ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats wrapped up fall camp Saturday morning with a 90-minute "dress rehearsal" for the season-opener next Saturday at Shotwell Stadium.
The Wildcats went through offensive and special teams situations at the
Wally Bullington Practice Field in preparation for Saturday's game against Concordia (Ala.) College.
"That was the most focused and intense 'dress rehearsal' practice we've had in a long time," ACU head coach
Ken Collums told his players after they wrapped up the morning session. "That shows me you're ready to play. I think we have a chance to have something special here, and your work (Saturday) tells me you believe the same thing."
The Wildcats will be off Sunday and have a shortened practice Monday because it's the first day of school. But they'll back to their regular schedule Tuesday-Friday before hitting the field at 7 p.m. Saturday for their first meeting ever with the Hornets.
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Freshman
Maliek Golden (singing) won the Freshman Talent Show on Friday, although running back
Adrian Duncan (magic show) got Collums' vote. ... Sophomore wide receiver
Cade Stone (concussion) was back at on the field Saturday after he suffered a concussion last Sunday in practice. Stone caught a pass over the middle and got an uppercut under the chin when one of the defensive backs tried to punch the ball out of his hands, catching Stone instead. ... Freshman placekicker
Nik Grau – who's already made a 62-yard field goal in practice – made a 58-yarder Saturday at the end of the dress rehearsal. ... Former Wildcat placekicker
Morgan Lineberry has been cut by the Carolina Panthers. Lineberry will be placed on waivers Monday and will be eligible to sign immediately with another team. Lineberry was 1 for 1 in field goal attempts in the pre-season (27-yarder against Philadelphia on Aug. 15) and made both of his extra point attempts on Aug. 9 against Chicago. He kicked off four times in two games, averaging 67.8 yards on those kickoffs, but he didn't play Thursday night in Carolina's 34-27 win at Baltimore. The Panthers will go with veteran Graham Gano as their placekicker. ... Former ACU running back Daryl Richardson – named the St. Louis Rams' starter earlier this week – had five carries for 10 yards and one catch for five yards Saturday night in the Rams' 27-26 loss at Denver. Richardson has 9 carries for 34 yards and 4 catches for 49 yards in the pre-season. ... Former ACU wide receiver Raymond Radway has three catches for 78 yards and one score (a 53-yarder against Cleveland on Aug. 8) in the pre-season as he tries to catch on with the Rams. He didn't have a catch in Saturday's game at Denver. ... Former ACU wide receiver Clyde Gates has three catches for 39 yards in the pre-season. He started in the Jets' 24-21 overtime win over the Giants on Saturday and had one catch for zero yards. He also has three kickoff returns for 100 yards. ... Former ACU defensive end Aston Whiteside had one tackle for the Chicago Bears in Friday's 34-26 win at Oakland. Whiteside has two solo tackles for the Bears this pre-season as he tries to earn a spot on the Bears' defensive line. ... Former ACU running back Bernard Scott was placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list by the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Scott, recovering from last year's season-ending knee injury, will be ineligible to play for the first six weeks of the regular season. After that, the team will have three weeks to decide what to do with him. The Bengals can either place him on the injured reserve list, release him outright or activate him to the 53-man roster, which would necessitate waiving a player to get to the 53-man limit. ... In Canada, former ACU offensive tackle Tony Washington – who was a starting offensive tackle for Calgary in 2011 and for the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts in 2012 – has been placed back on the Argos' active roster as a defensive tackle. He has one tackle in his pro career and that came in 2011 with Calgary. ... Meanwhile, former ACU quarterback Mitchell Gale is on the Argos' nine-game injured list and former ACU defensive back Major Culbert is on the team's practice squad.
