KINGSVILLE, Texas – Following consecutive games against nationally ranked, Lone Star Conference foes, the Texas A&M-Kingsville football team (1-3) will journey to San Angelo, Texas for a battle against the Angelo State Rams (2-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at LeGrand Stadium at First Community Credit Union Field.

The Rams began their season in spectacular fashion, trampling McKendree Univeristy 42-2 and Northern Michigan 48-20, but they've taken a fall the last two weeks in conference competition. They suffered a 30-24 setback against Tarleton State before losing to Eastern New Mexico on the road by 10. They, like the Javelinas, are looking for their first Lone Star Conference victory.

Coach Will Wagner is in his fifth year at the helm of the ASU program and is attempting to put together a winning campaign for the third time in the last four seasons. Wagner's offense is led by quarterback Jake Faber, who torched Northern Michigan's defense for 396 yards and three touchdowns in week two. The native of Sherburn, Minn. has totaled 802 yards through the air this season with six touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The senior has also contributed to the Rams offense on the ground, as his 140 yards rushing are the school's second-most, as are his three scores.

Faber's top target this season has been fellow fourth-year Ram Donovan Thompson, who is second in the LSC in both receptions, with 25, and yards receiving, with 372. He accumulated 121 yards in consecutive weeks against Northern Michigan and Tarleton State. Lawson Ayo leads the team with three TD catches. Ayo racked up 165 yards and two scores on nine receptions at NMU.

The leading ground gainer for Angelo State is Josh Stevens and his 461 yards stand as the second most in the LSC. His average of 6.0 yards per carry is the best in the league for all players with at least 50 totes and he's also tied for the lead with five trips to the end zone. Stevens has carried for over 90 yards in every game, with his best performance coming against Tarleton. The senior ran over, around and through the Texan defense for 213 total yards and a score.

Redshirt-freshman quarterback Cade Dyal is making his third consecutive start for the Hogs and he's looking to bounce back after throwing three interceptions a week ago against Texas A&M-Commerce. The native of Kerrville, Texas will be attempting to return to the turnover-free ways that highlighted his play in his team's first three games. He also owns the third-best completion percentage in the conference. One of the players Dyal will be attempting to get the ball to is leading receiver Jordan Thomas, who is third in the conference with 23 grabs for 344 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas's 70-yard scoring catch against Simon Fraser still stands as TAMUK's longest play this season.

The running game for the Javelinas consists of the three-headed monster that is Nick Pelrean, Jeff Carr and Marcus Younger, each of whom averages at least 4 yards per carry. Pelrean still leads the team with 199 yards and two touchdowns despite missing the last two contests. Younger's 116 yards rushing against Midwestern State remains Kingsville's best performance on the ground this season.
"That's our [modus operandi], to run the football," said coach Daren Wilkinson. "That's always what we like to do. It's tough right now with all the injuries we have on the offensive line as well as at running back, but that's no excuse. We have to make sure that the guys that are playing are stepping up and playing to the level that we expect."

The defense for TAMUK has been adept at pressuring quarterbacks and their league-best sack total of 16 includes five quarterback takedowns against Commerce. Caleb Valentine was responsible for one of those sacks and his team-best total of 3.5 has him third the LSC. Defensive coordinator David Brown II has seen 13 different players get to the quarterback this year. The Hogs are also tied for second in the conference with five interceptions. The leading tackler on the squad is Trevor Moses and his mark of 31 includes 11 tackles against Central Washington and Commerce, with the senior leading the team in that stat in both games.

"The biggest thing with Trevor," said Wilkinson, "is he's the quarterback of our defense. He gets us lined up right and has a nose for the football. He makes plays and we need him to continue doing that. Our defense runs well when he's out there."

The star of Angelo's defense so far in 2017 is senior Markus Jones with four sacks and six tackles for loss. He's had a pair of TFL's in three different games and also got to the quarterback twice against Tarleton State. The TAMUK offensive line will also be tasked with slowing down leading tackler Justin Jackson, whose 44 stops are in the LSC's top five.

"We're young on the offensive line," said Wilkinson, "and some of those guys need to mature quickly. It's on us as coaches to come up with protections and get the ball out quickly. It's a process that involves everybody. Cade has to get the ball out quick, our running backs need to help out with the protection and the coaches have to design plays where the ball gets out quickly."

The Rams enter Saturday riding a four-game win streak in the series, but the Javelinas own an all-time mark of 29-17 against their opponents from San Angelo. The last two showdowns have been decided by a total of just six points. In last season's row, the Rams found paydirt with less than four minutes to play to take a one-point lead that held up for a 22-21 final. TAMUK owned a six-game win streak in the rivalry prior to 2013. The last victory in that stretch was a 34-21 triumph at Javelina Stadium on homecoming weekend in 2012.

Saturday's game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Mark Inserra will call all the action on WILD 105.5 and KTAI 91.1. The broadcast will also be streamed live on javelinaathletics.com with the pregame show beginning at 5:45 p.m.