Football | 10/12/2018 9:56:00 AM

Goodwell, Okla.— This week, the Aggies will face the final leg of a three-week road stint as they travel to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the Texas Wesleyan Rams in a Sooner Athletic Conference match-up.
The Aggies faced a hard defeat against Division I Grambling State over the weekend. However, the loss in Louisiana hasn't dissuaded Head Coach Russell Gaskamp from focusing on the team's season goals. "People understand why small schools have to take games like that from time to time," explicated Gaskamp, "It does a lot for the school and for the athletics program." Gaskamp continued, "We didn't play as well as I had hoped but ultimately it didn't affect our position in the conference race."

This week, however, poses a pivotal SAC contest and Gaskamp affirms the team will need to remain resolute and focus on reining in the Rams. "They are an improved team from last year," says Gaskamp of the Fort Worth team, "They did a good job recruiting impact transfers." The Aggies have their own fair share of effectual players, though, including true freshman quarterback Martez Vrana, who has emerged to claim the starting QB role the Aggies have sought after this season. "The stats might not necessarily show it, but he has improved leaps and bounds from last week already," says Gaskamp of Vrana. Hoping to continue the surge of development, Vrana should be due a breakout game just in time to take on the Rams. Senior wide receiver Nick West has also stepped up on offense, leading the Aggies in the wake of a slew of receiver injuries. "We have to figure out a way to get him the ball more," says Gaskamp.

Taking a moment to reflect on the setback in Grambling before focusing on the game ahead, Gaskamp notes there needs to be some improvements made before the trip to Fort Worth. "Last week we just missed some opportunities on offense," recounts Gaskamp, "Defensively we did not play to our strengths and we need to bounce back and play at a higher level." He continued, "We also made some missteps on special teams; guys need to understand how important every special teams rep is and cut down those mistakes."

The Aggies fan base travels well and Gaskamp hopes the big crowd will build some momentum for the team. The Fort Worth area has also been a substantial recruiting region for OPSU, with many of the current Aggie Football members hailing from the area, increasing the aspiration for victory even more. "I feel like now is our chance to go on a run for conference," says Gaskamp, "we just need to prove ourselves this week."
The Aggies will face the Texas Wesleyan Rams in Fort Worth on Saturday, Oct. 13 with kickoff at 2 p.m. Free live stats and streaming of the game will be available on opsuaggies.com. Next week the Aggies are back on their home turf for an SAC match-up against the Arizona Christian Firestorm on Oct. 20.