Angelo State 2023 Title Run Begins Thursday

Scouting Report per Angelosports.com

• Members of the Gulf South Conference, the Tigers were selected to finish fourth overall in their conference after earning a 5-6 overall record last season.
• The Tigers tallied just under 23 points per game last season while averaging 387.4 yards of total offense.
• Defensively, UWA gave up 19.9 points per game, along with 164.1 rushing yards per game and 325.8 total yards.
• Tucker Melton returns at the quarterback position for the Tigers after throwing for 2,147 yards last season with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
• Bry Webb was the leading rusher for UWA in 2022, totaling 738 yards with five rushing touchdowns.
• Trevon Stanford recorded the second most tackles for the Tigers last season with 46, including 9.5 tackles for loss.
• The Tigers will have a new offensive coordinator this season as Carmen Felus takes over the role after two seasons at Stony Brook.

The Rams lost 3-year starter Zach Bronkhorst to graduation after 2022. Girsch says that Gerald Gardner will start under center to start off the season. Gardner transferred from Lake Erie College to Angelo State this year. Last season for the Storm, Gardner threw for 3,091 yards with 22 touchdowns while completing 58 percent of his passes. He threw for 42 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions in the last two seasons at Lake Erie.

While the Rams’ offense often punishes opponents on the ground, the addition of Gardner should make the 5th-ranked Rams even more dangerous in 2023. Angelo State was picked to finish No. 1 in the Lonestar Conference preseason poll. The Rams come off the best season in school history, where Angelo State finished with a 12-1 overall record and the first outright conference championship since 1984.