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The Game

The Rams will face Texas A&M-Kingsville at Javelina Stadium at 7 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 27. Texas A&M-Kingsville leads the all-time series 31-13 and have won the last five meetings. The Hogs have won the last five meetings between the two schools. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville

Texas A&M-Kingsville comes into the game after beating Tarleton State in Stephenville 35-23. The Javelinas are 4-4 on the season and are coached by Bo Atterberry. 

Last Week

Down 13-0 at half, the Angelo State Rams (4-4, 3-2) rallied to defeat the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (1-6, 1-4) 17-16 in a Lone Star Conference game. Jarred Martin's 27-yard field goal with 6:55 left in the game proved to be the winning margin for the Rams. The Rams limited Texas A&M-Commerce to just 11 second-half yards to fuel the comeback.

100-Yard Rusher

Donovan Roberts carried the ball 14 times for 104 yards against Texas A&M-Commerce for his first 100-yard game of his career for the Rams. It is the first time a Ram running back has eclipsed 100 yards this season. The senior averaged 7.4 yards per carry against the Lions.

Second Half Adjustments

Texas A&M-Commerce was able to rack up 229 yards of offense and a 13-0 lead going into halftime. The Rams defense came out with adjustments and limited the Lions to only 11 yards in the second half. The Lions failed to gain a yard in the fourth quarter. 

No. 1 LSC Defense

The Rams are the No. 1 overall defense in the Lone Star Conference only allowing 311 total yards per game. It is the fourth week that the Rams defense has been the top defense in the conference. Angelo State is currently the No. 22 defensive team in the nation as well. 

Nationally Ranked Pass Defense

The Rams have only allowed 163.13 passing yards per game which sits at No. 10 nationally. Opponents are being held to 93.5 yards less in the air compared to 2011.  Abilene Christian is the only team to pass for over 300 yards and five opponents have been held under 200 yards passing.   

The Last Win in Kingsville

The last time the Rams won in Kingsville was in 2005. It was a shootout between the two schools that ended tied at 48 at the end of regulation. The Javelinas scored on a 37-yard field goal to take the lead in the first overtime but Kyle Fox scored on the Rams first play to give ASU a 54-51 victory. 

Stopping the Run

In 19 games under defensive coordinator Mike Walton, the Ram defense has held opponents under 100-yards rushing eight times. This season Chadron State, Abilene Christian, and Texas A&M-Commerce have all been held under 100 yards. It is the second-straight season that the Rams have held Texas A&M-Commerce under 100 yards. 

2,000 Yard Milestone

Dakarai Pecikonis and C.J. Akins have been the Rams leading receivers all season. The duo are also two of the top receivers in program history. Pecikonis became the fourth player in Ram history to surpass 2,000 receiving yards in a career. He is currently No. 4 all time with 2,038 yards behind Don Burrell (2,798), Darron Johnson (2,711) and Steve Wilson (2,102). Akins is not far behind as he has 1,946 yards for his career. He is No. 5 on the career list. 

Turnovers

The Rams forced a season high three turnovers against No. 13 Midwestern State. The two interceptions are the most this season. It was Austin Sparks first interception of the season and his career while Rush Seaver picked off his second pass of his career and season. The fumble recovery was Samir Baker's career first. 

Defensive Touchdown

Rush Seaver's 25-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico is the first interception returned for a touchdown since Terrance Preston performed the feat on Sept 11, 2010. 

Ranked Teams Everywhere

No. 13 Midwestern State was the second-straight nationally ranked opponent and the fourth of the season for the Rams. The other ranked opponents include No. 18 Valdosta State, No. 19 Abilene Christian  and No. 21 West Texas A&M. 

Defensive Player of the Week

Rush Seaver was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 22 after upsetting No. 19 Abilene Christian. The sophomore registered 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and led the Rams with eight tackles. He was a part of the defense that limited the Wildcats to nine yards rushing. 

Moving Up The List

Blake Hamblin has thrown for 3,233 passing yards so far in his career. He has passed Dwight Burns for 11th on the list. Burns threw for 2,972 yards in his career. Up next on the career yardage list is Mike Jinks with 3,399 yards. 

Sacks Galore

The Rams pressured the LSC's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Mitchell Gale, all game and produced seven sacks for a defense that came in with only two for the season. The seven sacks are the most under defensive coordinator Mike Walton and the most since recording seven against Texas A&M-Commerce back on Sept. 11, 2011. 

Beating a Ranked Team

The Rams win over No. 19 Abilene Christian marks the first time Angelo State has defeated a ranked opponent since 2009.  ASU beat No. 17 Midwestern State 20-17 on a last second field goal by Ryan Smith. 

Answering the Bell

No. 19 Abilene Christian got out to an early 9-0 lead after its first two drives of the game. Trailing in its third-straight game, the Rams were able to fight the adversity. A one-yard run by Blake Hamblin cut the lead to 9-7 and the defense took up the slack. The Wildcats were held scoreless through the second and third quarters as the Rams scored 28 points en route to a 28-23 victory. 

The End of a Rivalry

The rivarly betwen ACU and Angelo Stat started back in 1964 with ACU winning the first meeting 33-22. Over the next 44 years the two teams have faced each other every season except for 1971. The teams have battled twice during a season three times. The Rams have the longest winning streak with 11 straight victories form 1987 to 1995. The Wildcats are winners of the last six games. Abilene Christian is the team the Rams have played the most in program history. 

Anchoring the Line

The Ram offensive line has seen a plethora of new faces with Trent Davis, Anthony Landry,  Anthony Lewis, Steven Jackson and Rodney Smith, all seeing playing time for the first season at ASU. Isi and Watkin Cocker, brothers from Euless, are two that have helped shore the line up as well. The duo started their first game together against Chadron State. 

Too Many Turnovers

The Rams gave Chadron State four turnovers that prevented Angelo State from finding a rhythm on the offensive end. The three fumbles and one interception were the most in a game since ACU forced two fumbles and two interceptions on Oct. 10, 2009. 

Defensive Stand

The Rams defense held Western State to 175 total yards in its season opening 42-14 win. The 175 yards is the fewest yards allowed by an Angelo State defense since Sept. 19, 2009 when Central Oklahoma only mustered 172 total yards. 

Rare Feats

Fans got to see something that the Rams haven't done in quite a while during the Western State game. The first quarter blocked punt by Jared Ross and the scoop and score by Courtney Moore were both something the Rams haven't accomplished in a while. The last time the Rams blocked a punt was against Texas A&M-Commerce in 2008. Ram fans haven't seen a blocked punt returned for a touchdown since prior to 1999. 

Team Captains

Isi Cocker, Blake Hamblin, Alvin Johnson and Rush Seaver were named captains by their teammates. 

Building a Foundation

The 2012 Rams roster will take on a younger look with 73 players being underclassmen. A total of 56 have yet to receive any experience at the collegiate level. The infusion of youth should provide the foundation needed to build success at Angelo State. 

Five States Represent the Rams

Five states throughout the United States makeup the Rams football roster. Arizona, Illinois and New Mexico each have one player with California being second most with five. Texas dominates the roster as 93 of the team's 101 players call the Lone Star State home. 

Head Coach

Angelo State: Will Wagner (Hardin-Simmons, '96) in his second season as head coach of the Rams. The Odessa native helped Northwest Missouri State win three national championships as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach.

Staff Additions

Head coach Will Wagner added three new coaches to his staff. Drew Dallas and Gary Salgado both were promoted from graduate assistant positions. Dallas is the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach, while Salgado takesRA over the special teams unit and coach the defensive line. The other new member is offensive line coach Jay Eilers. Eilers played collegiately at Northwest Missouri State and has 13 years of experience in both the high school and college ranks. 

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 D-II playoff appearances and produced 57 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 Rams' tackle Rodney Cason.

Follow From Home

If you cannot attend the Angelo State football game, ASU has you covered. Jeremy Bryant will call the game with help from analyst Randy Ward on 94.7 KIXY-FM, which will also be streamed on AngeloSports.com. Live updates will be provided on Angelo State's Facebook page along with its Twitter account, @AngeloSports.