No. 4 Angelo State football team knocks off No. 22 West Texas A&M
After a slow start in the first half, No. 4 Angelo State University got into a groove and rolled to a convincing 34-14 blowout against No. 22 West Texas A&M in a Lone Star Conference football showdown at 1st Community Credit Union Field at LeGrand Stadium on Saturday night.
ASU improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the LSC, while dropping WT to 2-2 and 0-2. The Rams snapped a two-game losing streak against the Buffaloes.
This is the fourth time that ASU has started 4-0. The first three times were in 2005, 2014 and 2019.
WT led 7-6 at the half courtesy of a 25-yard touchdown run by quarterback Nick Gerber in the second quarter.
ASU was held to a pair of field goals by Asa Fuller in the first half.
The Rams scored two straight TDs in the third quarter to take a 20-7 advantage into the final period.
ASU quarterback Zach Bronkhorst hooked up with wide receiver Kyle Bradford for a 7-yard TD toss in the third, followed by a 2-yard TD run by running back Nate Omayebu.
The Buffs cut the deficit to 20-14 early in the fourth on a 2-yard TD run by Shakelle Brown.
The Rams finished things off with a 21-yard TD run by Kason Philips in the fourth, followed by a spectacular 89-yard pick six by cornerback Andrew Pitts.
"He's electric in what he does," Girsch said of Pitts, who had his first pick six of the season last week against UT Permian Basin. "He's a chance taker sometimes and a risk taker, but just an unbelievable football player. He's a punt return guy.
"He goes and picks up footballs that probably shouldn't be picked up at times, but I want him to be Andrew because he's a true game breaker. When the ball gets in his hands, he's dangerous."
Omayebu had 19 carries for 97 yards and one TD.
"The first thing that he'll talk about is him putting the ball on the ground and fumbling," Girsch said of the defending LSC rushing champion. "That's the thing that's bothering him and that's what I love about that kid. He's a fierce competitor and Nate's Nate. He's going to be great for us every single night. We've got to open some holes and let him run through them.
"I was really proud of our tight ends, too. We had a couple of injuries with the two starting tight ends, so we played guys who were basically third and fourth on our depth chart -- Beau Workman and Drew Carstens. I don't think they had a catch tonight, but they did an unbelievable job blocking and running and opening those holes, just like the O-line did."
Bronkhorst completed 27 of 39 passes for 279 yards and one TD. He was picked off once.
Rasheen Green led the Rams' receiving corps with five receptions for 67 yards, and Noah Massey had for 56. Philips (42 yards) and Bradford (40 yards) also caught five passes.
Former San Angelo Central High School receiver Thomas Aych, who is now in graduate school, snagged three passes for 27 yards.
Gerber was held to 14 of 24 passing for 189 yards.
"Nick's an absolute stud football player," Girsch said. "I've really enjoyed competing against him and I told him that after the game. I love watching that kid play, as long as he doesn't play against us very much.
"Our defense did a great job of keeping him under wraps. He hurt us on a couple of scrambles. He's a fierce competitor and I'm proud of the way our guys battled through it to keep him from doing too much."
The Rams had the home-field advantage on this night.
"We love our fans," Girsch said. "Winning's fun and fans love to come and watch teams win and we're doing that right now. We've got to keep it rolling. It was just an awesome atmosphere. WT is a top-notch program and a top-notch institution and we know that.
"They bring a lot of fans. It's a rivalry, but it's a really good rivalry in the sense that the guys play hard against each other and they respect each other. The staffs respect each other. It's always a good game when we play them and it's always fun to beat them."
Fans were treated to a fireworks show afterwards.
ASU will look to remain undefeated when the Rams travel to Western Oregon next Saturday for the first LSC matchup between the two programs.
"We'll head out to Western Oregon on Friday and see how it is on the West coast," Girsch said.
Western Oregon dropped to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the LSC after a 27-24 setback at home against UTPB on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: No. 4 Angelo State football team knocks off No. 22 West Texas A&M
