It will be the 34th all-time meeting between the two programs. Tarleton State leads the series 17-16 after beating ASU 35-5 in Stephenville. The Rams have the upper hand in San Angelo with a 11-7 record. 

School Record in Passing Yards
The duo of Jake Faber and Charlie Rotherham set a school record on Saturday night against Northern Michigan by throwing for the most passing yards in a single game in school history. The duo went 32-for-46 and recorded 491 passing yards. Faber set a career high in passing yards and had one of the top 10 passing games in ASU history. The senior threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns against NMU. Faber tied Trey Weishuhn for the seventh most yards in a single game in school history. 

Block Party Part 2
The Rams sepcial team unit picked up their second block of the season against Northern Michigan. Bright Ihegworo was able to get his hands on a 45-yard attempt. It is the fifth most blocks in Division II this season. 

Receiving Votes
The Rams received 18 votes for the second consecutive week after receiving two the first week. Two other LSC teams remain ranked in No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 13 Midwestern State. Other LSC teams receiving votes include West Texas A&M (18) and Eastern New Mexico (18).

LSC Openers
Angelo State is 28-19 all-time in LSC openers since 1970. The Rams are 2-3 under Will Wagner in conference starts. ASU won 10 of 11 conference openers from 1993 to 2003 and the longest win streak was five straight. 

Chasing History 
Donovan Thompson moved closer to become the sixth receiver in ASU history to record at least 2,000 yards receiving in a career with 121 yards against Northern Michigan. He has 1,974 career receiving yards and is now only 26 yards from surpassing 2,000 yards. He also 857 yards away from Dakarai Pecikonis who is tops in the Rams record book. He has now moved up to No. 6 on the all-time receiving yard list. 

Career Day for Ayo
Lawson Ayo had his best day as a Ram against Northern Michigan. The sophomore caught a career-high nine passes for a career high 165 yards. He also caught two touchdowns including a 47-yard reception that he made defenders miss to score. It is the most receiving yards by a reciever since Donovan Thompson's 187 in 2015. 

First Career INT
Kaimon Ontiveros not only recorded the Rams first interception of the season but also the first of his career. The senior picked off NMU's Jaranta Lewis with three seconds left in the game to give the ball back to the offense. It is the second turnover of the season for ASU. 

Quick Strike Offense
The Rams have continued to score quickly once they get the ball. Of the 13 scoring drives for Angelo State eight have been under 2 minutes or less. The fastest scoring drive was the season opener that took a swift 53 seconds while the longest has only been 3:48. 

Putting the Pressure On
The Rams defense has put the pressure on opposing offenses and recording 21 tackles for loss in two games. ASU is currently No. 12 nationally and No. 2 in the LSC. Grant Coonce and Roderick Harris lead the way with three TFL's while three others have recorded two TFLs.

Larry & Keke's First Catch
Larry Johnson duplicated Keke Chism's feat on Saturday against Nothern Michigan. The sophomore caught a 30-yard touchdown pass for his first career TD and catch. Keke Chism h ad a memorable first career catch as a Ram in his debut as well against McKendree. The redshirt freshman's first catch was a 14-yard touchdown from Jake Faber. The Daingerfield product recorded two receptions for 23 yards in his debut as a Ram. 

Stevens' 100-Yard Day
Josh Stevens rushed for 104 yards to lead ASU's ground attack that gained 255 yards. The senior has now surpassed the 100-yard mark in five career games. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry against McKendree and rushed for a 53-yard touchdown to open the game. 

Spreading the Ball Around
A total of 10 players caught a pass agaisnt McKendree on Thursday Night. Donovan Thompson and Lawson Ayo led the way with four and three repceptions, respectively. Tyler Ahrens and Keke Chism each recorded two while Jalyn Judkins, Tashani Bibbs, Davin Reynolds, Steven Staten II and Josh Steven each caught one pass. 

Rookie Debut
True freshman Tyrese Nathan made the most of his first carries as a Ram. The Lubbock Estacado graduate carried the ball 13 times for 60 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and broke a 26-yard run. He was one of two true freshman to get playing time along with offensive lineman A.J. Wozniak.  

Punting for Average
Casey Eyman kept McKendree pinned in its own territory Thursday night. The senior punter averaged 41.5 yards per punt with six total punts on the night. He booted a long of 53 yards with only one touchdback on the day.  

Defensive Shutout
The Ram defense held the McKendree offense scorless but the Bearcats were able to score two points on a safety. The two points scored on the safety are the fewest since shuting out Bacone in 2015. 

Live in HD
Every Ram home game will be broadcasted on RamTV Suddenlink Channel 6.  Fans will be able to see the games in full high definition with Angelo State students directing the broadcast and giving play-by-play and color analysis.

1,000 Rushing Yards
Josh Stevens rushed for 1,030 yards in 2016, and it was the 12th time a Ram  has rushed for over 1,000 yards. He is the 10th player to surpass the plateau and will try to become the third to do it in back-to-back seasons joining Jerry Austin (1970-71) and Charlie Franklin (1937-74). 

Rams Draft Anthony Quintana
The Angelo State football team added a new member to its team last season by drafting TeamIMPACT's Anthony Quintana. ASU is the first LSC school to draft a player from TeamIMPACT. Anthony, a nine-year old from Water Valley, will spend the year two of three with the Ram football team interacting with the team while battling recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. 

#RamFam Connection
Two current Rams have connections to Rams of the past. Brennan Bibbs heard about ASU from former All-American uncle Henry Alsbrooks. Alsbrooks played defense for ASU and was a 1988 All-Americna. He recorded 271 tackles and is No. 10 all-time in career tackles. Myron Turner, Jr. plays opposite side of his dad Myron. The elder was an all-conference performer in 1989 and 1990. He is No. 8 on the career receiving yard list with 1,704 yards and led ASU in yards in 1989 with 706 yards. 

Listen to the Rams 
The Rams will once again be carried on KWFR 101.9 The Fire with five time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Jeremy Bryant on the call. He will be joined by Dr. John Klingemann in the booth for color analysis. Dr. Klingemann is the chair of the history department and an associate professor at Angelo State. 

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.

LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field
The Rams begin their third season at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field Angelo State is 9-5 at home since moving on campus in 2014. The stadium capacity is 5,670 and is Wi-Fi friendly. A new press box is currently being constructed and new bathrooms and concession stands are available at the south east corner of the stadium. 

Head Coach
Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) will begin his sixth season as head coach of the Rams. He is 38-31 in his six 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.

421 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 421 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	38-31

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 played and coached at ASU, and has been inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame with Holt and former Ram tackle Rodney Cason.

Follow From Home
If you cannot attend the Angelo State football game, ASU has you covered. Live updates will be provided on Angelo State's Twitter account, @AngeloSports, Instagram, angeloathletics or on YouTube AngeloSports. Live streaming and radio broadcasts are also available via www.AngeloSports.com