ACU, Lions set to renew rivalry
10/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Week 8: Abilene Christian at Texas A&M-Commerce
ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS (4-3, 3-2)
vs. Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (1-7, 0-5)
Saturday, November 1, 2003 * 2 p.m.
Memorial Stadium (10,000 / Grass) * Commerce, TX
SETTING THE SCENE: The Wildcats hook up with their old rival Texas A&M-Commerce this Saturday during homecoming festivities in Commerce.
Saturday's has no post-season implications for the Lions, but huge implications for the Wildcats, who suddenly find themselves in the thick of the race for an NCAA Division II post-season playoff spot.
The Wildcats -- who haven't been ranked in the NCAA Division II West Region poll all season because they haven't been over the .500 mark -- debuted at No. 6 in this week's poll, just two spots out of the fourth and final playoff spot from the region. Central Oklahoma is ranked No. 1, followed by Mesa State (Colo.), Texas A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State and Chadron State (Neb.).
If the Wildcats can win out - Saturday at Commerce, next Saturday at home against Kingsville and in two weeks at West Texas A&M -- and get some help, they could make their first-ever Division II playoff appearance this season.
First, though, the Wildcats must get past a Commerce team that played its best game of the season last week in a 10-3 loss at Eastern New Mexico. The Wildcats and Lions have played each other more times than any other two teams in the LSC with 62 meetings between the teams dating back to 1922. ACU leads the series 35-26-1.
RADIO: KULL 92.5 FM. David Bacon (play-by-play), Chuck Statler (color commentary) and Ruben Gonzalez (sideline reporter) bring you all the action. ACU football games can be heard on www.tsrnsports.com
WILDCAT OFFENSE: The Wildcats have to play better in the last three weeks if they want to continue on their march to back-to-back winning seasons and a potential NCAA Division II playoff berth. The Wildcats picked up just 188 yards of total offense last week, settled for four field goals, did not have a scoring drive longer than nine yards and -- aside from one touchdown -- never got closer to the end zone than the Midwestern State 17-yard line. And yet the Wildcats beat Midwestern State, 18-14, thanks to four field goals from junior placekicker Eben Nelson. ... Junior quarterback Greg Wiggins struggled some in his first start of the season in place of the injured Colby Freeman (broken left ulna). Wiggins completed just 9 of 22 passes for 80 yards and one interception in the game, and his longest completion was just 19 yards. ... Junior running back Willie Williams got the second start of his career last week, and had 81 yards and one score on 29 carries against a tough Indian defense. He could get the start again Saturday against the Lions, in place of senior Richard Whitaker, who hasn't been able to shake the effects of a severely sprained left ankle he suffered in ACU's loss at Central Oklahoma two weeks ago. Whitaker carried just three times for 10 yards in the win over Midwestern State before leaving the game still in quite a bit of pain. Williams leads the Wildcats in rushing with 495 yards and five scores on 107 carries, while Whitaker has 460 yards and three TDs on 89 carries. ... Freshman Mark Gaines carried five times for four yards as ACU managed just 108 yards on 43 carries (2.5 yards per carry) against Midwestern State. ... Wide receiver Vince Copeland came up with one of the Wildcats' biggest catches of the season late in the ballgame to help seal the victory. ACU led 18-14 when it started a drive on its own 6-yard line with 4:34 left in the game. On third down and with MSU out of timeouts, Wiggins hit Copeland for 13 yards and a first down, and the Wildcats were able to run the clock out on their fourth win of the season. ... The Wildcats will have to shuffle their offensive line for Saturday's game at Commerce after last Saturday's knee injury to Cody Savage, who could be out for the rest of the season. With Savage going down, Charles Mock will move to left tackle with senior left tackle Britt Lively moving to right guard and sophomore Josh Lively moving into the starting spot at right tackle. Lively is the third player to man the right guard position this season after Cody Stewart and Savage both went down. The Lively brothers haven't started together on the offensive line since the 1998 high school season at Silsbee High School when Britt was a senior and Josh a sophomore.
WILDCAT DEFENSE: The Wildcats posted their best effort of the season in last Saturday's 18-14 win over Midwestern State, holding the Indians to just 223 yards of total offense and, aside from the Indians' first touchdown drive, no drive of more than 40 yards. The Indians, in fact, posted just three drives of more than 20 yards, outside of the opening touchdown drive. ... The Wildcats harassed Midwestern State quarterbacks Rahsaan Bell and Phillip Boggs into a combined 15 for 25 day for 111 yards and one interception in the game. Boggs didn't play in the game until the fourth quarter because of a strained rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder, but he was rudely welcomed to the game when redshirt freshman Danieal Manning picked off a pass on his first play of the game. That interception led to a field goal to give ACU a four-point cushion. ... ACU's bookend defensive ends, Brad Walton and Clayton Farrell, each had big sacks in the ballgame to snuff out potential Midwestern State drives. Both of those players have five sacks apiece on the season to lead the Wildcats. Walton has 14 career sacks, and is just two sacks away from joining former ACU all-America Kenny Davidson (1977-80) at No. 10 on the school's career sack list. Farrell is not far behind with 10 sacks already in just 17 career games. ... Junior middle linebacker Randall Webb was once again all over the field against Midwestern State, coming up with 10 tackles (four solo), one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. He leads the Wildcats with 73 tackles on the season (27 solo), has six tackles for 27 yards in losses and two sacks. He leads the club with five quarterback hurries and has two pass breakups. ... Manning has really begun to assert himself the last few weeks, coming up with one interception in each of the last two games to give him four for the season, which is tied for the LSC lead. He also has 41 tackles (19 solo), four pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His four interceptions rank 26th nationally. ... The Wildcats will have to re-shuffle some in their secondary with the loss of Adam Black to a potential season-ending knee injury. While not a starter, Black was a valuable reserve, and his spot will likely be filled by sophomore Jamie Bueno.
WILDCAT SPECIAL TEAMS: ACU junior placekicker Eben Nelson had a record-setting day on more than one front in the win over Midwestern State. Nelson became the leading field goal kicker in Wildcat football history after he connected on four field goals in Saturday's win. Nelson kicked field goals of 42, 42, 34 and -- just for good measure on a record-setting day -- a career-long 53 yarder. He also earned LSC South Division Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts. Nelson's four field goals broke the previous school record for most career field goals. Nelson now has 28 field goals, one more than previous record-holder Mark Turner converted from 1984-86. He also has nine field goals this season, which is only five away from tying the school's single-season record of 14 (Dennis Brown in 1987). He also tied the school record for most field goals in a game. He tied the record that Turner set in 1986 against Angelo State and Brown tied in 1987 against Tennessee Tech. Nelson also has 139 career kicking points, which is fifth on the school's all-time career list. He is just 14 points behind the career leader, Martin Perry, who scored 163 kicking points from 1978-1981. Nelson hit three field goals in the second half, and his third field goal of the day - a 42-yarder with 38 seconds left in the third quarter - gave ACU a lead it would not relinquish. Nelson has provided the game-winning points (either PAT or field goals) five times in 28 career games as a Wildcat. Nelson ranks second in the LSC and 14th nationally with 1.2 field goals per game.
Q&A WITH HEAD COACH GARY GAINES
Did the way you played offensively last week concern you, or do you attribute it to the way Midwestern State played defensively?
"I hope it was Midwestern's defense. I thought Greg (Wiggins) played well for his first time as a starter in a long time. We were a little bit sloppy in some spots, but I'm sure their defense had a lot to do with that."
Talk a little bit about Texas A&M-Commerce and the problems they pose both offensively and defensively.
"Offensively they're very multiple. Their running game meshes with running game very well. The wide receivers are talented, and they have a big offensive line. Defensively, they're fantastic against the rush. We haven't been very efficient throwing the ball lately, and it's certainly a concern if we can't get a running game going."
You're suddenly in the race for a playoff spot. Is it something you want your players to be aware of, or would you rather they not worry about it for a couple of weeks?
"Inevitable that you think about it. They know we have to win out to have a chance. But they better be looking with their full focus on Commerce, because that team is a sleeping giant, and we don't want to wake that team up."
WILDCAT DEPTH CHART
Offense
Quarterback
4 Greg Wiggins (6-3, 205, jr, 2VL, Austin)
15 Caleb Ensor (6-3, 215, fr, RS, Abilene)
Running back
12 Willie Williams (5-8, 180, jr, 2VL, Houston)
21 Richard Whitaker (5-10, 200, sr, Tr, Jacksonville)
Fullback
48 Nick Anthony (6-1, 200, soph, 1VL, Roscoe)
40 Brett Unger (6-0, 225, jr, 2VL, Abilene)
Tight end
83 Odis Dolton (6-3, 240, soph, 1VL, Abilene)
85 Clinton Farrell (6-1, 225, soph, 1VL, Hallsville)
Left tackle
74 Charles Mock (6-4, 300, soph, 1VL, Abilene)
78 John Douty (6-5, 290, fr, HS, Kennedale)
Left guard
77 Buddy Dowden (6-3, 285, sr, 3VL, Abilene)
72 Logan Bains (6-2, 270, fr, HS, Southlake)
Center
69 Blake Lewis (6-4, 275, sr, 3VL, Brady)
79 Tayler Cates (6-3, 260, fr, HS, McKinney)
Right guard
68 Britt Lively (6-5, 310, sr, 2VL, Silsbee)
72 Logan Bains (6-2, 270, fr, HS, Southlake)
Right tackle
66 Josh Lively (6-5, 315, soph, 1VL, Silsbee)
78 John Douty (6-5, 290, fr, HS, Kennedale)
Wide receiver
18 Tony Cunningham (6-1, 170, soph, 1VL, Abilene)
7 DaRay Sims (6-2, 190, sr, 1VL, Corsicana)
Wide receiver
86 Dillon Cobb (5-11, 170, jr, 2VL, Stamford)
17 Roddy Alexander (5-8, 165, sr, 2VL, Roscoe)
Defense
Left Defensive End
54 Clayton Farrell (6-5, 275, soph, 1VL, Hallsville)
89 Mark Malunowe (6-1, 240, soph, 1VL, Fort Worth)
Nose guard
99 Devian Mims (6-1, 310, sr, 1VL, Waco)
60 Rahgene Cherry (6-2, 280, soph, 1VL, Plano)
Defensive tackle
44 Joe Edwards (6-3, 275, fr, Tr, Dayton)
95 Michael Walker (6-2, 265, sr, 3VL, Abilene)
Right defensive end
90 Brad Walton (6-3, 235, sr, 3VL, Fort Worth)
88 Deshun Brown (6-3, 250, jr, Tr, Killeen)
Strongside linebacker
27 Shawn Taylor (LB, 5-11, 215, jr, 2VL, Hallsville)
8 Matt Allen (6-1, 200, soph, 1VL, Canyon)
Middle linebacker
55 Randall Webb (6-2, 225, jr, Tr, Mesquite)
13 Todd Mrozek (6-3, 230, jr, Tr, Plano)
Weakside linebacker
33 Cliff Compton (6-2, 225, sr, 3VL, Bedford)
34 Daniel Evans-Pickens (5-11, 190, sr, 3VL, Houston)
Left cornerback
24 Corey Thompson (5-10, 180, jr, 2VL, Killeen)
19 Omar Tejeda (5-11, 175, soph, 1VL, Arlington)
Strong safety
11 Danieal Manning (6-0, 195, fr, RS, Corsicana)
37 Brandon Henry (6-0, 180, fr, RS, Kaufman)
Free safety
2 Dawon Gentry (5-11, 195, jr, Tr, Denison)
25 Nate Petross (5-10, 175, fr, HS, Spring)
Right cornerback
31 Kendrick Walker (5-8, 170, sr, 1VL, Corsicana)
1 Jamie Bueno (5-10, 170, soph, 1VL, Andrews)
Specialists
Punter
81 Chase Fishback (6-4, 200, soph, 1VL, Early)
Placekicker
32 Eben Nelson (5-11, 165, jr, 2VL, Stephenville)
Injuries
DB 23 David Jones (6-0, 175, sr, 3VL, Kaufman)
(torn right achilles tendon; out for season)
OL 70 Jeff Shelburne (6-4, 250, soph, 1VL, Muleshoe)
(dislocated right shoulder; out for season)
OL 65 Cody Stewart (6-2, 285, jr, 1VL, Everman)
(broken right leg; out for season)
RB 21 Richard Whitaker (5-10, 2100, sr, Tr, Jacksonville)
(sprained left ankle; probable)
WR 6 Jason Campbell (6-1, 180, jr, 2VL, Temple)
(broken finger on right hand; questionable)
QB 5 Colby Freeman (6-3, 205, sr, 2VL, Brownwood)
(broken left ulna; doubtful)
OL 65 Cody Savage (6-4, 310, fr, RS, Atlanta
(sprained right knee; out)
FB 40 Brett Unger (6-0, 225, jr, 2VL, Abilene)
(sprained MCL and concussion; out)
DB 3 Adam Black (5-11, 190, jr, Tr, Houston)
(sprained left knee; out)
