SAN ANGELO – Preseason camp is complete and the focus is now on Western Oregon for the Angelo State football team which opens the 2018 season at 3 p.m. (CST) on Saturday in Monmouth, Oregon against the Wolves at McArthur Field.

Angelo State and Western Oregon will be meeting for the second time after the Rams earned a 32-0 playoff win in 1978 over Western Oregon en route to the NAIA National Championship. ASU beat the Wolves who were at that time called Oregon College in the quarterfinals of the playoffs at San Angelo Stadium before knocking off Western State in the semifinals and then Elon College for the program's first national championship. The Rams are making their first trip back to Oregon since playing at Portland State in the 1994 NCAA Division II playoffs. The Rams are coming off a season where the offense averaged 494.1 yards per game and the defense limited opponents to 348.5 and 27 touchdowns. The Wolves, a Great Northwest Athletic Conference school, were 3-8 overall and 1-3 on their home field in 2017.

Angelo State head coach Will Wagner is 6-1 all-time in season openers as he begins his eighth season and the program is 30-23-1 all-time in season openers after earning a 42-2 win over McKendree in the first game last year. Wagner and the Rams will return to Texas after the opener to play at Abilene Christian on Saturday, Sept. 8 in Abilene to renew the rivalry against the Wildcats that hasn't taken place since 2012 when the Rams earned a 28-23 win before ACU began its transition to NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference. ASU plays its first of five home games on Saturday, Sept. 15 by hosting Texas A&M-Kingsville in its Lone Star Conference opener at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field.

On the field, ASU is led by team captains Grant Aschenbeck, Lawson Ayo, Connor Flanigan, Blake Harrison and Bright Ihegworo who each return from strong seasons last year. The defense is also bolstered by the return of All-American Markus Jones who recorded 10.5 sacks and 63 tackles in his junior season. Jones was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season and earned LSC Preseason Player of the Year honors along with earning preseason all-America recognition from D2football.com and Lindy's Sports. A senior from East Bernard, Aschenbeck is the team's top returning tackler after providing 99 last season from the linebacker position, including a season-best 10 against the Javelinas. A junior defensive lineman from Sugar Land, Ihegworo recorded 55 tackles last season as a sophomore and also had four sacks for the Rams. An offensive lineman from Fort Worth, Harrison was named a captain in his junior season after helping the ASU offense to over 25 first downs per game and 37.8 points per game. Flanigan set a new program record by making 17 field goals as a sophomore that included a 52-yard field goal against Midwestern State. An Austin native, Flanigan is 49 of 51 over the past two seasons on PATs for the Rams.

Ayo is coming off a season where he led the team with eight touchdown receptions and finished his sophomore campaign with 49 total receptions and 755 receiving yards. A Sunnyvale native, Ayo will be joined by receivers Keke Chism who had four touchdowns and 28 receptions and Tashani Bibbs who caught 41 passes last season to highlight the returning receivers who will look to make plays for quarterbacks Charlie Rotherham who returns for his second season in the program and Payne Sullins who transferred from Texas Tech. Rotherham is coming off a season where he threw for 1,559 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games for the Rams.

The ASU game at Western Oregon 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 and will also host Wagner and the ASU captains on Monday night on the Sports Huddle which will be at Buffalo Wild Wings. Dr. Klingemann is the chair of the history department and an associate professor at Angelo State. 

COACH QUOTES

Will Wagner – Angelo State Head Coach

On the team coming out of preseason camp:
"Our player's effort and attitude was at an all-time high throughout camp even when it got hard. Now we are in game-week prep though and they are even more excited. I could see some tempo pick up this morning and there is a lot of excitement in the air for this team. Our guys are ready to see another team. We've been beating up on each other for about three weeks now so it's always exciting to start preparing to play another opponent."
 
On his thoughts about where the team is at leading into the 2018 season:
"This team's leadership has been unbelievable. I'm really excited about that going into the season and then there is a lot of competition going on. Our kids are encouraging and coaching each other up though. That's great to see because we are trying as coaches to help them to improve but to see their teammates doing the same thing really helps in the development of any team. They are a hungry team that is ready to go."

Jeff Girsch – Angelo State Defensive Coordinator

On what he likes about the way the defense progressed through preseason camp:
"I really like our group coming into the season. We have great leadership and a lot of talent on defense. Our players have done a great job throughout camp of emphasizing what our coaches are telling them by running to the football and making the correct calls with strong communication. Our upperclassmen have really stepped up along with some underclassmen to create great energy throughout the past three weeks out here at practice."

On what is the most important aspects for the defense to succeed:
"Everything in our defense starts with our line. We return some great players with Bright, Markus and Jake Ray who have taken a ton of reps for us there. We have a ton of depth that I'm excited about that has stepped up. The strength of our defense is up front and we are working on the back end where we have a lot of talent and players who will do a great job for us. They just need some experience back there."

On getting the defense prepared for the season opener at Western Oregon:
"The biggest thing we need to get our guys ready for now is that we are no longer playing the Rams. We've been lining up against our offense for the past 16 practices so now getting our guys ready to focus on what another team is going to try and do against us is important. Our guys are excited to get going and I'm ready to see what we are going to do this season."
 
Drew Dallas – Angelo State Offensive Coordinator

On the ASU offense's progression through preseason camp:
"Our guys have worked extremely hard throughout the preseason. We've got an extremely smart group with a lot of guys coming back. The execution as we progressed throughout camp is the most exciting thing for me. We kept making big plays and had some really nice catches that have me excited. When they make special plays out here at practice I can trust that they can take that over to games and make them for our team. Our front five has been playing really well with key returners and newcomers that have built our depth. We have the talent and mentally they are doing a great job executing so I'm really excited coming into the season."

On getting the offense prepared for the season opener at Western Oregon:
"The biggest challenge is going up against something new and not being sure what to expect from an opponent in the first week. We are going to continue showing our guys a lot of different looks this week so we are prepared for whatever we face up in Oregon. The most fun part is just getting into that game-week mode where we are combing practice, preparation and recovery to make sure we are ready when the game gets here. We are less than a week away now and it's go time come Saturday."

On what is the most important aspects for the offense to succeed:
"We have to take care of the football and play with great tempo. We can't force things or try too hard to make a big play on every snap but instead just get the ball in the right spot by going through our reads and protecting the ball at the skill positions."

Program Record (Record Book)
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	42-36

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 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. Legendary Baylor head coach Grant Teaff coached at ASU, and has been inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame with Holt and former Ram tackle Rodney Cason.