Photo by: Jeremy Enlow
Wildcats close home season vs. #4 Sam Houston State
11/10/2017 1:44:00 AM | Football
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ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats will close out the home portion of the 2017 schedule Saturday when they host nationallyranked Sam Houston State at 2 p.m., closing out the historic first season at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.
The Bearkats are ranked No. 4 in the country and are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the league entering Saturday night's game and need to win out to ensure themselves a spot in the FCS playoffs for the seventh straight season. Sam Houston State played for the national championship in 2011 and 2012, lost in the semifinals in 2014 and 2015 and lost in the quarterfinals last season to James Madison, the eventual national champion.
Sam Houston State's only loss this season came against league-leading Central Arkansas, and after taking on ACU on Saturday the Bearkats will close out the season next week at home against Houston Baptist, which enters today's games at 1-8 on the season and 0-7 in league play. Two wins for the Bearkats in the final two weeks of the season should be enough to clinch a berth in the national playoffs.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, enter Saturday's game at 2-7 overall and 2-5 in the league and coming off last Saturday's disappointing 26-23 overtime loss at Northwestern State. The loss continues ACU's trend this season of losing close games. In four of ACU's five conference losses this season, the Wildcats have lost by 10 points or less: 20-10 vs. Stephen F. Austin, 13-7 vs. McNeese, 29-20 vs. Nicholls and 26-23 vs. the Demons.
The Wildcats will once again be led Saturday by redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Anthony, who took over as the starting quarterback last week against the Demons. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. His 345 yards are the third-most by an ACU quarterback in his starting
debut, and it led him to earning honorable mention STATS FCS honorable mention National Freshman of the Year honors, as well as honorable mention Southland Conference honorable mention Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Senior linebacker Sam Denmark enters today's game with 379 career tackles and needs just 10 more to break the ACU career record of 388 set by Ryan Boozer from 1998-2001. And senior running back De'Andre Brown has 2,051 career rushing yards and needs just nine yards to pass current Kansas City Chiefs' running back Charcandrick West (2,059 yards from 2010-13) for 10th on ACU's all-time rushing list. Brown is one of only seven players in Wildcat football history to have at least 2,000 rushing yards and 3,000 all-purpose yards in his career.
Saturday's game is also Senior Day for 16 Wildcats, who will play their final home game. Those players who are playing at Wildcat Stadium for the final time are defensive back Cydney Calvin, wide receiverCarl Whitley, wide receiver Troy Grant, cornerback Aneas Henricks, quarterback Kade Munden, defensive end Bryson Gates, linebacker Royce Moore, running back De'Andre Brown, linebacker Sam Denmark, fullback Myles Solsberry, defensive end Dylan Douglass, kicker Nik Grau, offensive linemen Austin Hisler and Chance Rieken, wide receiver Hunter Lees, and tight end Trevor Crain.
ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats will close out the home portion of the 2017 schedule Saturday when they host nationallyranked Sam Houston State at 2 p.m., closing out the historic first season at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.
The Bearkats are ranked No. 4 in the country and are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the league entering Saturday night's game and need to win out to ensure themselves a spot in the FCS playoffs for the seventh straight season. Sam Houston State played for the national championship in 2011 and 2012, lost in the semifinals in 2014 and 2015 and lost in the quarterfinals last season to James Madison, the eventual national champion.
Sam Houston State's only loss this season came against league-leading Central Arkansas, and after taking on ACU on Saturday the Bearkats will close out the season next week at home against Houston Baptist, which enters today's games at 1-8 on the season and 0-7 in league play. Two wins for the Bearkats in the final two weeks of the season should be enough to clinch a berth in the national playoffs.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, enter Saturday's game at 2-7 overall and 2-5 in the league and coming off last Saturday's disappointing 26-23 overtime loss at Northwestern State. The loss continues ACU's trend this season of losing close games. In four of ACU's five conference losses this season, the Wildcats have lost by 10 points or less: 20-10 vs. Stephen F. Austin, 13-7 vs. McNeese, 29-20 vs. Nicholls and 26-23 vs. the Demons.
The Wildcats will once again be led Saturday by redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Anthony, who took over as the starting quarterback last week against the Demons. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. His 345 yards are the third-most by an ACU quarterback in his starting
debut, and it led him to earning honorable mention STATS FCS honorable mention National Freshman of the Year honors, as well as honorable mention Southland Conference honorable mention Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Senior linebacker Sam Denmark enters today's game with 379 career tackles and needs just 10 more to break the ACU career record of 388 set by Ryan Boozer from 1998-2001. And senior running back De'Andre Brown has 2,051 career rushing yards and needs just nine yards to pass current Kansas City Chiefs' running back Charcandrick West (2,059 yards from 2010-13) for 10th on ACU's all-time rushing list. Brown is one of only seven players in Wildcat football history to have at least 2,000 rushing yards and 3,000 all-purpose yards in his career.
Saturday's game is also Senior Day for 16 Wildcats, who will play their final home game. Those players who are playing at Wildcat Stadium for the final time are defensive back Cydney Calvin, wide receiverCarl Whitley, wide receiver Troy Grant, cornerback Aneas Henricks, quarterback Kade Munden, defensive end Bryson Gates, linebacker Royce Moore, running back De'Andre Brown, linebacker Sam Denmark, fullback Myles Solsberry, defensive end Dylan Douglass, kicker Nik Grau, offensive linemen Austin Hisler and Chance Rieken, wide receiver Hunter Lees, and tight end Trevor Crain.
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