SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State football team will look to bounce back from its first loss against an NCAA Division II opponent this week, returning to the friendly confines of LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field for a matchup with Lone Star Conference rival Tarleton State at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Rams come into the matchup with a 2-2 record and a 1-1 record in LSC play after losing a road contest at Midwestern State last week. The Rams are averaging 28.5 points and 415.5 yards per game on offense so far this season.
The Game
Coming off a road loss last weekend at No. 5 Midwestern State, the Rams will return to the friendly confines of LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field where they will take on No. 25 Tarleton State.
Tarleton State
The Texans have started their sesaon a perfect 3-0 and are ranked in the American Football Coaches Association for top 25 for the first time since 2014, coming in at No. 25. Head coach Todd Whitten is in his third season back with the Texans and his ninth overall. TSU earned a win in their first Lone Star Conference game last week, defeating UT Permian Basin 35-13 in Stephenville. The Texans three opponents are a combined 2-10 this season.
The Series
The Texans own an 18 to 16 win advantage after winning the last two matchups between the teams, and head coach Todd Whitten has lost just once in his seven times facing the Rams. ASU's last win came in 2015, as Kyle Washington racked up 492 yards of total offense and
Donovan Thompson caught five passes 187 and three touchdowns in a 57-24 win.
Last meeting
Angelo State outgained Tarleton in last year's contest with 545 total yards of offense to just 291, but were done in by five turnovers. ASU's last win came in 2015, as Kyle Washington racked up 492 yards of total offense and
Donovan Thompson caught five passes 187 and three touchdowns in a 57-24 win.
A look ahead
The Rams will go back on the road next week for their longest trip of the season, taking on Western New Mexico in Silver City, New Mexico. The Mustangs are 0-3 this season with an 0-1 record in Lone Star Conference play after losing to West Texas A&M last week, 27-17. WNMU will face UTPB this week in Odessa.
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.
Tyrese Time
Angelo State sophomore running back
Tyrese Nathan has had as good a start to the season as the Rams could ask for. Nathan is second in the Lone Star Conference with an average of 120.3 rushing yards per game. The Lubbock native has already surpassed his 2017 rushing yard total, racking up 481 yards already this season after gaining 430 last year.
Airing it out
Two Angelo State wide receivers set new career highs in catches against Midwestern State, including
Lawson Ayo with 11 and
Keke Chism with nine. Ayo's 11 receptions went for 118 yards, which also marked a season high for the junior. He also ended the game just two catches away from the ASU single-game record of 13 set last season by
Donovan Thompson. Chism's nine catches were for 61 yards.
Top Tackler
Senior linebacker and captain
Grant Aschenbeck has picked up right were he left off last season. In 2017, the East Bernard native led the team with 99 tackles. So far this season he has racked up 47 total for an average of 11.8 per game. That number ranks second in the Lone Star Conference. Aschenbeck also has three tackles for loss and one sack. One other Ram, linebacker
Hunter Kyle, is ranked in the top 10 in the LSC in tackles with 39.
In the Backfield
Senior defensive lineman
Markus Jones ranks third in the LSC with five sacks and leads the conference with 10.5 tackles for loss. As a team, the Rams rank fourth in sacks with 10 this season.
Grant Aschenbeck,
Bright Ihegworo,
Travaughn Moore,
Cameron Cavanaugh and
Jake Ray have all also recorded sacks this year.
Pick Party
Angelo State is currently second in the Lone Star Conference lead in interceptions with seven, and the Rams have recorded at least two picks in three of the four games this season. Linebacker
Hunter Kyle and defensive back
Donavyn Jackson lead the way with two each, while Jac Yurow, Darrick Dickerson and
Simon Maxey all have one each. The Angelo State team record for interceptions in a season is 33, set in 1991.
Great Day to be Special
The #BlueMob kickoff coverage team has ranked second best in the LSC this season, averaging 39.1 yards per kickoff this season. Junior captain
Connor Flanigan has handled the kicking duties, with five touchbacks on the year.
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.
426 and Counting
Angelo State has won a total of 426 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 43-36
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.
