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ARLINGTON – The ACU Wildcats return to the field Saturday after a 15-day respite, and the team and venue they find awaiting them provide the backdrop on what should be a great afternoon of college football.</div>
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The Wildcats (1-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation by <em>d2football.com</em> and No. 3 by the AFCA) are set to take on perennial powerhouse North Alabama (2-0, No. 4 by AFCA, No. 9 by <em>d2football.com</em>) at 4 p.m.in the second game of the Lone Star Football Festival at one of sports’ greatest venues, Cowboys Stadium.<br />
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The first game of the day pits Midwestern State against Texas A&M-Commerce at noon in the Harvey Martin Classic, followed by ACU and North Alabama at 4 p.m. The final game of the day will kick off at 8 p.m. and features West Texas A&M and against Texas A&M-Kingsville.<br />
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"This should be a great day for the Lone Star Conference, our teams and our fans," ACU head coach Chris Thomsen said. "(LSC commissioner) Stan Wagnon and his staff have done a great job of putting this together, and it should be a great event. We've never done anything like this in the time that I've been associated with the LSC, and I'm excited about it. This will provide great exposure for our league."<br />
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The three games will be played in a stadium that, since it opened in June 2009, has hosted the NBA All-Star Game, the Big 12 Championship Game, the Cotton Bowl, the Cowboys Classic, and the Southwest Classic, and will host the NCAA Final Four in 2014.<br />
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"This is a great opportunity for players from all six teams who are going to be participating in the festival," Thomsen said. "Division II players work extremely hard and don't get a lot of the same opportunities to play in venues like this that guys at the Division I level get, so this should be a great time for everyone."<br />
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This will be the first matchup between the Wildcats and Lions, and will be only the fourth game ever between ACU and a team from the Gulf South Conference (ACU lost three straight to former GSC member Central Arkansas from 2001-03).<br />
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While the Wildcats had to rally for a 27-24 win over Tarleton State in their season-opener on Sept. 1, the Lions have cruised to wins over Central Oklahoma and Glenville State (W.Va.). North Alabama – coached by former Auburn head coach Terry Bowden – has one of the top players in the country at any level in its secondary in transfer cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who will certainly provide a test for ACU quarterback Mitchell Gale and his receivers.<br />
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Jenkins – a transfer from the University of Florida – is ranked as ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay’s top cornerback prospect in the country entering the 2011 college season.<br />
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While Jenkins could draw most of the attention of the scouts from 13 NFL teams set to attend Saturday’s game, ACU has headliners of its own in Gale, senior defensive end
Aston Whiteside and junior defensive end
Ryan Smith, who tallied three sacks of Tarleton State quarterback Nick Stephens.<br />
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"North Alabama is an awesome addition to this festival," Thomsen said. "I've coached against (in 2003 and 2004) when I was an assistant at North Alabama, and I know what they're all about. They've got a great tradition and a great team this year, and we're excited about getting the opportunity to play them."<br />
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