SAN ANGELO – Angelo State entered Saturday’s contest undefeated against Lone Star Conference opposition. The Rams departed LeGrand Stadium undefeated after preseason LSC favorite Central Washington’s extra point with 34 seconds remaining sailed wide left to send ASU to a 17-16 victory.

“We didn’t play our best game, but we won,” Angelo State head coach Jeff Girsch said. “Our kids believe in themselves, and they’re playing good football. We knew it would be a battle against a good Central Washington team, and we’re excited to get this victory.”

The Rams can clinch the LSC title outright with a win at Western Oregon next week, while CWU hosts Sul Ross State next week before finishing the regular season at home against WOU in a game that will likely decide a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

While CWU and WOU still have to fight for their playoff lives, Angelo State likely secured a spot in the DII playoffs thanks to a stout defense and the play of quarterback Braeden Fuller. The Rams knew it would be challenging to run the ball against a CWU defense that stacked the box and chose to rely on its passing attack. The Rams took advantage of the aggressive Wildcat defense on the first play from scrimmage with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Zeek Freeman. 

“We knew by watching film what they like to play against certain formations and felt we had a good matchup there,” Girsch said. “It worked out in our favor on that play. But they shut it down after that, which is what good football teams do.”

The Rams had 21 yards rushing in the first half until Fuller broke off a 41-yard run to put ASU at the CWU one-yard line. Fuller dropped back to pass and saw a lane open on the left side of the field. He broke two tackles before racing down the left sideline. He nearly made it into the endzone but lost his balance while breaking another tackle inside the five-yard line. Jayden Jones gave the Rams a 17-10 lead heading into halftime on the next play.

ASU held onto the touchdown advantage until Tyler Flanagan scored a 9-yard touchdown to pull CWU within an extra point of possibly forcing overtime. The Wildcats moved the ball to the right hash mark for a two-point attempt following a timeout. However, a false start penalty forced CWU coach Chris Fisk to kick the extra point.

The ball remained on the right hash mark, which left a sharp angle for CWU freshman kicker Cooper Britton, who hooked the kick wide left with 34 seconds remaining in regulation. The Rams recovered the ensuing onside kick and kneeled out the clock to start the victory celebration.

“We’ve hung our hat on the defense a lot this year. They’ve done a great job,” Girsch said. “That’s a tough offense to stop with the two running backs they have and a quarterback that can run and throw the ball. We’re exhausted as a coaching staff getting prepared for these guys.”