End of Q1: Angelo State 10, ACU 7

Angelo State marched down the field on an 80-yard drive to open the game. ASU quarterback Blake Hamblin hit wide receiver Joey Knight with a 29-yard TD pass on the right sideline, and he ran untouched into the end zone. Jarred Martin's successful PAT put the Rams on top, 7-0, at 11:10 of the first quarter.

ACU moved crisply to a TD on its first possession, capped by a 1-yard run by Daryl Richardson with 5:28 left, and Morgan Lineberry's successful PAT. Tight end Ben Gibbs kept the drive moving and put his team in the red zone with a nifty one-handed grab of a 9-yard pass from quarterback Mitchell Gale.

ASU moved easily downfield on its second possession, until the Wildcat defense finally stiffened when the Rams reached the ACU 2-yard-line. Angelo State had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Martin that built a 10-7 Ram lead with :48 seconds remaining.

SUMMARY: The Rams, 3-0 on the season against teams with a combined 1-8 record, looked pretty savvy against the nation's 10th-ranked team during this game's first 15 minutes of play. ACU's offense appeared solid and business-like on its only drive of the quarter; running back Daryl Richardson has regained his form and ASU seemingly has no answer yet for covering tight end Ben Gibbs. The Wildcat defense is going to have to start playing up to its reputation, however. Perhaps it will find some inspiration in its last stand of the first quarter.