Angelo State football rallies back after first half to beat West Alabama in Week 1
LIVINGSTON, ALA. — The Angelo State football team rallied back from a 14-10 halftime deficit to beat West Alabama 38-14 at Tiger Stadium, Thursday.
The Rams' offense struggled early after newly-named starting quarterback Gerald Gardner threw an interception and fumbled the ball which led to a Tigers 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
The Rams' offense eventually kicked into gear in the third after Gardner hit wide receiver Zorhan Rideaux for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The defense suffocated the Tigers holding them to zero points in the second half while the offense scored 28 points.
Thursday's highlights
Chad Pharies scored the first points of the game on a 23-yard touchdown run after linebacker Eric Roscoe forced a fumble. Gardner hit Rideaux for a 34-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams the lead 17-14. On the Rams' next possession, Gardner and wide receiver Kyle Bradford hooked up for the biggest passing play of the game on a 71-yard touchdown pass for a 24-14 lead. They continued to extend their lead when running back Brayden Wilcox broke free for a 77-yard touchdown run. In the fourth, defensive lineman Amieh Williams intercepted Tigers quarterback Tucker Melton at the West Alabama 26-yard line to give the Rams a short field. Gardner eventually punched it in for a 1-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach at 38-14.
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Thursday's stars
Gardner completed 16 of 29 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns; Rideaux caught three passes for 67 yards and one touchdown; Bradford had two receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, defensive back K'hari Watson had six tackles and two tackles for loss; Roscoe tallied five tackles and one forced fumble; defensive backs Orupabo Onyei and Kason McCullough-Cooper picked up interceptions; Williams got another interception in the fourth.
They said it
Coach Jeff Girsch on how Gardner bounced back in the second half: "The thing about (Gardner) is he's so explosive. You saw what he did in the second half throwing two long touchdown passes, one to Zorhan (Rideaux) and one to Bradford. So, he has that ability as a weapon and it's his first start as a Ram here on a top-10 football team. You know, he just battled back and he just calms the huddle and he does everything right in that part of it."
What's next
The Rams are home next week at LeGrand Stadium to face off against the Colorado School of Mines at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9.
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This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: College Football: Angelo State makes second half comeback in Week 1
