Football | 11/13/2014 3:57:00 PM
Gameday CentralNACOGDOCHES, Texas – The ACU Wildcats close out the 2014 season Saturday afternoon against Stephen F. Austin, which is still in the running for both the Southland Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. from Homer Bryce Stadium. The game can be heard locally on 98.1 FM The Ticket or on the internet at
acusports.com or
the98x.com. The game can be seen live on the SFA Web site at
www.sfajacks.com.
ACU needs a win to secure a .500 season, which would be the program's ninth straight season to finish .500 or better. At 4-2 in Southland play, Stephen F. Austin is one game behind league co-leaders Southeastern Louisiana and Sam Houston State. The Lumberjacks are still in contention for either the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs as the league champion or an at-large bid to the post-season.
Saturday's game will be a reunion for the two head coaches:
Ken Collums at ACU and Clint Conque at Stephen F. Austin. Collums worked under Conque at Central Arkansas from 2000-04, first as the quarterbacks coach (2000-01) and then as the offensive coordinator (2000-04).
The Wildcats carry the league's third-ranked rushing defense into Saturday's game against the Lumberjacks. The Wildcats are allowing just 135.8 yards per game on the ground. Stephen F. Austin, meanwhile, is fourth in the league in rushing offense at 207.3 yards per game and has the league's leading rusher – and one of the leading candidates for league Offensive MVP honors – in senior running back Gus Johnson. He leads the league in rushing attempts (184), rushing yards (1,282 yards), yards per carry (7.0), rushing touchdowns (19), average yards per game (128.2 ypg), points scored (114), and points per game (11.4 ppg).
The Wildcats enter the game coming off a disappointing 34-10 home loss to Northwestern State (La.) in the regular-season home finale. The Wildcats turned the ball over five times – three interceptions and two fumbles – the most they've had in a game since an Oct. 29, 2011, win over Texas A&M-Commerce.
Saturday's game will be the renewal of a series that began with a bang on Oct. 6, 1973, when the Wildcats beat Stephen F. Austin, 57-50, in the first game between the teams. The teams played each season from 1973-85 and then played again in the 1999 season-opener, which is the last time they've met on the football field.
ACU's last win in the series came in 1985 when the Wildcats topped the Lumberjacks, 22-21, in 1985. That was the last time the teams played until 1999 when the Lumberjacks beat ACU, 51-34, in the season-opener for both teams.
Saturday's forecast is looking less than ideal as the polar vortex is making its way through deep East Texas. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-40s at kickoff with rain throughout the day.
