SAN ANGELO, Texas – Playing in their first playoff game since 2014, the second-seeded Angelo State football team made quick work of seventh-seed Minnesota – Duluth, beating the Bulldogs 48-14 in the opening round of the NCAA DII Championship on Saturday at LeGrand Stadium at 1^st Community Credit Union Field.
 
The Rams have won their last six games in a row, improving to 10-2 overall on the year. The Bulldogs' season comes to an end, finishing the season at 9-3.
 
Alfred Grear received the opening kickoff, taking the ball 100-yards for a touchdown as the Rams jumped out to a 7-0 advantage.
 
The big plays did end there as the Rams scored on the very next drive after Zach Bronkhorst kept on the ball on an option, taking it 69 yards for his longest run of the season and a score.
 
After forcing another punt by UMD, the Rams drove the ball 80 yards on four plays, capped off by an eight-yard touchdown run by Nathaniel Omayebu III, his 10^th touchdown of the year, as ASU took a 21-0 lead.
 
The Rams held the Bulldogs to five or less plays on their first six drives of the game, forcing four straight punts.
 
Hunter Kyle led the defense with seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while Josh Quinton had six tackles and Daron Allman finished with five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
Bronkhorst extended ASU's lead, tossing a 12-yard pass to Noah Massey for the first touchdown pass of the game. It's the second week in a row that Bronkhorst has found Massey in the endzone.
 
ASU tallied 441 yards of offense, finishing with 227 yards on the ground while the defense held the Bulldogs to 233 total yards, including 112 yards passing.
 
Bronkhorst finished with 214 yards on 13-of-24 passing while tallying three passing touchdowns and added 65 yards rushing with a touchdown.
 
After a 36-yard field goal by Asa Fuller made it 31-0 in favor of the Rams, Bronkhorst connected on another touchdown pass, this time finding Kellen Pachot on a slant for 78 yards, his longest catch of the season.
 
Pachot led all receivers with 93 yards on three catches while Kyle Bradford and Massey finished with 54 and 53 yards respectively.
 
Fuller hit his second field goal of the half, converting from 35-yards out as the Rams took a 41-0 lead into the break.
 
After a scoreless third quarter, the Bulldogs found their first points of the game, running from four yards out to cap off an eight play, 90-yard drive.
 
ASU answered back in the next drive, as Bronkhorst threw his third touchdown pass of the game, hitting Dagen Dunham on a play action pass from two yards out.
 
UMD took the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, making it 48-14 with just under 10 minutes to play in the game.
 
Grear finished with a team-high 70 yards while Omayebu added 44 yards and CJ Odom ran for 41 yards.
 
The Rams will advance to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament, facing Nebraska - Kearney who advanced after a 31-24 win over third-seeded Western Colorado. The game is set to take place in San Angelo, on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m.