MIDLAND The UTPB football team made a trio of mistakes and visiting Angelo State made the Falcons pay for each one.
Intercepting three passes and turning them all into touchdowns, the fifth-ranked Rams defeated the Falcons 34-21 in the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams Saturday at Astound Broadband Stadium.
Angelo State improved to 3-0 on the season, while UTPB dropped to 1-2.
The Rams’ Andrews Pitts opened the scoring when he returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown with 6:19 remaining to play in the first quarter.
That started a run of 24 unanswered points for the Rams, a hole from which the Falcons could not recover.
Angelo State quarterback Zach Bronkhorst finished 22-of-42 passing for 325 yards and two touchdowns.
Rams’ running back Nate Omayebu finished with a game-high 130 yards and one touchdown.
UTPB quarterback Jordan Barton was 10 of 19 passing for 246 yards and two touchdowns, with the three interceptions.
He also was sacked 10 times in his debut for the Falcons.
Wide receiver MJ Link was the bright spot for the UTPB offense with five receptions for 191 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard catch-and-run with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter.
That touchdown moved Link to the top of the Falcons’ career list with 14.
He would make it 15 on UTPB’s next drive, this time taking a pass from Barton and turning it into a 70-yard score with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter.
That cut the Rams’ lead to 24-21, and the Angelo State defense stepped in to take control.
Barton was sacked to end the Falcons’ first drive of the fourth quarter, with the Rams driving for a 46-yard field goal by Asa Fuller to make it a six-point cushion (27-21) with 8:33 remaining to play.
Just three plays later, Angelo State’s Daron Allman intercepted a pass at the Rams’ 29 and returned it to midfield.
