SAN ANGELO - The Rams got back in the win column last weekend, scoring 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take down UT Permian Basin on the road in Midland, Texas. ASU now returns home for its final two home games of the year, including today's nonconference matchup with Adams State of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. 

Adams State
Playing under first-year head coach Josh Blankenship, who was formerly the Grizzlies offensive coordinator, Adams State has posted a 4-4 record through their first eight games of the season, all of which came against RMAC opponents. The Grizzlies rank No. 14 in the nation in total offense and No. 9 in  passing offense with an average of 312.6 yards per game through the air. 

The Series
Angelo State has only taken on Adams State twice in the history of its football program, playing a home-and-home with the Grizzlies in 1999 and 2000 and winning both contests. The Rams out-scored the Grizzlies 98 to 19 in those two contests while being coached by legendary Angelo State head coach Jerry Vandergriff. 

Last meeting
These two teams last met in 2000 in San Angelo with the Rams taking a 45-12 victory. The Rams racked up 343 total yards of offense while limiting Adams State to just 269. ASU scored three times on the ground, where they gained 168 yards, and threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Sterlin Gilbert, the current offesnive coordinator at the University of South Florida, was the quarterback for the Rams in the game, breaking off a 44-touchdown run and throwing both of the TD passes. 

A look ahead
ASU play one final home game next week, taking on Eastern New Mexico in their last game in San Angelo this season. The Rams will honor their seniors prior to kickoff against the only team in the Lone Star Conference that runs the triple-option offensive scheme. The Greyhounds are currently averaging 55 rushing attempts per game and are leading the LSC with an average of 298.2 yards on the ground per game. ENMU is currently 3-5 on the season but has the same conference record as ASU at 3-3. 

Listen In
The game will be broadcasted locally on 101.9 KWFR (The Fire) with Jeremy Bryant and Dr. John Klingemann on the broadcast. Bryant is beginning his 17th season broadcasting ASU football games, while Dr. Klingemann is the chair of the history department and an associate professor at Angelo State. 

In the backfield
Senior defensive lineman Markus Jones is the Division II national leader in tackles for loss this season with 23.5. The Fort Worth native and LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 2.9 per game  and has hit a season high of five twice this  year against both Western Oregon and Western New Mexico. 

Closing in 
Jones also leads the team in sacks this season with 11, but is closing in on an even more important number. The senior has 30.5 sacks in his Angelo State career, putting him just one short of matching the ASU career record set by Clayton Callicut. Jones started the season in fifth place on the list and has alreday passed Pierce Holt and Greg Collins. With his next sack, he will surpass Dane Krager. Jones set a single-game high for sacks in a with three earlier this season against Western New Mexico. 

Great day to be special
Angelo State #BlueMob special teams players have claimed the LSC Special Teams Player of the Week award in back-to-back weeks. Larry Johnson was the winner two weeks ago after his second kickoff return for a touchdown and kicker Connor Flanigan earned recognition after hitting three field goals and five extra points in the win over UTPB.

Top Tacklers
Angelo State senior lineback Grant Aschenbeck is currently 12th in the nation in total tackles, averaging 10.8 per game for a total of 86 on the season. The captain is on pace to shatter his career high of 99 tackles set last season. Fellow Ram linebacker Hunter Kyle is close behind Aschenbeck with 79 tackles of his own this season, which ranks 32nd in the country. Kyle has already surpassed his tackle number from his freshman season, when he made 66 tackles.

Pick Party
Angelo State currently leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks No. 5 in the country in passes intercepted with 14. The Rams have picked off multiple passes in the same game five times this season and have nine different players who have picked off a pass this season, Hunter Kyle with four and Donavyn Jackson with two. Two of ASU's interceptions have been returned for touchdowns. The ASU team interception record for a single season is 33, set in 1990, and the indvidual record for interceptions in a season is nine, set by Billy York in 1970 and matched again by the same player in 1971. 

Untouched
Junior wide receiver Larry Johnson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown two weeks ago without ever being touched by a West Texas A&M defender. The return was the second of the season for Johnson and earned the Fort Worth native his second LSC Player of the Week award. It also marked the first time since 2014 that a Ram player returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season. Anthony Yancy also returned two in the 2014 season. 

Shutout
Earlier this season the Angelo State defense did not allow Western New Mexico to get on the scoreboard at all, shutting the Mustangs out for the full 60 minutes. The game marked the first time ASU had shut out a team since they beat Bacone College 56-0 in 2013 and the first time they shut out an LSC opponent since 2013 when they beat Incarnate Word 7-0. 

Tyrese Time
Angelo State sophomore running back Tyrese Nathan has had a strong first half of the season, ranking fourth in the Lone Star Conference with an average of  94.5 yards per game. ASU's top returning rusher is averaging 4.4 yards per cary on 128 attempts for 567 total yards this season and one touchdown. 

Kickoff koverage
The #BlueMob kickoff coverage team has ranked first in the LSC this season, averaging 41 yards per kickoff this sesaon. Junior captain Connor Flanigan has handled the kicking duties, with six touchbacks on the year. Flanigan also leads the conference with nine field goals mad on the sesaon. 

LSC Recognition
Angelo State junior Larry Johnson was named the Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after ripping off an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Abilene Christian. It is the first LSC honor for Johnson in his career and the second time this season a Ram has received recognition after Hunter Kyle was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week last week.

Our Program
Angelo State has won a total of 425 football games since 1939. The following lists the coaches and record breakdown in Ram football history. 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 DII playoff appearances and produced 59 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.

428 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 425 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    44-36
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