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­­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.”