RV ANGELO STATE RAMS (3-1, 0-1 LSC) vs. WESTERN NEW MEXICO (1-3, 0-2 LSC)
Saturday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m. CST – LeGrand Stadium at 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium
Radio: 101.9 KWFR
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
 
The Angelo State football team will attempt to put together a winning streak this week after coming away from their longest trip of the year with a victory in last week's matchup. The Rams are looking for their first home win of the season as they welcome in Western New Mexico.
 
LAST WEEK:
The Rams flew to the West Coast last weekend, coming away with a win over Central Washington in a defensive battle, winning 14-9. ASU kept the Wildcats out of the end zone, allowing only three field goals while finding two rushing touchdowns on the other side of the ball. Austin Landry scored his first touchdown of the season, rushing from five yards out for the first score. In his first start for the Rams, quarterback Hagen Garvin led his team downfield in the final minute to take the lead on a two-yard run by Nathaniel Omayebu III with 48 seconds to go.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Angelo State vs. Western New Mexico
All-Time Series: The Rams lead the all-time series 4-2
Last Meeting: Oct. 12, 2019: ASU, 31-14 – San Angelo, Texas
The Rams and Mustangs have met only a few times in program history as ASU holds the advantage with four wins in six meetings. The Rams currently hold a three-game win streak over Western New Mexico with the last meeting ending in a 31-14 victory for ASU in San Angelo. The Mustangs' last victory came during the 2016 season, winning 20-14 at home.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN NEW MEXICO:
The Mustangs come into San Angelo this weekend with a 1-3 overall record, going 0-2 in Lone Star Conference play. Western New Mexico opened the season with a win over Adams State, winning 35-17 on the road. Since then, WNMU has dropped three straight contests, falling to Western Colorado (49-14) and LSC opponents West Texas A&M (42-14) and UT Permian Basin (27-19). In their last matchup against the Falcons, the Mustangs made the game close, scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 17-12 in favor of UTPB before falling short in the end.
 
Western New Mexico ranks seventh in the Lone Star in both offense and defense, scoring 20.5 points per game while allowing 33.8 points. The offense has been able to move the ball well, averaging over 402 yards of offense per contest which ranks fourth in the conference. They are outperforming opponents by 50 yards, giving up 352 yards, including 114.5 yards on the ground.
 
Mustangs quarterback Devin Larsen is the passing leader for the LSC, tossing 289.3 yards per game while completing 58.4 percent of his passes. He has six touchdowns on the season but has made a few mistakes on the season, throwing five interceptions. WNMU's top receiver is Allen Ortiz who ranks sixth in the conference in receiving yards with 258 yards on 11 catches. On the ground, Bryce Coleman leads Western New Mexico with 218 rushing yards and three touchdowns while defensively, Kaleb Gutierrez is tied for fifth in the LSC in total tackles with 26. The Mustangs also rank second in the conference in sacks with 15 while Tylen Coleman leads everyone with five sacks on the year.
 
QUICK HITS:
STOPPING THE RUN:
Something they have done all season, the Rams continue to make trouble for opposing running backs, ranking 10^th in NCAA Division II in rushing defense, giving up 60.8 yards on the ground per game. Holding Central Washington to 88 yards, the Rams have yet to allow 100-yards rushing to any team.
 
QUINTON NAMED POTW:
Linebacker Josh Quinton was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Rams with nine tackles and a sack, helping ASU to now allow a touchdown against the Wildcats.
 
RANKINGS BY D2FOTTBALL.COM:
While receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll, the Rams holding the 21^st overall rank in D2Football.com's Top 25 poll.
 
COMEBACK DRIVE ON THE ROAD:
Garvin made his passes count when he needed to against Central Washington in his first start. Down 9-7, Garvin completed a 15-yard pass before following that up with a 31-yard completion to Kellen Pachot to set up the game-winning touchdown in the final minute.
 
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE:
While the Rams have been successful on defense, ranking 28^th in Division II in total yards given up, ASU's defense has been exceptional in the red zone, ranking 24^th in red zone defense.
 
CONTROLLING THE GAME:
With the strong running game of the Rams, ASU has been able to keep its defense rested, holding an average time of possession of nearly 33 minutes per game, ranking 22^nd amongst all Division II programs.
 
OFFENSIVE NOTES:
-The Rams rank second in the Lone Star Conference in total offense with 410.3 yards per game, ranking first in rushing offense with 200.3 yards per game.
-Omayebu and CJ Odom rank first and second in the LSC respectively in rushing yards per game while Omayebu leads all running backs with 428 total yards.
-Pachot remains the top receiver in the LSC, averaging 77.3 receiving yards per game.
 
DEFENSIVE NOTES:
-Hunter Kyle is the top tackler for the Rams while ranking fourth in the LSC with 27 total tackles this season.
-Daron Allman is second in the conference in tackles for loss with eight total tackles including five solo.
-The Rams rank third in the LSC in interceptions (3) and fourth in sacks (12).