Bacone College gets RAMMED

Contributed Photo by Marsalis Mahome

From the first play of the game the fans cheered as Tyler Middleton, running back, scored a touchdown only to have the referees call it back due to two fouls on the play against Bacone College from Muskogee, Okla. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the AT&T Stadium.

The Rams scored 49 of their 56 points in the first half, with 161 rushing yards and 218 passing yards.

The minor setback didn’t effect the Ram’s game because after the re-kick Raymond Coen, defensive lineman, recovered a fumble that allowed Ryan Byrd, running back, to make the first touchdown of the game.

The crowd held their breath at the start of the second quarter as Talon Smith, wide receiver, caught a pass from Kyle Washington and jumped over two opposing players making a third touchdown for the Rams. Smith struggled on his way up and was helped off the field for further examination. The injury was detected as a sprained ankle and will hopefully be well enough to play in this weekend’s game, Head Coach Will Wagner said.

The fans were concerned for Smith as the replay came on the Jumbo-Tron but the Rams didn’t let that slow them down. Trey Green, running back, sped past his defenders and rushed 96 yards for a touchdown.

“The opportunity that we get each week just to play the game of football in general is a blessing,” Green said. “AT&T Stadium is one of the best venues in the world so I thought it was pretty cool to go out there with a group of guys I really care for and a team that’s really good.”

Though it was a neat experience to play in such a breathtaking stadium Green said the team’s game wasn’t affected.

“Week by week our focus improves,” Green said. “It’s not just about the stadium but the aspect of focusing as a team and getting better each week.”

After a few warnings from the officials, a Bacone player was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct such as blocking in the back. Bacone didn’t have a huge team to begin with so this wasn’t a good sign for them.

Brett Rasberry, wide receiver, caught a five yard pass from Washington and after five more plays Middleton made his second rushing touchdown of the game making the score 49-0 at the half.

As the Rams and Bacone went back and forth defensively, the only points in the second half came from sophomore backup quarterback Jacob Burtch with a nine yard rush in the fourth quarter with two defenders on his back, sending the crowd in an uproar of cheers.

This was Burtch’s first rushing touchdown and he said that it was a surreal experience to for it to occur at AT&T Stadium. “Everyone always gives me a hard time because I’m not supposed to run and I’m not exactly the fastest guy out here,” Burtch said.

“Everyone did a great job blocking otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get there. God gave me the ability to do this, all the glory goes to Him.”

The Rams had a total of 239 passing yards and 269 rushing yards and are ranked No. 6 in the latest American Football Coaches Association, Wagner said.

The team prepares for the game against West Texas A&M University on Saturday, Sept. 26.

“We want to reduce our penalties and not turning the ball over from an offensive standpoint and on the defensive side we want to cause the turnovers and play more disciplined football,” Wagner said.

WTAMU’s homecoming is this weekend and they’re projected to have over 10,000 people there so the football team could use all the support they can get from the university’s fan base, Wagner said.