GAME 3
ACU at HOUSTON BAPTIST
Saturday, Sept. 15 • 6 p.m. • Husky Stadium • Houston, Texas
MEDIA INFORMATION
Streaming: ESPN3
TV: ESPN College Extra (DirecTV Channel 789)
Radio:Â KTLT 98.1 FM The Ticket
Talent: Zach Carlyle (play-by-play), Jim Reese (analyst),
Seth Wilson (sideline)
Twitter:Â @ACUSports
Game Notes: ACU I
Houston Baptist
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MATCHUP
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
1-1, 0-0 Southland
Ranking:Â NR - AP, NR - Coaches
Head Coach: Adam Dorrel (NW Missouri St., '98)
Career Record:Â 79-18 (8th season)
ACU Record:Â 3-10 (2nd season)
vs. Houston Baptist: 0-0
HOUSTON BAPTIST
1-1, 0-1 Southland
Ranking:Â NR - AP, NR - Coaches
Head Coach:Â Vic Sheely (Baylor, '86)
Career Record:Â 40-54-1 (10
th season)
HBU Record:Â 13-40 (6
th season)
vs. ACU:Â 1-4
OPENING KICKOFF
• The ACU Wildcats are back on the road Saturday night to take on the Huskies of Houston Baptist in their first Southland Conference game of the season. ... Houston Baptist opened league play last Saturday with a 51-34 loss to McNeese at Husky Stadium.
• After Saturday night's game, Houston Baptist will have played each of its first three games at home, while ACU will have played just one home game through the season's first three weeks. ... ACU will continue its season-opening road work next Saturday when the Wildcats go to Nacogdoches to take on the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin.
• Since re-joining the Southland Conference, the Wildcats are 4-1 against Houston Baptist, including 2-1 in Houston (2-0 in Abilene, including last year's win over the Huskies in the inaugural game at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. .. In ACU's four wins over Houston Baptist, the narowest margin of victory was last year's 21-point victory. ... ACU's other three wins have been by the scores of 69-12, 59-14 and 49-21.
• The last time the Wildcats were in Houston, however, the Huskies pulled out a 27-24 overtime victory. ... ACU had a potential game-winning field goal blocked with less than one minute left in regulation, but kicked one on its only overtime possession. HBU won the game on a touchdown pass by Tony Dawson on the Huskies' first offensive play of the overtime session.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• Saturday night's game features, statistically, the league's top two offenses. ACU enters the game averaging a league-best 491.5 yards per game after posting 466 against Baylor on Sept. 1 and another 517 last Saturday against Angelo State. ... Houston Baptist, meanwhile, is second in the league in total offense, averaging 485.5 yards per game.
• ACU is tied for fourth in scoring offense and has posted a league-best 47 first downs. ... The Wildcats also boast the league's top passing offense, averaging 308.0 yards per game through the air. ... ACU has also found success running the ball, ranking third in the Southland Conference entering Saturday night's game with a per-game average of 183.5 yards per game. ... HBU is fourth in the league in rushing (182.5 ypg), second in passing yards per game (303.0) and leads the league in scoring offense (41.5 ypg).
• HBU ranks second in the league in total defense, allowing just 348.0 yards per game, while ACU is sixth in the league in total defense, allowing 439.0 yards per game. ... The Wildcats, however, limited Angelo State to just 272 yards last week in a 41-24 victory over the Rams. ... Fourteen of Angelo State's points came on a kickoff return for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown. ... ACU ranks eighth in scoring defense (39.5 ppg allowed), while HBU is third in scoring defense, allowing 29.0 points per contest.
• One area of emphasis since the end of last yearmfor ACU head coach
Adam Dorrel was on third downs where his team struggled in 2017. So far the results have been outstanding on both sides of the ball. Through two games, ACU is third in the league in third down offense having converted 15 of 35 third-down plays in first downs (42.9 percent). And defensively the Wildcats are second in the league in third down defense having allowed just 5 of 23 third-down plays to be converted into first downs (21.7 percent).
• Houston Baptist, meanwhile, leads the leauge in third down offense having converted 12 of 25 third-down plays into first downs (48 percent), and the Huskies are seventh in the league in third down defense having allowed 16 of 36 third-down plays to be converted into first downs (44.4 percent).
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
• Sophomore quarterback Bailey Zappe directs the offense after starting nine games as a true freshman in 2017. ... He set school season records for completions (150), attempts (266) and yards (1,548), while also setting single game records for completions and attempts against #6 Central Arkansas on Oct. 7, 2017, going 30-for-45 for 248 yards.
• In the season-opener against Southwest Baptist, Zappe completed 21-of-31 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, the second-most in school history. ... Last week against #14 McNeese he set the school record with 348 passing yards and once again threw for three touchdowns.
• Sophomore linebacker Langston Tunson patrols the middle linebacker spot held for four years by the late, two-time All-America selection Garrett Dolan, who finished his career ranked seventh all-time in FCS history in tackles. ... Tunson is leading the nation in tackles with 17.5 per game to go along with three sacks and an interception. In the Sept. 8 loss to McNeese, he tied Dolan's school record of 19 tackles, which Dolan achieved on two occasions last season.
• Sophomore running back Dreshawn Minnieweather ranks ninth in the nation with 126.0 rushing yards per game and has scored three touch- downs. ... He became the first HBU player to record back-to-back 100-yard performances, rushing for 146 yards, the fourth most in school history, in the Sept. 8 loss to McNeese, after running for 106 and a score in the opener against Southwest Baptist on Sept. 1.
UP NEXT
• After Saturday's game, ACU is back on the road next week (Sept. 22) taking on Stephen F. Austin on Nacogdoches at Homer Bryce Stadium at 6 p.m.
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