The Rams fell to the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys 42-7 on Saturday in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

The team wasn’t pleased with the way the game went and felt like they repeated some of the mistakes they made the week before in their 29-13 loss to Millsaps College, head coach Joe Prud’homme said.

“Our defense gave up too many big plays,” Prud’homme said Saturday. “Our special teams weren’t as sharp today as they were last week.”

Once again, the Rams had a worse first half than second half. The Cowboys scored 35 of their 42 points by halftime, according to ramsports.net.

The Rams’ lone touchdown came in the third quarter. Archie Amos caught a Kane Hardin pass on third down and ran the ball 26 yards, according to ramsports.net. Jermarcus Jones ran the ball four more yards to set up a one-yard touchdown pass from Hardin to Anthony Caston.

The Rams haven’t been outscored in the second half all season, according to ramsports.net

The loss puts the Rams at 0-3 for the season; they play Southwestern Assemblies of God University at Farrington Field on Saturday.

Here is what the Rams need to do to get back on track.

1. Be more aggressive on offense. The team has done pretty well in the second half but they need to bring that intensity in the first half as well, Prud’homme said.

“Our offense ran the ball better. We need to finish drives,” he said.

2. Maintain the same intensity during the game as at practice, linebacker Vincent Stephenson said.

“I think we brought more focus and a better effort at practice this week,” Stephenson said.

The team needs to work together throughout the whole game, not just in few quarters, he said.

“We also need to pick up the energy on the sideline no matter if things are going right or wrong,” he said.

3. Stick to their assignments and listen to their coaches, Ramsland said.

“We need to listen to the coaching staff and play with our hearts. We need to get better at squeezing the ball and blocking who we’re assigned to,” he said.

The defense needs to stick to the game plan and work more cohesively throughout the game, Stephenson said.

“As a defense, we need to work on sticking to our assignments trusting the player next to us,” he said.

4. Be more consistent, Prud’homme said.

“We have to put all three phases together and be more consistent overall,” he said. “We reduced our penalties considerably and that was a positive.”

The team does really well in some quarters but blows plays in others, he said.

“We also need to work on being more consistent from quarter to quarter,” Stephenson said.

5. Come ready to win, Ramsland said.

“We didn’t come to play. It was our worst game yet,” Ramsland said. “We have to execute and adapt to the other teams.”

The intensity the Rams normally have just wasn’t there, Stephenson said.

“I think we came out flat to start,” he said. “We did not look like ourselves in the first half of the game. Our intensity was not the way it was during the first two games but it will not happen like that again.”

Vincent Stephenson (36) making a tackle in the game against McPherson on Sept. 9.
Photo by Little Joe