The Rams are on the road again, this time to Arkansas to take on the Lyon College Scots.

Both teams are 0-4 in the Central States Football League, and Rams head coach Joe Prud’homme says his team is changing in several aspects, perhaps the most noticeable being Erik Richards getting the nod as starting quarterback during last week’s 33-18 homecoming loss to Bacone College.

-traveling to Pioneer stadium Saturday to take on the Lyon College Scots in Arkansas.

“We needed to give Erik a chance and felt that his running ability would open up the running game,” Prud’homme said of the redshirt junior, who last week completed eight of 25 passes for 45 yards. He also ran for a 16-yard touchdown.

Here is what the Rams are doing to take on the Scots:

1. Upping the intensity.

The Rams have kept the same approach in practice but increased the intensity and physicality, wide receiver Anthony Caston said.

“This week it has been an intense focus on scramble drill now that we have a more athletic running QB in the starting lineup,” Caston said.

2. Conditioning.

The Rams have been continually working on their strength and stamina, Caston said.

“I’ve been trying to get as many reps as I can so I can stay on the field longer as well as increase my explosiveness after catching the ball,” Caston said.

It’s important that the Rams have the physical strength to block big players and run the ball a long distance, Caston said.

3. Staying positive.

The Rams are trying to stay positive despite the way the season has been going, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said.

“So far we’ve been trying to keep a positive mind,” Mitchell-Dixon said. “We can’t go into a game with our head in the gutter because of our record. If we do that, we’ll just continue to lose.”

4. Combatting the Scots’ game plan.

Lyon College is an established team that runs the ball well, Prud’homme said. The team’s record so far this year is 2-5.

“We are working on capitalizing on opportunities and finishing drives with our offense,” Prud’homme said.

The Rams always adjust to the way the other team plays, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“That’s really just the game of football,” he said. “For every team we end up playing, we have some different plays designed to put us ahead.”

The Rams have also been reviewing the Scots’ games during film to prepare for their specific plays, Mitchell-Dixon said.

5. Preparing to travel.

Pioneer Stadium is 442 miles away from Texas Wesleyan. The drive to Batesville, Ark. takes about seven hours to complete.

Some of the Rams love away games because of the travel time, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“I love travel games,” he said. “I love sleeping on the bus for long hours and getting off the bus to a football field. I think it gets us rejuvenated.”

Prud’homme does not like games that require a lot of time to travel to the game because of its effect on the players.

“The longer the trip, the tougher it is on the legs and overall preparation,” Prud’homme said.

The game can be watched live or followed through live stats on lyonscots.com.

While the Rams lost their homecoming game to Bacone College 33-18 on Saturday at Farrington Field, head coach Joe Prud’homme still had good things to say about his team’s performance.

“We didn’t play smart but we played hard,” Prud’homme said shortly after the loss. “It’s a step in the right direction.”

Prud’homme also praised the fans for coming out to support the team; attendance was 2,573, according to ramsports.net.

“I just appreciate everybody being here and being behind us,” he said. “It helps a lot.”

Bacone (2-5, 2-3 CSFL) was comfortably ahead by the fourth quarter, when the Rams scored all their points.

First, Jordan Sutherlin took a blocked extra point and ran the ball 100 yards for two points. Next, quarterback Erik Richards hit Colton Wade on a five-yard touchdown pass; Bryce Nye added the extra point.

Nye added a field goal, to give the Rams 12 points. The team’s final score was Richards’ 16-yard touchdown run.

A redshirt junior from Caddo Mills, Texas, Richards made his first start of the season, and had eight completions in 25 attempts for 45 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, according to ramsports.net.

Here are five ways the Rams are working toward a win and improving for future seasons.

1. Making the most out of opportunities.

The Rams played well and put themselves in a good position but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they got, Prud’homme said.

“But we played hard enough to get those opportunities in place,” he said. “We’ve got a first down on the 15 you’ve got to score we didn’t get that done.”

The offense looked pretty good and did well driving the ball, Richards said.

“We didn’t capitalize and score like we should have, though,” Richards said.

2. Eliminating big drives.

Overall, the defense did their job well they just allowed a few big plays that hurt the Rams in the end, linebacker Vincent Stephenson said.

“As a defense, we defended the run well and also forced a lot of three-and-outs,” Stephenson said. “We still need to work to eliminate letting up random big plays.”

3. Working as a team throughout the entire game.

As has been the case in the past, the Rams were not able to score until the fourth quarter.

“As a team, we need to improve on putting together a whole game,” Stephenson said. “Not one or two quarters where we decide to turn things up a notch.”

4. Avoiding mistakes.

“We had a little bit of improvement,” Prud’homme said. “We just have a ways to go. We’re still growing, still growing up.”

The Rams improve every week, Richards said. They just need to avoid making big mistakes.

“I think overall we did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball,” he said. “We just can’t get away from the four or five mishaps that put us behind or in bad situations.”

5. Recruiting.

The coaching staff has been working to get some new talent to come to the game and watch and then, perhaps play for the Rams next fall, Prud’homme said.

“We’ve got some really good kids coming,” he said. “We’re really proud of them. I think we’re going to do well recruiting.”

Head football coach Joe Prud’homme says the Rams have one priority heading into Saturday’s homecoming game against Bacone College.

They need to finish what they start.

“The main priority is to finish plays, drives, quarters, halves and games. We need to play well in all three phases in the same game for an entire game,” Prud’homme said Tuesday, not long after the team’s early morning practice. “We learn from our mistakes, build on our successes, and then turn the page after every game.”

The Rams (0-6, 0-3 Central States Football League) lost to Texas College on Saturday; the Steers had not won a game this season or last. For Saturday’s homecoming game at Farrington Field, the Rams face another struggling opponent. Bacone College is 1-5 this season and 1-3 against CSFL opponents, according to baconeathletics.com.

One of the real keys to the Rams getting a win before a hometown crowd is attitude, said running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon.

“Being 0-6 is something that no player or team wants,” Mitchell-Dixon said. “It hurts and a lot of people on this team have never lost this many games in high school. We all have stayed positive and the people that care about this team and want to succeed know that we can’t give up and have to keep fighting.”

The team has been working on getting focused and perfecting their skills, Prud’homme said. The Rams are working hard to improve every area they can.

1. Defense

The defense is focusing on defending against high impact plays, he said.

“Take away the big plays and adjust to motion,” Prud’homme said when asked what the defense’s main focus was.

The Rams have been spending even more time on the practice field than usual, cornerback Warren Cotlong said.

“We started having practice start a little earlier,” Cotlong said, “so we can have plenty of time to make sure everyone’s equipped for the game.”

The defense gets a little better week by week, so the main goal is to maintain the rate of improvement, Cotlong said.

2. Offense

The offense has been trying to finish more drives with touchdowns, Prud’homme said.

“Finishing plays and drives,” Prud’homme said, “continue to improve the run game.”

The offense is working on operating as a single unit instead of individual players, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“One thing that has messed up us all year long is that we never have all 11 players on the field going 100 percent and doing their job,” he said. “If we get that fixed, the sky’s the limit.”

3. Special teams

Special teams has continued to improve each week. Colby Reed had an impressive 57-yard punt last week, which set up Vincent Stephenson’s safety, according to ramsports.net.

“Special teams have been really solid this year,” Prud’homme said, “we want to score this week on special teams.”

4. Culture

The culture of the team has only gotten better and better since day one, Prud’homme said.

“Our team is growing up and learning what it takes to compete at the collegiate level and they have kept a positive attitude,” he said. “We are building the foundation and when you are as young as we are, coupled with the amount of injuries that we have had, it makes it very tough.”

The team uses mistakes as learning opportunities and builds on their successes, he said.

“We turn our attention towards improving the overall team every Sunday,” he said.

5. Intensity

The team always wants to up the intensity of their plays and be more aggressive, Cotlong said.

“Our coaches make sure we understand that you practice the way you play in the game,” he said, “so every practice we like to compete with high intensity so that everyone can get an accurate simulation or feel of how it will be on Saturday.”

Intensity is something the Rams cannot go without, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“Intensity is something that this team needs,” he said. “There’s drills we do to get us to where we need to be when it comes to intensity.”

The Rams play Bacone College at 2 p.m. Saturday at Farrington Field. Live stats and a live stream of the game will be available Saturday on ramsports.net.  Tickets are $10 general admission and are available at the gate and on ramsports.net.

Many people take the same route to being college professors: they go to school, get a doctorate, and get a job.
Dr. Robert Thiebaud didn’t. The Texas Wesleyan assistant professor of exercise science was going to be a computer science major just because he liked it, but switched to exercise science at Brigham Young University because it was taught in a more cohesive way than the computer science classes he was taking.
“I just kind of decided I wanted to switch and try something different,” Thiebaud said, “but I still liked science. I also liked exercise. I love sports. I just went to the counselor and they told me about exercise science. I loved it and just stuck with it.”
Thiebaud, affectionately called Dr. T by many of his students, said that he worked at several different physical therapy clinics, decided they weren’t a good fit for him, and then decided to pursue a master’s degree in exercise science at BYU.
As a graduate student, Thiebaud could teach activity classes and conduct research.
“I started doing it, and I really enjoyed it,” Thiebaud said. “Learning about new things is always fun. When you have questions, you can actually go and try to find the answer.”
Thiebaud said he owes some of his credit to the mentors that shaped him through graduate school.
“They got me to go to a conference,” he said, “and kind of just built on from there until I decided that, ‘I’ll do this Ph.D. and do research because it’s fun.’ I enjoyed it.”
Thiebaud earned his doctorate degree in exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma in 2014, and began teaching at Wesleyan the same year. He said that at Wesleyan professor’s focus on teaching but are also expected to continue to do research. He combines the two and uses his personal experiments to teach students outside the classroom.
“That’s the fun part, I think, is to get students involved in the research,” he said, “so they can see all the stuff that they’re learning in class and how it can be applied to different scenarios.”
Thiebaud said research studies teach students more than just science; they also teach problem-solving skills, because no experiment can be conducted perfectly.
“Seeing them progress and enjoy the experience and then having the students actually present some of that research at conferences is exciting,” Thiebaud said.
Thiebaud finds experiment ideas through his own interests and his students.
“I always try to make [the experiment] more towards interests that I have, that I’ve done previous research on,” he said. “But the FitBit study that I did that wasn’t necessarily my area of research. It was a question some students had so I thought, ‘Hey, let’s do a project and figure out how accurate they are.’”
Thiebaud has been impacting students at Wesleyan since 2014, according to txwes.edu.
“Dr. T has shown me what it means to be an all-around good professor,” said senior exercise major Jacey Patton. “Not only has he been an incredible teacher, he has also helped in preparation for life after graduation whether that is graduate school or working in the field.”
Patton said that assisting Thiebaud with research has taught her many things besides just research methods.
“Conducting research has been very beneficial because it also taught me about myself,” Patton said. “I have been able to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom and have seen the aspects of research that I truly enjoy. It has shown me that I would like to continue conducting research and pursue higher education.”
Thiebaud typically invites students to be lab assistants, she said. Since Patton has always loved to learn, she jumped at the chance to help conduct research.
“I knew that I would have the ability to learn skills that would carry over into other aspects of life,” Patton said. “I was able to learn the process of conducting a research study and what it takes to conduct one of good quality. I was very excited to have the opportunity to put what I had learned into action.”
Lab assistants have a lot of responsibilities like testing equipment and gathering supplies, she said.
“I also help prepare the individual(s) participating in the research,” Patton said. “This includes things like placing electrodes in their proper place, fitting the equipment to the participant, making sure that they are aware of everything that will happen, and ensuring that they are comfortable throughout the testing. I also help in administering the test. This includes time-sensitive data collection, informing the participant of what will happen next, and making sure that the equipment functions properly throughout the protocol.”
Chandler Henderson, a senior exercise science major, said Thiebaud is very intelligent and makes being in the classroom fun. Thiebaud gives quizzes and homework to prepare students for tests, and he’s always open to students stopping by for help if they’re struggling with the material.
“I like that he takes an interest in each student,” Henderson said. “I like that he cares about his students and what he is teaching. He is a great man and a great professor.”
Oscar Peña, also a senior exercise science major, said he enjoys Thiebaud’s classes because he is passionate about learning, even though he has a Ph.D. Peña.
“He isn’t full of himself despite being a pretty smart guy,” Peña said. “He’s open to learning about new things and this kind of goes hand in hand with being passionate about teaching. If a student has a question about a particular subject and he isn’t able to answer it he will look into it and follow up the next class.”
Thiebaud tries to teach critical thinking, teamwork, and science using several different methods, Peña said.
“He is open to constructive criticism and suggestions on his teaching approach,” Peña said. “In doing so, he’s made it clear that his prime objective is making sure that every student is able to thrive in his class.”
Peña also said that Thiebaud has a great sense of humor and outlook on life that shine through in the classroom.
“I enjoy that he’s caring, and that he puts in grades fairly quick,” Peña said. “He tells you what he expects, what you need to do to be successful, and helps you as best as he can. What else would you want from a professor?”
For more information about Thiebaud’s studies, email rthiebaud@txwes.edu.

When asked if the Texas College game this Saturday could be the Rams’ first win of the season, head coach Joe Prud’homme said, “We are certainly approaching it that way.”

Both teams are 0-5 this season, and Texas College, located in Tyler, has suffered at least one crushing defeat, losing to Hardin-Simmons University 74-0 in early September. Last year the Steers were 0-8, according to centralstatesfootball.com.

So it looks, at least on paper, like the Rams are is poised to record their first victory since World War II.

“This will be the Rams’ first win, I promise. Everybody get ready,” said running back Brandon Reeves.

So how are they getting ready? Here’s how.

1. They’re watching film.

“We started the film breakdown of Texas College last week,” Prud’homme said, “and have been working on a game plan that will play to our strengths and take advantage of certain areas.”

The team has been using what they’ve seen in film to improve at situational decision making, Prud’homme said.

“We have been working on the finer details of the offense,” he said.

2. They’re changing the game plan.

The Rams will have a few new plays this Saturday. The team has used what they’ve seen about Texas College to play to the Rams’ strengths and capitalize on the Steers’ weaknesses, Prud’homme said.

“We will be working on a very specific game plan that we feel will be successful,” he said.

If the  Rams stick to the game plan Prud’homme has prepared then the Rams can beat the Steers, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said.

“Our main goals are to execute our plays, limit mistakes, and get this first W for Texas Wesleyan,” Mitchell-Dixon said.

The Rams have been trying to intensify their practices in order to translate that intensity to game day, Reeves said.

“We’ve been trying to get practices more hype in the mornings to have more of a spark throughout the periods,” Reeves said. “We’ve taken the physicality up a notch.”

3. They’re staying humble.

The Steers are hungry for a win but so are the Rams, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“They’ve had close games all season with a lot of teams they faced so we have to be hungrier than them,” Mitchell-Dixon said.

Despite their record, Texas College is a good team with a lot of players, Reeves said.

“But with the preparing we’ve been doing in the weight room and on the field,” Reeves said, “I feel we’re going to bring a W back to campus Saturday as a team.”

The Steers have improved a lot since last year and they’re extremely athletic, Prud’homme said.

“They have lost their last two games in the final minutes,” he said. “So, they are very hungry.”

The Rams and Steers play Saturday at 7 p.m. in Tyler.

The Rams fell to the Langston University Lions 34-0 on Saturday, but head coach Joe Prud’homme saw some improvement, despite the score.

“The run offense, special teams and overall defensive improvement were the strengths,” Prud’homme said after the game, which was played in Oklahoma. “The defensive line especially was a strength.”

The Rams (0-5, 0-2) increased their run game from five rushing yards in the first game of the season, against McPherson College on Sept. 2, to 78 rushing yards against Langston, according to ramsports.net.

Despite not scoring on the Lions, who were ranked No. 11 in the NAIA before the game, the Rams still did several things better than in the past.

1. Running the ball.

The offense did well running the ball against Langston, and would’ve done well passing as well except there were too many turnovers, Prud’homme said.

“The offense ran the ball well, but we had too many turnovers when we had created some good opportunities. But overall we improved some on offense,” Prud’homme said.

The offense did a good job moving the ball, but they need to work better as a team, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said.

“When it comes to turnovers we want all of them to be prevented. We have to protect the football,” Mitchell-Dixon said.

The offensive line could get better if they can learn to execute as a unit, quarterback Kane Hardin said.

“I was really proud of the way the o-line played,” Hardin said. “They fought hard and I thought they played pretty well. We just have to execute effectively as a unit.”

2. Defending against offensive drives.

“The defense improved quite a bit, we made a few mistakes, but the overall improvement was significant,” Prud’homme said. “We gave their offense some problems and some bad plays as far as sacks and tackles for losses.”

The defense took care of business on the majority of their plays, linebacker Dewaun Colbert said.

“I feel we went out and executed but had a couple busted plays on our part which they took advantage of and scored on,” Colbert said. “But I feel as long as we clean the little things up we’ll be good.”

The Rams kept Langston’s big plays to a minimum, linebacker Vincent Stephenson said.

“As a defense I think we played the pass much better,” Stephenson said. “They had a lot of athletes at receiver and we did a good job preventing them from being a big factor. We also kept big plays to a minimum.”

3. Growing up.

The Rams as a whole have made improvements and gained experience from facing tough competitors all season, Prud’homme said.

The team plans to use these games as lessons and build on the experience for future games, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“Our team as a unit improved and learned from this game,” he said, “and we’ll use to that energy we have on Texas College.”

The Rams will play Texas College in Tyler at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7.

Linebacker Dewaun Colbert making a tackle against the McPherson Bulldogs in the first game of the season.
Photo by Little Joe

The Rams’ season so far has not been easy, and it’s just about to get tougher.

The team is 0-4 and this Saturday faces a very tough opponent in the Langston University Lions, who last week beat Bacone College 36-6; the win kept the Lions perfect for the season at 3-0, and they also moved up several spots in the 2017 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, to No. 11, according to langstonsports.com.

The Rams will have a much better chance at getting a win if they can execute plays to the best of their ability, head coach Joe Prud’homme said.

“[The Rams need to] play one play at a time and focus on executing all of the little things,” Prud’homme said. “If we do this we will be in a much better place.”

The Rams have to focus on several things on Saturday.

1. Focus on the details.

It’s important to focus on Langston’s team but it’s also important for the team to remember it’s still a football game, Prud’homme said.

“Play one play at a time and focus on executing all of the little things,” Prud’homme said.

2. Be prepared.

“[Langston University is] very athletic and experienced,” Prud’homme said. “We need to limit their explosive plays.”

The team has been focusing on the type of routes Langston typically runs, linebacker Vincent Stephenson said.

“Our scouting report has shown that Langston has a strong defense,” Stephenson said, “and their offense tries to get tricky with their formations and plays.” 

The Lions have a reputation as an experienced team with a lot of talent, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon wrote in a text message.

“I’ve heard they’re really good,” Mitchell-Dixon wrote. “But every team can be beat. They have on shoulder pads just like we do.”

3. Play harder and smarter.

The team has been studying how Langston plays football to prepare for their plays, Mitchell-Dixon wrote.

“We’re looking at how Langston lines up,” Mitchell-Dixon wrote, “and what they do to put us in the best position to win.”

The Rams aren’t just focusing on Langston though. They’re trying to perfect their plays and up the intensity, Mitchell-Dixon wrote.

“[It’s going to take] executing our plays and going 100 percent on everything,” Mitchell-Dixon wrote.

The Rams aren’t reinventing the wheel. They’re just trying to be the best that they can be, Stephenson said.

“We haven’t changed practice,” Stephenson said. “We continue to have the same approach, high in both concentration and effort.”

The Texas Wesleyan Rams play the Langston University Lions on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Oklahoma. The game will not be live streamed. For more information, go to ramsports.net.

The Rams fell 42-7 to Southwestern Assemblies of God University at Farrington Field on Saturday.

The game was the team’s first against a Central States Football League opponent and afterwards head coach Joe Prud’homme said part of the reason for the loss was a lack of intensity through all four quarters.

“We played well for a long time,” Prud’homme said. “We didn’t play well long enough.”

SAGU (3-1, 2-0) scored seven points in the first quarter, 14 in the second and 21 in the third, according to ramsports.net. The Rams’ only touchdown came in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Colby Reed hit Marquette Kennedy from 11 yards out.

While the loss was disappointing, there were bright spots. The Rams had more time of possession than SAGU, and reduced their penalties from 11 for 148 yards in their first game of the season to eight for 93 yards, according to ramsports.net.

“Overall, we were better at giving up less penalty yards,” linebacker Vincent Stephenson said. “As a defense, we defended run much better this week and are continuing to improve in most aspects of the game.”

Here is what Prud’homme and quarterback Kane Hardin say the Rams need to do to improve.

1. Defend against big plays

The Rams can’t win if the defense gives up big plays, Prud’homme said.

“We can’t give up big plays and expect to have success,” he said.

The Rams did stop SAGU’s run game pretty well, Prud’homme said.

“Their quarterback threw for seven touchdowns last week,” he said, “so we did slow him down a little bit. Just gave up plays at the wrong time. If you take away their big plays they’re not driving the field on us so that’s a positive.”

2. Avoid turnovers.

The offense didn’t do as well this weekend. Four turnovers led to the Lions scoring 21 of their 42 points, according to ramsports.net.

“We didn’t do very great on offense,” Hardin said. “We struggled. We just have to keep our heads up, it’s a learning process and we just need to get better every week.”

3. Keep growing.

The team will continue to get better with time as the team gets older. The majority of the roster holds true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and some sophomores while the Rams’ opponents start mostly juniors and seniors, Prud’homme said.

“We still have a ways to go,” he said. “We’ve just got to grow up.”

The Rams travel to Oklahoma to take on the Langston University Lions on Saturday. Kickoff is 2 p.m. The Lions beat the Bacone College Warriors 36-6 on Saturday, according to langstonsports.com.

The Rams are coming home Saturday afternoon, and the game marks another milestone in their return.

When the team plays Southwestern Assemblies of God University at 2 p.m. at Farrington Field, they will be facing their first conference opponent since the program was revived this season.

“I’ve been emphasizing the fact that this our first conference game,” head coach Joe Prud’homme said, “and that this is what we have been preparing for.”

SAGU, 4-6 in 2016, is an experienced team and they won’t lose because of their own mistakes, Prud’homme said.

“They have strong lines and are always in position to make plays,” he said.

The Rams are trying to perfect their game plan since the game against the Lions is the first conference game, defensive end Ucheoma Oparaochaekwe said.

“This is the first conference game so from here on out it’s going to be important for us to get things together,” Oparaochaekwe said.

SAGU is in Waxahachie and has historically been a big rival of Texas Wesleyan University, Oparaochaekwe said.

“If I remember right, I think a couple of their guys were talking some stuff on twitter,” Oparaochaekwe said, “and the short distance from them is sure to make this a much more personal game than our others.”

Conference games mean a lot more than pre-season games because they affect the team’s standings, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said.

“This is very important when it comes to conference championships,” Mitchell-Dixon said.

This what the Rams have to do to win on Saturday.

1. Focus on the little things.

“I’m focusing on getting our guys to pay attention to all of the small details,” Prud’homme said, “and not let up at any time.”

The Rams aren’t worried about facing SAGU, Mitchell-Dixon said. They’re focusing on perfecting their execution.

“I don’t see any concerns at all,” Mitchell-Dixon said. “As long as we execute as a team we should be able to get the job done and take our first win.”

2. Reduce penalties.

“We cut down dramatically on penalties last week, which was an area of improvement,” Prud’homme said, “which will still be emphasized.”

The Rams just want to execute their plays to the best of their ability against SAGU, starting quarterback Kane Hardin said.

“We’re just trying to go out and execute,” Hardin said. “We’ve shown flashes of it in all three games; we just want to put it together and play a great game overall. We’re just focused on executing ourselves and playing the best game we can play.”

3. Defend against big plays.

The defense, which has given up 114 points in the season’s first three games, has to step up their game and stop big plays from scoring, Prud’homme said.

“Defensively, we need to eliminate the big plays and easy scores,” Prud’homme said.

The team has focusing on perfecting their plays, Dewaun Colbert said.

“We’ve been focusing mostly on just executing plays,” Colbert said, “getting more turnovers as a defense and minimizing mistakes.”

4. Finish offensive drives.

The Rams need to finish offensive drives and continue to improve their run game, Prud’homme said.

“We have to be mistake free,” he said. “Drive the ball on offense and finish with touchdowns. We need to be more opportunistic when we have chances to score.”

5. Stay accountable during practices.

The team has been focusing on holding each other accountable during practice, Oparaochaekwe said.

“We feel like at some point that accountability was lost between the team. The coaches made it a focus to get back on track, and make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to do,” he said.

The team has putting in a lot of work at their 6 a.m. practices, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“We’ve been doing everything possible to put ourselves in a great position to win,” he said. “We practice good, we’ll play good.”

The team isn’t necessarily concerned about what SAGU is going to do, Hardin said.

“We’ve just been trying to really master our craft and get better at we do,” he said. “There’s no big adjustments or anything, we’re just trying to be the best we can be.”