Football | 10/18/2017 12:29:00 PM

Goodwell, Okla.—Panhandle State walked away with a valuable win over the Arizona Christian Firestorm and left Phoenix with a bolstered sense of rejuvenation. "I am proud of the resiliency our guys showed to edge out the win," says Head Coach Russel Gaskamp, "When you get a big win like that it does a lot for team confidence."

The Aggies hope to let this momentum fuel them to take on No. 18 ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God. The Aggies will face off against the Lions on familiar ground at No Man's Land Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. "It will be great to be back at home and to play in front of our fans," says Gaskamp.

The Lions will present offensive obstacles for the Aggies, especially at the hands of SAGU's dangerous duo of leading passer CJ Collins and leading rusher Ricky Bickham. "They are ranked for a reason," says Gaskamp, as the team is mentally and physically preparing for the tough matchup. "SAGU will be the best team we've played. We have a lot of respect for them, especially on offense, but they also have a sound, solid defense and is one of the better units we will face."

In preparation, Gaskamp says, "Defensively we can't give away big plays because they thrive on that, and we have to keep missed tackles at a minimum." Offensively, the Aggie O-line's most imperatively essential task will be to protect the quarterback, but who that may be is still up in the air. Debuting a fourth-quarter cameo in the game against ACU, junior Brandon Ramon stepped in for starter D.J. Scott and stepped up his game. "Brandon has earned the right to be considered, so we will use this week to evaluate both quarterbacks, but it will ultimately come down to a game-day decision," says Gaskamp, "We will go with whoever gives us the best chance to win."

Gaskamp and the coaching staff concede they still have work to do and goals to strive for, especially leading up to this week's SAGU showdown. "We still need to circumvent what flaws we do have," discloses Gaskamp, but after feasting on the Firestorm, the team is thirsty for another big CSFL win.

The Aggies and the Lions will be fighting for first in the league in this unprecedented head-to-head battle, and Gaskamp assures, "We are going to play as hard as we can for sixty minutes." Fans should be preparing to pack the stadium as the Aggies defend their home field and their undefeated CSFL streak.

The Tailgate Zone will open at 11 a.m. for game day festivities and kickoff will commence at 2 p.m. at No Man's Land stadium. Fans under the age of 17 will be admitted to the game for free. The Little Aggies Cheer camp will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will showcase a halftime performance. This exciting CSFL game is sponsored by Seaboard Foods. Live stats and video streaming will be offered online at opsuaggies.com for fans unable to attend.