GET HYPED!
THE DETAILS
Abilene Christian (2-2, 1-1 Southland) at Incarnate Word (1-2, 0-1 Southland)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28
Kickoff: 6 p.m.
TV: None
Radio:
98.1 FM - The Ticket (
Grant Boone and Jim Reese)
Real-Time Stats (Sidearm Stats)
ABILENE -- What a difference a year can make. Two years ago Incarnate Word (UIW) finished its 2017 campaign 1-10 overall. Fast forward 12 months and the Cardinals won six of eight conference games to qualify for the FCS postseason. One of those wins came at Anthony Field as they outscored the Wildcats 17-6 in the second half en route to a 44-34 victory. It was UIW's third win it is last six games vs. the Wildcats, who started the decade-old series with four consecutive wins.
For the ACU staff, last year's game vs. the Cardinals is ancient history. It's not the same team from a year ago, and while the Wildcats respect the rivalry and the opposition, they're going into the Alamo City with the same tenor and mindset that allowed them to hang with Central Arkansas and McNeese.
"We have a huge challenge in front of us with Incarnate Word," said head coach
Adam Dorrel. "They're dynamic on offense. They run the spread. They're throwing the ball around. They still have the ability to run the football, and then defensively they've done some new stuff this year running some new schemes. They have most of their defensive line back, which I thought played very good last season.
"It's a big week, and our guys are going to embrace the challenge of playing in a hostile environment," he added. "Every week we're going to say the same thing and that's every game in the Southland Conference is a big game. This week's no different."
The Cardinals come into their home game much in the same position the Wildcats were a week ago when they played host to McNeese, needing a conference win to keep from falling into a 0-2 hole. ACU recovered a fumbled punt to score the go-ahead touchdown for the program's first-ever win vs. the Cowboys, 17-10, to even its league record at 1-1, and now UIW is trying to bounce back from a 45-6 defeat at Sam Houston State.
In the two weeks prior, the Cardinals lost their crosstown rivalry game at UTSA, 35-7, and then tamed Texas Southern at home, 63-44. With such a small sample size against a variety of opposition, it's difficult for the Wildcats to know exactly what to expect; however, they're going into Benson Stadium planning to exceed the Cardinal's intensity without getting caught up in the extracurriculars that often accompany a rivalry game.
"We have the mindset that it's going to be a tight game, so we're practicing like were going to play Saturday," said junior quarterback
Luke Anthony. "We have to take advantage of every play and focus on the little things. We have to eliminate the lapses in execution and technique from all positions, especially offensively. This week we get back to basics, knowing we have to win big road games in the Southland."
"We've been practicing hard, paying attention to the details, and really just focusing on the keys to victories," added senior cornerback
Adonis Davis. "We took the 'L' last year, but we're a way different team now. We're coming in ready to play."
Four games into the season, what are the Wildcats doing well? For starters, the coaches' message about turnovers seems to be paying off as ACU is No. 1 in the Southland and 11th in the FCS with a +1.25 turnover margin after forcing three turnovers vs. McNeese.
The team also is No. 6 in the FCS in total offense (505.3 yards per game) with 300 yards coming via the pass (18th FCS), and on defense the Wildcats are averaging 3.75 sacks per game (5th FCS). ACU also holds the league's second lowest percentage on opposing third-down conversions at 26.2 percent. By comparison, the Wildcats' offense has been successful on 41.2 percent of its third downs (4th in the Southland).
UIW is No. 4 in the Southland (and 22nd in the FCS) with 455.7 yards per game (189.0 rushing yards per game), while its defense has averaged 533 yards per game.
