Second-ranked Angelo State puts 8-0 record on the line against Simon Fraser
After knocking off a top-15 team for the second time this season, the No. 2-ranked Angelo State University football team is now three wins away from a perfect regular season.
ASU improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the Lone Star Conference after cooling off previously undefeated No. 15 Texas A&M-Kingsville 34-7 in a homecoming contest last Saturday.
The Rams will be heavily favored to stay unblemished when they travel to Blaine, Washington to face Simon Fraser (0-6) at a neutral site at 9 p.m. CST Saturday. Radio coverage will be on KWFR 101.9-FM.
ASU will be taking a lot of momentum into this weekend after a solid performance against the Javelinas.
"It was a great night," ASU head coach Jeff Girsch said. "First off, the crowd and the atmosphere was phenomenal. I think our kids played a really good football game, very well-rounded. Our defense continued to keep doing what they've been doing a lot this year. The only score they had was a defensive score.
"I can't say enough about what they've done throughout this season, specifically on Saturday to hold a really good football team, a ranked football team and a team that was averaging over 200 yards a game rushing the football, to about 100 yards, and zero in the second half. I think they had 111 at the half rushing."
The Rams finished with 417 total yards and limited Kingsville to just 145 yards and eight first downs.
"Defensively, we continued to do great things," Girsch said. "I thought offensively we did as well. Zach (Bronkhorst) threw the ball really well, minus the one throw (for a pick-six in the first quarter). Our O-line just took advantage of the trenches a little bit, and that's a good defense. They were built on that defense a little bit.
"(The Javelinas) were No. 1 in the Lone Star Conference and in the top five in the country in total defense, as well as rushing defense. And we ran the ball for 230 against them. That's a lot to be said about what our O-line does and obviously our running backs, Nate (Omayebu) and Kason (Philips) and those guys did a great job of executing."
Omayebu had 23 carries for 124 yards and two TDs. Philips had 15 carries for 96 yards.
Bronkhorst completed 14 of 26 passes for 183 yards and two TDs against one pick.
"I'm very happy," Girsch said. "It was a very well-rounded game. Special teams were good. (Zorhan Rideaux) blocked a punt for a touchdown. We've got to continue to get better in our coverage in punt team and kickoff team, so we'll continue to work on that. But I'm very pleased with how the evening went."
It was a standing-room-only crowd on the home side of the field.
"We talked about it on Friday night," Girsch said. "There were rumors going around that it was going to be a sellout. I think it was, or it was really close to it. I told (the players) on Friday night, 'At some point in that game tomorrow night, take a second for yourself and turn around and look at that crowd and look at the atmosphere and know that you did this. You've built this to where people are really excited about Angelo State with what's going on with the football program.'
"We told our kids to soak that in and not to take it for granted because it's not (happening) everywhere and what they've done and the hard work they've put into the program, they've built what was out there Saturday both on the field and the excitement from the fan base was awesome."
And now the Rams are the only undefeated team in the LSC and they control their own destiny for a conference championship.
"It's good because we're consistent," the Rams coach said. "We talk about being locked in and focused each and every week and it's no different this week. Last week was a great win and it was awesome. You're still hearing about it, but this team has moved on. They've moved on to Simon Fraser this week and getting locked in.
"Being in the driver's seat is a good thing. You seal your own fate when it comes to that part of it. I like our chances when our guys are locked in and focused like that. Yeah, there's worse places to be, no doubt."
The Rams' coaching staff is trying to guard against overconfidence this week against a Simon Fraser team that is coming off a 38-21 loss at home against Western New Mexico last Saturday at home.
Despite being 0-6, the Red Leafs have been competitive in some of their games, most notably a 31-24 overtime loss on the road agains UT Permian Basin on Oct. 8.
"You look at them on film and you see some great things and then you see them get beat pretty good by a couple of teams," the ASU coach said. "I don't think it'll be about Simon Fraser, as much as we tell our kids it's about us.
"If we get better this week in practice, I like our chances in any week moving forward. Are we being consistent in our preparation this week, compared to the other weeks and getting better as a football team? If we do, it's about us, it's not about who we play."
All six of the Red Leafs' games this season have been LSC affairs. The most-lopsided loss was a 77-0 setback against Midwestern State on Sept. 24.
ASU routed Simon Fraser 51-10 last year in San Angelo when the Red Leafs were still in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
"The thing you worry about most about Simon Fraser is that it's a 7 o'clock kickoff up there, which means 9 o'clock here in the state of Texas, which I'm really excited about, as you can tell," Girsch said with a grin. "That's the biggest thing. You've got to keep them focused throughout the day on Saturday.
"Trap games are there. They're real, but again, it's up to us as coaches to make sure we're preparing these guys and challenging them each week about us and not about how we're playing."
After this week, ASU will host Central Washington in the final home game of the regular season at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1st Community Credit Union Field at LeGrand Stadium.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Second-ranked Angelo State puts 8-0 record on the line Saturday
