Rams host international football game

The Rams football team has been practicing every day to prepare for the game.

The Texas Wesleyan University football team is hosting Arkansas State University – Querétaro Campus Red Wolves (ASUCQ ) for the first time at the season-opening game on Saturday, August 27 at Farrington Field Stadium.  

The anticipated game titled Global Clasico, sponsored by NTB Financial and other local companies, will feature a pregame concert featuring country artist Deanna Wheeler and country/rock/mariachi fusion band Tequila Rock Revolution. 

“This is a cultural event in Fort Worth. It’s not just a football game – it’s so much more than a football game,” said Rams Football Head Coach Joe Purd’homme at the Global Clasico press conference in May. 

Senior Rams football players quarterback Dalton Dale, offensive lineman Jonathan Nelson and linebacker Dylan Pettway have been playing together since freshman year.

ASUCQ Head Football Coach Gerardo Antonio Tajonar Garduño said at the same conference that he was excited about the game and how the Global Clasico will shape future relations. “It’s not about the outcome,” he said. “What’s important is the relationship we are building not only between the United States and Mexico, but the universities.” 

Never in Texas Wesleyan history has the Rams football team played against the international team based in Mexico. ASUCQ is the first American-style university in Mexico. They won 2 games in their first season and currently have 50 players on their roster.  

Senior Rams football team captain Jonathan Nelson said the team has been practicing every day to prepare for the upcoming game. “We’re working through our plays making sure that we’re sound in the world that we are jelling as a unit,” he said.

“Our team is a player-lead team and I love that because every single guy on our team knows that if something needs to get done, we do it,” Nelson said. “We don’t wait for coaches; we take charge of our team.”  

Senior quarterback Dalton Dale (#1) runs drills to prepare for the Global Clasico.

Some players have been preparing for the game in a different way. Dylan Pettway, senior Rams left back, practices yoga every day. “I try and do it every night, but I’ve been kind of lacking the past week,” he said. “I’m kind of getting old so I got to keep my body [and] keep my mind right.” 

The expected game-day crowd will be the largest number of spectators the football team has ever played in front of at Texas Wesleyan. Senior Rams quarterback Dalton Dale said, “[The other team] is coming all the way from Mexico, so it’s going to be a big game and… lot of important people coming out, so it’s going to be exciting.” 

 

Tickets will be sold at the east ticket booth on game day. 

  • Adults (18 and up): $10 
  • Students (13-18 years old): $5 
  • Children (12 and under): Free 
  • Texas Wesleyan student, faculty and staff: Free with Texas Wesleyan ID 

Additional Game day Information can be found on the TxWes website.