ABILENE -- The ACU Wildcats return home to Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium Saturday for the program's first on-campus Homecoming game since 1942 when the Wildcats played at A.B. Morris Stadium.
ACU is 53-34-1 in 88 all-time Homecoming contests, and has won three of its last four such games, including last year's 52-27 blowout of Incarnate Word in the program's final Homecoming contest at Shotwell Stadium. The last time the Wildcats played an on-campus Homecoming game was Nov. 20, 1942, when they beat Austin College, 53-0, at A.B. Morris Stadium. Since that game ACU has played its Homecoming games at old Fair Park Stadium and Shotwell Stadium.
The Wildcats are 1-2 in their new home with a win over Houston Baptist in the first game on Sept. 16, followed by back-to-back narrow losses to Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 23 (20-10) and McNeese on Oct. 7 (13-7).
ACU enters Saturday's game at 2-5 overall and 2-3on the season after last Saturday's 29-20 loss at Nicholls. The Colonels used a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown and five field goals to knock off the Wildcats, who are 0-5 in the state of Louisiana since re-joining the Southland Conference in 2013.
The ACU defense played well again, allowing just 22 points and 308 yards of offense in the game. The Wildcats gave up just 140 yards of offense to the Colonels in the game's final 30 minutes, and allowed them to convert just 2 of 13 third downs into first downs in the game.
The Wildcats carry one of the best defenses in the Southland Conference into today's game against the Lions as ACU ranks third in the conference in total defense (allowing 358.9 yards per game), third in scoring defense (alowing 23.0 points per game), second in pass defense (allowing 196.0 yards per game), and fifth in rush defense (allowing 162.9 yards per game).
The Lions will bring the league's top rushing offense into the game as they average 303.6 yards per game on the ground and are led by Marcus Cooper, who is averaging 91.8 yards per game on the ground and has scored a pair of touchdowns. Southeastern also has five other backs averaging at least 25 yards per game on the ground, Julius Maracalin leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns.
That rushing attack has helped the Lions overcome an 0-3 start to their season and carry a 4-3 overall record and 4-1 league mark into today's game. The Lions are one of the top scoring teams in the league at 40.0 points per game and have scored 49, 49, 49 and 56 points, respectively, in their last four games.
ACU, meanwhile, is led offensively by quarterback
Dallas Sealey, who leads the Southland in completions (177) and attempts (277), is second in the league in completion percentage (63.9), third in passing yards (1,615), third in yards per game (230.7), seventh in pass efficiency (115.7 rating), and tied for eighth in TD passes with six.
Senior wide receiver
Troy Grant is tied for third in the league in receptions (30), tied for fourth in receptions per game (4.6), and is 10th in yards per game (49.4). Sophomore wideout
DeShun Qualls is seventh in receptions per game at 4.3, and senior running back
De'Andre Brown is tied for eighth in the Southland in receptions per game at 4.2.
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