by Rick Mauch

FORT WORTH, Texas - The 2020 portion of the Texas Wesleyan Rams' 2020-21 football season got off to a rough start with a 33-15 home loss to Southwestern Assemblies of God University out of Waxahachie.

Despite the loss, the Rams defense showed a toughness by forcing the Lions to settle for a field goal on four separate drives.

After falling behind 13-0, the Rams pulled to within six points in the second quarter when senior quarterback Avery Childs (Fort Worth) completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior Le'Mant Monroe (Houston). Freshman kicker Colby Ortega (Forney) booted his lone extra-point kick of the day.
 
The Rams pulled to within 30-15 in the third quarter when sophomore quarterback Dalton Dale (Mesquite) connected with senior wide receiver Cole Maxwell (Maypearl). Freshman wide receiver A.J. Bobb (Houston) fpr a 21-yard TD pass combination. Dale finished 2-for-10 passing for 30 yards with an interception and was sacked three times. Childs was 1-for-6 and was sacked four times. The Rams' rushing game was led by Ty Williams, who carried 20 times for 54 yards, while Jabial White rushed nine times for 25 yards, and Dale had eight carries for 10 yards. Three receivers each caught a pass for the Rams, Maxwell, Monroe and Williams, who had one catch for 9 yards.
   
Leading the Rams on defense were freshman defensive back Darius Vandyke (Schertz), senior linebacker Tyquandrik Conner (Abilene) and junior linebacker Dylan Pettway (Watkinsville, Ga.), each with eight tackles. Vandyke had five solo takedowns, while Conner and Pettway had four solo tackles each.

Junior linebacker Christopher Deal (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), senior defensive back Shawn "Lou" Lewis (Lamar University), and sophomore linebacker Mark Seidler (Jonesborough, Tenn.) each posted five tackles. Of those, Seidler had three solo tackles, and Deal and Lewis registered one each.

Freshman defensive lineman Joshua Randall (New Orleans) had a team-leading three tackles for loss, totaling 17 yards. Conner had two tackles for loss.

The Rams defense registered four sacks, two by Conner for 12 yards in losses, one for a 9-yard loss by Randall, and a half sack each by Pettway and freshman defensive lineman Shaun Tolbert (Lamar University).

Vandyke returned an interception 22 yards, Randall forced a fumble, and senior cornerback Damien Francis (Alexandria, La.) had three pass breakups. Conner and sophomore Chase Nielsen (Arlington) each recovered a fumble.
   
On special teams, Bobb returned five kickoffs for 146 yards, including a long return of 55 yards. The punting duties were shared by junior Gregory Blaser (Cypress) and redshirt freshman Daniel Trejo (Fort Worth), with Blaser averaging 36.2 yards on five punts and Trejo averaging 40 yards on three punts, and each having a long punt of 42 yards.

Time of possession was almost equal, with the Rams holding the ball for 29:08 and SAGU holding it for 30:52. The Rams ran 61 plays (45 run, 16 pass) and the Lions 67 (37 run, 30 pass).

SAGU had 83 rushing yards to 68 for the Rams, along with passing for 250 yards to 48 for Texas Wesleyan. The teams combined for 11 penalties, with the Rams committing seven for 55 yards and SAGU four for 30 yards.

On third down, the Rams were 4-for-15 and the Lions were 6-for-15. Each team was perfect in the red zone, with the Lions going 5-for-5 and the Rams going 1-for-1.

The history between the two teams now stands with the Lions earning three wins in the four meetings, with the Rams' lone win being 2019's triple-overtime thriller, 52-44, in Fort Worth. The Rams are 1-2 in conference play and 1-2 at home against the Lions in their history that started in 2017.

The team will travel Arizona Christian for a metting on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. before hosting Wayland Baptist on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.