STEPHENVILLE - The Texans will wrap-up their 2011 regular season campaign when they travel to San Angelo Saturday, Nov. 12 to take on the Rams of Angelo State.  It will be an afternoon game with a 2 p.m. kickoff at San Angelo Stadium.  Tarleton enters the game on a four-game winning streak.  The Texans have also won the last nine meetings between the two teams.

TARLETON

LAST WEEK
    Tarleton got off to a fast start as the Texans rolled over Millsaps College 44-3 on Military Appreciation Day at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.  Against the Division III Majors, the Texans scored early and often, racking up a 30-3 lead in the first half alone.
    Tarleton amassed 447 total yards while holding Millsaps to just 241 total yards.    Courtney Vaughn rushed for three touchdowns and 86 yards to lead the way offensively.  Quarterback Nick Stephens finished the game 21-of-33 with two touchdowns and 265 yards with Brad Croak leading the receiving corp as he hauled in five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.
    The defense stepped up in a big way for the Texans, giving up the fewest yards in a game this season.  Dashaun Phillips recorded his sixth and seventh interceptions of the year while Blair Johnson led all tacklers with 10 total.

A BALANCED DIET
    The four-game winning streak for the Texans has done wonders not only for team morale, but also statistically speaking.  Tarleton is averaging 33.4 points and 391.5 yards per game offensively, the highest totals of the season.  The Texans have been a very balanced attack as well, getting 20 of their touchdowns through the air and 16 on the ground.
    The Tarleton running game has stepped it up as of late, led predominantly by junior back Courtney Vaughn.  On the year, the Mississippi native has rushed 126 times for 641 yards and six touchdowns, including three against Millsaps last weekend.
    Senior quarterback Nick Stephens has controlled the passing game after completing 56 percent of his passes for 2,618 yards, 19 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. With 386 pass attempts, Stephens has been relied upon second most in the Lone Star Conference behind Eastern New Mexico.
    Stephens has had an aresnal of receivers to choose from this season, completing a pass to 17 different receivers so far in 2011.  Freshman Clifton Rhodes leads all of them with 48 catches for 776 yards and three touchdowns, while Roddy Green has added 39 receptions, 489 yards and three more scores.  Brad Croak has come on as of late, hauling in 32 grabs for 340 yards and two touchdowns.

SHOW STOPPERS
    The Tarleton defense is coming off easily its best peformance of the season after holding Millsaps College to just three points and 241 yards of total offense.
    After facing some of the top offenses in the nation and ranked opponents, the Texan defense is gaining confidence as the season winds down.  Tarleton is giving up 29.7 points and 406.1 yards of offense per game.  The run defense still seems to be Tarleton's weakest aspect on defense, but they have been improving rapidly in that part of the game.  
    The Texans have a couple of conference-leaders in Marquis Wadley and Dashaun Phillips anchoring the defense, both of whom are sophomores.  Wadley leads the LSC with 107 total tackles, averaging 10.7 tackles per game.  Phillips is tied for the LSC lead in interceptions with seven on the season and leads the league in passes defended with 15.  Rufus Johnson has also been a force up front, recording 4.5 sacks and an LSC-high 14 tackles for loss.

LSC PLAY
    The Texans have solidified their hold on the No. 4 spot in the LSC as they continue to vie for the Kanza Bowl.  With Midwestern State, Abilene Christian and possibly West Texas A&M in the playoffs, Tarleton would earn a trip to the annual LSC bowl game.  A&M-Kingsville is the only team that could catch Tarleton in the standings, and the Texans have the tie-breaker after defeating the Javelinas earlier this season.

PHILLIPS ISLAND
    Dashaun Phillips intercepted two passes last weekend against Millsaps College, his sixth and seventh picks of the season.  Not only is that a team-high and an LSC-high, but its also the highest total since Kevin Pope did it in 1984.  The record is 8 in a season held by Walter Moeglin in 1966.


ANGELO STATE

LAST WEEK
    The Rams left San Antonio with a 34-14 victory over Incarnate Word last Saturday evening, pushing their record to 5-5 on the year.  Angelo State dominated all aspects of the game, racking up 435 yards of total offense and holding the Cardinals to 233 yards.  They also picked up 234 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in 43 attempts.
    Quarterback Michael Cochran finished the game 10-for-15 passing with two picks, while Jake Strickler came in and threw for 106 yards and a touchdown off the bench.  Paul Mason caught three passes for 50 yards and the lone receiving touchdown.
    Tristan Carter led the running back commitee with 21 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns.  Blake Smith rushed 13 times for 34 yards and a score, while Bradan Ritchey added 35 rushing yards.
    Godwin Ubah led the defense with three tackles for loss and eight total tackles in the game.  Travis McCloud and Nekechi Miller added interceptions.

RAMMING THE RUNNING GAME
    Angelo State is in the middle of the pack of the LSC as far as offensive statistics are concerned, with a combination of passing and rushing.  The only difference is that the Rams have ran the ball 49 more times this season than passing.
    Angelo State averages 28.1 points, 152.4 rushing yards and 228.7 passing yards each game.  The Rams have used three different quarterbacks this season, which has led to some inconsistency.  The running bame has been very consistent though with Tristan Carter picking up 781 yards and nine touchdowns and Blake Smith picking up 382 yards and four touchdowns.
    C.J. Akins has been the biggest receiving threat for the Rams, after recording 570 yards and two touchdowns on 30 catches.  His 19.0 yards per catch shows his ability to get down the field in a hurry.

DISCIPLINED DEFENSE
    As far as defense is concerned for Angelo State, they have been prety consisent all season.   Only allowing 25.9 points per game, the Rams are third in the conference in scoring defense.  That is a notable fact considering the offenses in the Lone Star Conference are some of the best in the nation at racking up points and yards.
    Angelo State is not weak in any one aspect on the defensive side of the ball, ranking No. 3 in the league in pass defense and No. 3 in run defense.  They also rank No. 3 in sacks with 24 on the year.
    Alvin Johnson has led the defense with 65 takcles and an interception, while Lawrence Rumph has 7.5 sacks, good enough for second in the LSC.
    An area that the Rams excel in is forcing fumbles.  Angelo State has forced 13 fumbles this season and has recovered 17 fumbles.  The extra four have come on special teams.    


Live stats are available courtesy Angelo State Sports Information while the live radio feed is provided by KSTV 93.1 FM.