Football | 9/11/2018 2:43:00 PM
Goodwell, Okla.—This week the Aggies will head to Surprise, Ariz. in their second road game of the season for a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup against the Ottawa University-Arizona Spirit on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. MST.
The Aggies are coming off a week-two loss to the West Texas A&M Buffalos and hold an 0-2 record thus far. Receiver
Nick West picked up the most targets, hauling in four receptions for a total of 49 yards, although overall offensively they were unable to reach a solid rhythm. The absence of key running back
Orlando Haymon was perceptibly felt and the Aggies struggled in running the ball without a clear placeholder to step up, falling with just 86 rushing yards to the Buffalo's 172. Quarterback analysis will also continue to be a work in progress, as four interceptions, including two pick-six's, triggered ample point loss. "We need better QB play," said Gaskamp, "We can't put our defense in those types of turnover positions."
The team remains confident, however, and driven to improve. "We are a little banged up and we need to get healthy," affirmed Gaskamp, "But we have a much better team than what we showed [against WT]." The Aggies may have been shorthanded, but the Darkside Defense showed improvement. Junior defensive back
Diamante Pounds and junior defensive lineman
Kory Cullum took the field for the first time and wasted no time in making their presence known, racking up 7 and 3 solo tackles, respectively, and Pounds reined in an interception with a 20-yard return of his own. Both athletes are poised for even greater numbers as they continue to hone their dominance on the field. Fellow junior
Nathan Leithead also continues to be a pillar on the defense, responsible for 5 solo tackles on the Buffalos.
Gaskamp notes that the Aggies will also continue to work to improve on special teams, focusing on better punting and kick coverage.
As Panhandle looks this week to their second road trip, they will head 14 hours southwest to Surprise, Ariz., to take on the Ottawa University-Arizona Spirit. "This is our first long road trip," says Gaskamp, "We have to treat this like a business trip; we'll learn a lot about the maturity of our football team."
OUAZ packs a string of good running backs and have also made themselves known as a quality throwing team, but Gaskamp and the Aggies plan to work to stop the Spirit on both sides of the ball and diminish them to a one-dimensional team. "Our defense is facing a good challenge this week," acknowledges Gaskamp. "Offensively we need to keep our defense off the field and really improve on our third-down conversions," he continued. Limiting turnovers and offensive penalties will be a forefront goal this week, while the Aggies continue to explore their QB options for a leader to give them the best chance at winning the league.
Your Aggies will kick off at 7 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, Sept. 15. Live stats and live streaming of the game will be available at opsuaggies.com for all fans wanting to keep up with Aggies at home.
