Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Goodwell, Okla.—Coming off of last week's loss to No. 2 Sam Houston State (59-21), the Aggies look to put on a better performance in their second road game of the season against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, another Division I FCS opponent out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Golden Lions will also be looking for their first win of the season in their home opener on Saturday which kicks off at 6 p.m. UAPB suffered a shutout (44-0) last weekend to Tennessee State of the Ohio Valley Conference. With only 168 total yards on offense in last week's matchup the Golden Lions struggled with the run game, grounding only 49 yards rushing; they also failed to convert on third down averaging less than 15 percent on third down conversions (2-14).  

While the Aggies faced similar struggles against the Bearkats, gaining only 55 yards rushing and converting on five of 18 third down situations (27.7 percent); they feel that play will improve this week after identifying some weaknesses in their performance against SHSU.

Shane Truelove is expected to start at quarterback this week and will look to targets Devyn Williams and Andrew Hernandez who combined for the Aggies' three touchdowns at Sam Houston. Truelove went 17 of 27 for 219 yards passing last week and Coach Gaskamp is confident that the senior QB will bounce back from what he considered a "sub-par performance". Gaskamp also feels that the offense will need to be much more effective with the run this week and create some balance in their game plan.

"Defensively we have to limit their big plays and make tackles," Gaskamp added. "Their quarterback is a good athlete who can make plays throwing and running. We must create some pressure this week and keep him contained." The Aggies gave up 668 yards of offense to Sam Houston and had zero sacks and only one tackle for loss in the game. Panhandle's defense lacks in experience this year with only three returning starters; Gaskamp touched on the subject stating, "Our newcomers will have to continue to learn the system and improve. Overall we need to just be mentally tough this week as we face another long road trip."

One area that Gaskamp feels the Aggies can get an edge with this week is in the special teams unit, "I believe this game will come down to who wins in the special teams phase. We need to dominate those plays, and are working to correct some mistakes in that area from last week." Panhandle earned one touchdown over SHSU on a 90-yard kickoff return by Devyn Williams, proving that the potential for success is strong in that area.

Fans can keep up with the play-by-play action in Pine Bluff via a live stats link offered on the Football schedule page of the Aggie Athletics website. The game will also be broadcast by radio at KUAP 89.7 FM; a link is available for online listening. Good luck and safe travels to our Aggies!