Righting the Ship: ASU's Coach Girsch Discusses Loss to Kingsville

SAN ANGELO, TX — Angelo State fell to Texas A&M-Kingsville on the road, 24-19, last Saturday. Another game where the Rams struggled on both offense and defense at times led to the second straight loss during the Rams' 2025 campaign.

Head Coach Jeff Girsch held a press conference at the Junell Center on Monday to discuss the loss and to preview Angelo State's upcoming matchup against Midwestern State this weekend.

"One of those things that we talked about last week, too. We need to make some improvements on 3rd down on both offense and defense, and we did not do that [on Saturday]," Girsch said. "That's frustrating. There was a lot of good in [the loss], the effort was there. It's the execution that we have to continue to work on."

As mentioned by Coach Girsch, the Rams struggled on 3rd down on offense all night. Angelo State went 3-13 on 3rd downs while the Javelinas converted nine of their 3rd downs. The inability to convert on offense and then the failure to get off the field on defense ultimately led to the loss.

Starting quarterback Braeden Fuller continues to progress since his return from injury, but still does not have the same mobility that he had when he was named LSC Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. Fuller. He finished the game 19/34 for 164 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

"Both the guys playing one and two [at quarterback] for us have done really good things," Girsch said of his quarterbacks. "Braeden, coming off an injury, has not played up to where he's been playing, but at the same time, hasn't played badly. It's different. A lot of what he did before in his game was running around and doing different things. If he's not comfortable with that yet, we don't know yet, but we will have to keep working with him [in practice]."

Backup quarterback Kaeden Smith led a touchdown drive late in the 4th quarter to get the Rams back into the mix, but ran out of time. Smith finished the game 5/10 for 60 yards. He also led the Rams in rushing with 59 yards on six attempts. 

"I think Kaeden has done a good job allowing us to be able to use him in different capacities," Girsch continued. "I would anticipate both those guys getting opportunities moving forward, but to make it a whole half-and-half situation, I don't think that's the case either."

Girsh said there is currently no quarterback controversy as Fuller continues to rehab from his injury earlier this season; it will just take time for him to fully return to form. 

Despite the losses, the mood in the locker room has not fallen. The Rams are still hungry and will continue to fight as they work their way through a tough Lone Star Conference Schedule.

"I think they view it as, 'We gotta go out there and win,'" Girsch said. "I think they have a good attitude, but I don't know if we got over that loss last week as fast as we should have. That's on me. That's making sure that I understand our guys' mindset. Our guys were ready to play Saturday; it wasn't that, it was a matter of going out there and executing at the highest level. We didn't do that, and Kingsville did."

The Rams need to adopt a short term memory for this weekend when Midwestern State comes to town. Angelo State cannot afford to lose another conference game moving forward if they have any hope for a Lone Star Conference Championship or a playoff berth down the road.

Kickoff for Saturday's matchup against Midwestern State is scheduled for 6 p.m. at La Grande Stadium in San Angelo.