LSC Preseason Poll
LSC Preseason AwardsSAN ANGELO – Angelo State's
Kyle Washington was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Preseason Player of the Year and the Rams were picked fifth in the LSC Football Preseason Poll announced on Tuesday.
The Rams were tabbed fifth with 99 total votes and one first place vote. Tarleton State was picked as preseason No. 1 with 139 votes and eight first place votes with West Texas A&M in second with 127 votes and four first place votes.
"I kind of expected us to be in that area," Angelo State head football coach
Will Wagner said. "Our team understands that everything has to be earned and until you beat those top teams than obviously you aren't going to be ranked in front of those other teams. It is a preseason poll and we know that is just based on voting and what you did last but our team is excited about going out and proving everybody wrong."
The Rams return 12 starters and 37 letterwinners from last year's team. ASU went 5-6 last season but ended the year on a three-game winning streak for the first time since 1987.
Eastern New Mexico was predicted No. 3 with 115 votes and five first place votes and Midwestern State was forecasted No. 4 picking up 111 votes and two first place votes. Texas A&M-Commerce was picked sixth with 95 votes and one first place vote while Texas A&M-Kingsville and McMurry were tabbed seventh and eighth, respectively.
The top four teams (No. 4 at No. 1 and No. 3 at No. 2) in the LSC will advance to the championship bracket of the LSC Playoffs. The two winners will play for the conference championship in week 11. The remaining four teams of the league will play in a bracket in the final two weeks. No. 8 will play at No. 5 and No. 7 will play at No. 6 and the two winners will play for fifth play while the losers compete in the seventh-place game.
Washington, who received 15 votes, recorded 1,102 rushing yards and 2,073 passing yards while also breaking the school record for total offensive yards in a single season (3,175). The Humble native is the first player in ASU history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season and earned second-team All-LSC honors.
"It is a great honor," Washington said on being named LSC Preseason POY. "It is a great individual honor but our main goal as a team is to win conference. Being picked fifth is not the ranking we want to have but we are ready to get on the field."
The league's preseason awards and polls were selected by a vote of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.
The Rams will open the season on Saturday, September 13 at 6 p.m. at LeGrand Stadium at 1
st Community Credit Union Field.
