Rams make playoffs

Photo by Josh Lopez
Donovan Thompson catches a 25 yard pass from quarterback Kyle Washington. Thompson scored three touchdowns against the Texans.

The Rams exploded in the second half to put up a dominant win against rival Tarleton State on Oct. 31 with a final score of 57-24.

“We played well, especially the second half of the game,” Head Coach Will Wagner said. “Our goal was to go out there and make it a memorable night for our last home game and senior night.”

The Rams were able to gather a total of 684 yards in the game, rushing for 347 while throwing for 337 yards as well while the defense found two interceptions.

Quarterback Kyle Washington led ASU’s offense with 492 yards of offense. Washington also ran a 66- yard touchdown and rushed 155 yards on 14 carries.

“Our biggest challenge of the game against Tarleton was overcoming diversity,” Washington said. “By the second half we put on a show.”

Running back Trey Green carried the ball 13 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Byrd gained 70 yards and a touchdown while Donovan Thompson had 187 receiving yards on 5 catches, three of them touchdowns. Anthony Pierson had a catch for 27 yards while wide receiver Talon Smith made two grabs with a total of 93 yards a score.

Linebacker Willie Brown led with a total of 11 tackles and Richard and Dominique McCoy both made 10 stops and defensive back Richard Franklin made an interception.

“It was a very intense and incredible game,” freshman Evelyn Morales said. “The Rams gave it out in the field and succeeded.”

At the end of the first half the Rams were down 21-14, a lead quickly erased at the start of the third quarter thanks to a 66-yard run by Washington.

By the fourth quarter the score was 28-24, Rams. Later, thanks to a Green 2-yard run and a touchdown pass from Washington, the Rams led with a score of 42-24.

Washington carried the ball for 24 yards. Backup quarterback Jacob Burtch found Markus Jones for the points and put the score at 50-24.

“The fact that our offense came back in the second half and pulled it off was awesome,” junior Erik Carrizales said. “And the student section was loud and supportive as always.”

Wagner said for their next game against Texas A&M Commerce they want to come out on top, since last time they faced them the Rams lost by three points.

“It’s going to be a close-heart battle,” Wagner said.

The Rams are the fourth seed in the playoffs and will face the first seed TAMC on Saturday, Nov. 7 in Commerce.