ACU Football Game Notes (vs. Virginia)

GET HYPED!

Abilene Christian (1-4) Football Game Notes

at Virginia (3-4, 3-4 ACC) 

Date: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020 

Location: Charlottesville, Va. (The Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium)

Kickoff: 4:03 p.m. ET / 3:03 p.m. CT 

Watch: Fox Sports Southwest + or ESPN+ (Evan Lepler, Brian Jordan, Lyndsay Rowley)

Listen: 98.1 FM - The Ticket (Zach Carlyle)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Digital Gameday Program 

MEET VIRGINIA

• Abilene Christian plays Virginia for the first time in school history Saturday, Nov. 21 in Charlottesville. This is ACU’s third trip to play in the Eastern Time Zone following games at Army and Mercer.
• Florida State is the only current ACC member institution that ACU has played in its 99-year history. The Wildcats and Burt Reynolds’ Seminoles squared off three times in the 1950s with ACU winning the first two games in Tallahassee by scores of 20-7 (1953) and 13-0 (1954). Florida State won the most recent meeting in 1957, 34-7. FSU played as an independent program from 1951 to 1991. ACU was part of the Texas Conference in 1953, independents in 1954 and 1957.
• Saturday marks ACU’s first game against any school from Virginia.
• Virginia is ACU’s 25th FBS-level opponent.
• ACU football is the fifth Wildcat varsity sport since the school moved to NCAA DI Athletics (2013-14) to play an ACC team in head-to-head competition, joining men's basketball (at Maryland in 2013), softball (vs. Boston College, 2017), men's tennis (at Florida State, 2019) and women's tennis (vs. NC State, 2019). 

AN ‘A’ FOR ACADEMICS

• Senior linebacker Jack Gibbens is Abilene Christian’s nominee for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is presented by the National Football Foundation. He was announced as a semifinalist for the award on Oct. 1, and one of 12 finalists on Nov. 12.
• Gibbens is the first Wildcat to receive the honor of being named NFF National Scholar-Athlete and 11th in Southland Conference history, dating back to 1983.
• The award is given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. It is considered by many to be the “Academic Heisman.”
• Senior offensive lineman Kade Parmelly this summer was awarded the 2020 F.L. McDonald Postgraduate Scholarships by Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett.
• Parmelly excelled in the classroom and compiled a 3.96 GPA as he completed his undergraduate degree in kinesiology in three years. He was a recipient of the Dean’s List Award every semester at ACU and a two-time Southland Football All-Academic Team member.
• Wide receiver Josh Fink was announced by the NCAA in March as one of its Postgraduate Scholarship awardees for the 2019 fall season. He is the first Wildcat student-athlete to earn one of these coveted prizes since the 2012-13 season when they were awarded to soccer’s Julie Coppedge and track and field’s Parker Petty.
•  Fink additionally was one of 11 football players tabbed to this exclusive list, joining Rodrigo Blakenship (Georgia), Dawson Brown (Bethel), Austin Campbell (Idaho State), Ben Cross (Denison), Anthony Davidson and Benjamin Gaal (John Hopkins), Alex Goettl (Minnesota Mankato), William Hasken (Wartburg), Anthony Kennon (Carnegie Mellon) and Tyler Swafford (Eastern Kentucky).
•  Fink, who graduated last December with a 3.81 GPA in accounting and financial management, was a top-10 Southland Conference receiver with 822 receiving yards, 74.7 receiving yards and 5.7 receptions per game. He additionally averaged 13.05 yards per reception with five receiving touchdowns. For his career, Fink accumulated 2,323 career receiving yards (7th all-time at ACU) with 188 receptions (3rd) and 14 touchdowns.
• ACU Football has posted a term GPA above a 3.0 the last three semesters, and finished the 2019-20 academic year with a 3.07.
• ACU finished the 2019 season with TWO CoSIDA Academic All-America (Josh Fink, Jack Gibbens), FOUR Academic All-District selections, TWO FCS ADA Academic All-Stars, and FIVE Southland Conference All-Academic Honorees.  Thirteen players posted a 4.0 and 75 had a 3.0+ GPA in the fall 2019 term.

SECOND CANCELLATION

• Abilene Christian University was forced to cancel its home football game with Arizona Christian planned for Saturday, Nov. 14, because its opponent was unable to compete due to complications with COVID-19 testing protocols. 

“We are disappointed, especially for our student-athletes, who have had limited opportunities to compete at home this season, but we are committed to keeping our team and coaches safe,” said Allen Ward, ACU director of athletics. “We look forward to our next game.”

• The Wildcats won last year’s meeting 66-14 thank to 425 yards rushing. ACU also did not allow a sack to the Firestorm and held their offense to eight first downs.
• The 66-17 win was the 17th time ACU scored more than 60 points in school history; the last time was 2013 in a 69-12 win over Houston Baptist. The Wildcats’ 425 rushing yards are ACU’s seventh time to surpass the 400-yard mark in a game; the last time was 1963 in a 55-14 win over Texas-Arlington.
• The 2019 game was ACU’s fifth game against a university from Arizona. The Wildcats have an 0-3 record against Northern Arizona but won their only game with Arizona State, a 13-7 victory Oct. 4, 1947.
• ACU’s first-quarter domination of AzCU included points (14 to 0), total yards (100 to 0), rushing (105 to -4), passing (100 to 0) and first downs (9 to 0). At the half, their advantage grew to points (45 to 0), total yards (459 to 7) rushing (199 to -5), passing (260 to 12) and first downs (23 to 1).

SENIOR DAY

• Last Saturday was scheduled to be Senior Day for 17 members of the Abilene Christian football team. This year’s planned honorees are Todd Beebe (OL), Jon Crisp (OL), Garviea Freeny (DL), Jack Gibbens (LB), Oscar Hernandez (PK), Branden Hohenstein (TE), Lakendrick Jones (DL), Hunter Kier (LB), Billy McCrary (RB), Robert McKnight (RB), Ben Norman (LB) Kade Parmelly (OL), Koy Richardson (CB), Byron Robinson (S), Nico Russolillo (OL) and David Stone (LS).

THAT’S A FACT, JACK!

• Senior Jack Gibbens collected a career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solos; had a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery on the same play; added a second tackle for loss; and returned an interception 21 yards vs. Angelo State to receive FCS CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK honors from Stats Perform.

BOAST NOTES FROM THE ANGELO STATE GAME

• Senior offensive lineman Kade Parmelly appeared in his 39th consecutive game Saturday vs. Angelo State. He is the only Wildcat to have played in every game since his freshman year of 2017, seeing action in 11 games in 2017 and 2018, and 12 last season.
• Freshman Jermiah Dobbins recorded the first two rushing touchdown game of his career, giving him five for this season in as many games.
• Freshman Darius Lewis caught the first touchdown of his career. He led the Wildcats vs. Angelo State with seven receptions for 80 yards and a long reception of 28 yards.
• Senior tight end Branden Hohenstein caught three passes for 46 yards, including a 25 yard reception. He is averaging 21.12 yards per catch in 2020.
• Blair Zepeda hit three PATs to lift his career point total to 105. He surpassed 100 career points on his game winner at Mercer on Oct. 31.
• Newcomer Logan Burke punted eight times for an average of 42.5 yards per kick. Two of his kicks sailed beyond 50 yards and two were dropped inside the 20-yard lne.  
• Senior linebacker Jack Gibbens recorded a sack, interception, forced fumble and recovery vs. the Rams. His 21-yard interception return was his longest since a 25-yard return last season at Central Arkansas, but his 14.0 tackles were a career single-game high. He’s up to 251 career tackles and 21 tackles for loss.
• Jordan Paup recorded 2.0 sacks, which was one shy of the Wildcats’ DI era single-game record. Nick Richardson had 3.0 sacks vs. New Mexico Highlands in 2013.
• The Wildcats scored on all three oft their trips into the end zone to remain a perfect 15-for-15 this season.
• ACU has scored in 28 straight games.

RAM JAM

• Angelo State, a longtime in-state and Lone Star Conference rival of Abilene Christian’s, made its first trip to the Key City and Wildcat Stadium since 2018.
• ACU trails the all-time series 21-29-1 despite having won 10 of the last 13 meetings dating back to 2002. The Wildcats won their 2018 meeting here at Wildcat Stadium, 41-24.
• ACU is 15-12 vs. the Rams in Abilene and 6-17-1 in San Angelo.
• Former ACU quarterback and current radio analysist Jim Reese set the school record for most passing yards in a single game vs. Angelo State on Oct. 30, 1976 with 564 yards.
• Additional record-breaking performances vs. the Rams include Johnny Knox’s four touchdown receptions (232 yards) in 2008, Mark Wilson’s four-interception game in 1983, running back David Bennett’s 40 carries in 19996, and Steve Parker’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 1982.

ACU X ASU HIGHLIGHTS

ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... AND AGAIN ... AND AGAIN .. AND AGAIN!

• ACU and Charlotte are the only DI football programs playing full fall schedules who started their respective seasons with four straight road games.
• ACU’s last four-game road trip was in 1961. From Oct. 21 to Nov. 11 the Wildcats played games at Memphis, Southern Mississippi, UT Arlington and Fresno State.
• The 1951 Wildcats began their season with four-straight road games: at Drake, Texas A&M-Commerce, UT Chattanooga and UTEP (Midland, Texas).
• The Wildcats last opened with three road games in 1989, falling to Northern Arizona, North Texas and Alcorn State.  
• ACU’s last three-game road trip took place in 2002, losing to UC Davis and Tarleton State before winning at Eastern New Mexico.
• This is ACU’s first home game since Nov. 16, 2019.
• ACU hasn’t played a home-opener this late in a season since 1933 (Nov. 3 vs. Howard Payne, following a six-game road trip). The only previous November home opener took place in 1921 (Nov. 1 vs. Daniel Baker).

BEARS DOWN!

• Abilene Christian met the Mercer Bears for the first time in school history Halloween afternoon in Macon, Ga, and left with a 20-17 win. This was the Wildcats first trip to the ‘Peach State’ since falling 38-37 to Georgia State at the GeorgiaDome on Aug. 27, 2014.
• Saturday’s win at Mercer was the 500th in program history and the 90th for head coach Adam Dorrel.
• Jermiah Dobbins scored his team-leading third rushing touchdown of the season. He finished the Mercer game with a season-high 64 yards (5.3ypc) on 12 carries.
•  Kobe Clark’s touchdown catch was the sixth of his career and third of this season, tying his career season-high from 2019.
•  Clark is averaging 14.79 yards per catch and 93.67 yards per game.
•  Clark finished the game with a season-high nine catches, and is up to 19 on the season. He had a pair of 11-catch games last season vs. Nicholls and Mississippi State.
•  Clark’s 134 career receptions rank him ninth all-time ACU between Darrell Cantu-Harkless (147) and Darian Hogg (128).
•  Blair Zepeda’s 38-yard field goal marked the first time since Nov. 4, 2006 that the Wildcats made a game-winning field on the game’s final play. Matt Adams hit a 25-yard field goal to beat Texas A&M-Kingsville, 41-38.
•  ACU’s last game-winning field goal prior to Zepeda’s took place Nov. 15, 2014 when Nik Grau booted a 31-yarder with 5:48 to play to give ACU a 37-35 lead at Stephen F. Austin.
•  Zepeda has made at least one field goal through all four of this fall’s games.
•  ACU dominated second half time of possession – 23:29 to 6:31
•  Three Wildcats recorded runs of 10 or more yards: Dobbins (18 yards), Jordan Brooks-Wess (10 yards) and Peyton Mansell (15 yards)
•  Peyton Mansell has four-straight games of 200 or more passing yards.
•  Mansell also has completed at least one pass of 45 yards or more in all four games: 46 at UTEP, 61 at Army, 78 vs. SFA and 57 vs. Mercer.
• Mansell’s 77.1 completion percentage vs. the Bears (27-35) was the fourth-best by an ACU DI level QB behind John David Baker (85 percent vs. Concordia and 80 percent vs. Houston Baptist in 2013) and Luke Anthony (78.4 at Southeastern La in 2018).
•  Jack Gibbens tied his season best with 9.0 tackles vs. Mercer plus a first-quarter fumble recovery. His 237 career tackles are the third most by any ACU DI player, behind Sam Denmark (295) and Jeremiah Chambers (293).
•  ACU has scored in 27 consecutive games.

BALLPARK BOAST NOTES

• The Abilene Christian / Stephen F. Austin matchup was the first college football game to be played at the former home of the Texas Rangers.
• Tyrese White scored the first touchdown by a college player at Globe Life Park.
• White recorded the first two touchdown game of his career as he also hit paydirt with 1:38 left in regulation.
• White and freshman Jermiah Dobbins combined for three rushing touchdowns as the team averaged 4.9 yards per rush.
• Quarterback Peyton Mansell averaged 14.9 yards gaine per completion, just shy of his season high 15.2 vs. UTEP. His 78 yard pass to Kobe Clark in the fourth quarter was a single game career best for both him and the junior from Sweetwater, Texas.
• Mansell’s 78-yard pass to Clark also was the third longest of the Wildcats’ DI era. In 2013, John David Baker connected with Darian Hogg on receptions of 88 yards (Concordia) and New Mexico Highlands (87).  
• Clark’s 131 receiving yards were a single-game career high and tied for 10th among all DI era Wildcat players. He had 107 yards last season vs. Houston Baptist and 104 vs. Southeastern Louisiana.
• Senior linebacker Jack Gibbens blocked his first career kick with :39 seconds before halftime, leading to an 85-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown by sophomore Ryan Stapp. This was ACU’s first special teams touchdown since Sept. 2017 when Erik Huhn blocked a Colorado State punt and returned it 16 yards to the endzone.  
• ACU has blocked 24 kicks since entering the DI ranks in 2013, but had not blocked a field goal since Oct. 8, 2016 when Josh Bloom did so at Wildcat Stadium vs. Lamar.  Bloom blocked six kicks in his career and three in 2016. Jamar Mack blocked two PATs in 2018 vs. Nicholls and Incarnate Word. In 2015, ACU blocked two kicks at Incarnate Word on Oct. 25, the second of which resulted in a touchback.
• In 2016, ACU scored its most recent defensive 2-point conversion on Nov. 5 vs. Northwestern State when Keith Barnett recorded a blocked PAT return.
• As a team vs. SFA, ACU averaged 8.6 yards per passing attempt and 6.6 yards per play.
• ACU recorded a season best 87 tackles. Rutgers transfer Chike Nwankwo led the Wildcats with 10 tackles. Joshua James recorded his first career sack. The defense was credited with five quarterback hurries.
• ACU’s overtime loss was its first since 2017 (L, 26-23 at Northwestern State), snapping a two-game OT winning streak. The Wildcats played their first OT game in 1995, and since then have an all-time OT record of 7-6. ACU has twice goine to OT vs. both West Texas A&M (1-1) and SFA (1-1). Six of ACU’s 13 OT games have come at the DI level.

JACKED TO BE BACK

• Abilene Christian resumed its 2020 fall season Oct. 24 vs. Stephen F. Austin following the Oct. 17 cancellation of the Wildcats’ homecoming game vs. West Texas A&M. This was ACU’s first fall without a Homecoming Game since 1945 (World War II).
• ACU’s game in the Metroplex is its first neutral-site game since 2014 when the Wildcats defeated Central Arkansas, 52-35, at Plano’s Clark Stadium. ACU also played at the Cotton Bowl in 2009 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (W, 20-14) and in back-to-back years at AT&T Stadium. The Wildcats lost 23-17 to North Alabama in 2011 at the Dallas Cowboys’ home field, but edged Tarleton State, 34-31, the following year. In 2013, Tarleton State beat the Wildcats, 41-34 in overtime at Frisco’s Toyota Stadium.
• ACU leads its all-time series with SFA, 11-10, with the last two games decided in overtime. Last October’s double-overtime thriller won by the Wildcats, 31-24. The two teams played for 13 consecutive seasons from 1973 to 1985, and once again in 1999, before resuming their annual series when ACU joined the Southland Conference in 2014.

PRAYING FOR SEMA’J

• Abilene Christian University football player Sema’J Davis was involved in a traffic accident on Thursday, Oct. 8 in Abilene less than a mile from campus when the vehicle he was driving was struck by another car. He was airlifted from Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. Our prayers are with his family, friends, the ACU athletic department and the entire ACU community at this time.
• A link to the Davis family's GoFundMe.com page can be found here.
• He underwent a successful surgery to repair a broken femur.
• The family posted this update on Oct. 21. “Not one day without positive progressions. Praise the Lord! Minute by minute, moment by moment, Jesus is showing himself strong in Sema'j. It's a Good Day for a Miracle. Only Believe!”
• The Davis family is feeling the power of the prayers being said for their family and there are no words to express how deeply appreciative they are for all of the love and support they are receiving during this time.

WEST POINT BRIEFING

• Of Army’s first four opponents this season, ACU had the most rushing yards (86), passing yards (302), passing touchdowns (3) and tackles (86).
• This was the Wildcats’ first game without a turnover since the Oct. 19, 2019 game vs. Stephen F. Austin.
• ACU has scored in 25 consecutive games.
• Army - a rushing team - completed 4-of-7 passes for 52 yards, all of which are opponent season lows during the Wildcats’ DI era (2013-present). However, in 2007, Easter New Mexico attempted only one pass vs. the Wildcats (incomplete), while rushing the ball 67 times in a 45-20 loss to ACU. By comparison, Army ran the ball 60 times Saturday.
• Kobe Clark enjoyed the first two touchdown game of his career in his 2020 season debut. He is the first Wildcat with two TD receptions in a single game since 2018. That year, two TD games were claimed by Josh Fink (Angelo State), Tracy James (Northwestern State) and Torin Justice (Southeastern Louisiana).
• Peyton Mansell, whose parents Mike and Kim were student-athletes at West Point, completed 23-of-37 passes for 279 and three touchdowns in his ‘Homecoming’ game. One of those touchdowns was a 61-yard strike to tight end Branden Hohenstein, which was the longest reception of his collegiate career. Hohenstein has three career touchdowns with the Wildcats.
• The 61-yard connection between Mansell and Hohenstein was ACU’s first completion of more than 60 yards since the 2019 season opener at North Texas (Anthony to Fink for 64 yards).
• Through two games this season, Mansell has completed passes of 35 or more yards to five different receivers: Remington Lutz (35), L.J. McConnell (43), Kobe Clark (45), Taelyn Williams (49) and Branden Hohenstein (61). Clark’s 45-yard reception at Army was a single-game career high.
• L.J. McConnell’s 55-yard rush was the longest from scrimmage by an ACU wide receiver during the DI era, and with 11 receptions vs. the Black Knights he became ACU’s sixth DI wideout with a 10+ plus catch game, joining Taylor Gabriel, Josh Fink, Kobe Clark, Darian Hogg and Justin Miller.
• McConnell led all Wildcats with 160 all-purpose yards.
• Freshman Stone Earle made his debut at quarterback late in the fourth quarter and completed both passes for 23 yards. He and Mansell went 8-for-8 in the final quarter for 176 passing yards.
• Notable defensive single-game highs at Army: Jordan Paup - 8 tackles, Tory Hargrove - 7 tackles, Chike Nwankwo - 7 tackle, Jairan Parker - 7 tackles, Hunter Kier - 6 tackles, Quent Titre - 6 tackles, Kadron Johnson - 4 tackles and first career sack as a Wildcat

WAGONS EAST!

• Abilene Christian’s game at West Point is its first vs. Army and second vs. a service academy. The Wildcats dropped their 2016 season opener at Air Force, 37-21.
• Army is ACU’s first FBS opponent from the east coast, and one of two on this year’s schedule along with Virginia (Nov. 21). This is ACU’s first game in The Empire State as the Wildcats’ most recent appearance in the northeast was a 1995 game at New Haven (L, 7-33).
• According to research by former ACU sports information director and professor emeritus Dr. Charlie Marler, sprinter James Segrest was the first Wildcat athlete to set foot on the grounds of West Point. He was on the USA team that ran against Russia in Moscow in 1958. He and the team gathered at West Point, were quartered there and worked out there in July 1958.
• A second note from Dr. Marler. The first invitational debate tournament of national scope was held at the West Point Military Academy, New York, in 1947. It eventually became the foremost national debate tournament under the direction of the American Forensic Association, and later tournaments were conducted at sites other than West Point.

ACU teams who competed in the national championship tournaments and their coaches were:

Host: United States Military Academy

Harold and Paul Forshey (1955), coach Rex Kyker  

Joe Schubert and Milton Copeland (1956), coach Ed Brown

Milton Copelannd and Paul Forshey (1957), coach Ed Brown

Don Beck and Allen Isbell (1958), coach Ed Brown

Lynn Coleman and Bob Baker (1961), coach Ed Brown

Larry Bradshaw and John Ferguson (1965), coach Ed Brown    

Host: Gonzaga University

Randy Moody and David Wright (1985), coach Joe Cardot

Host: Miami University

Wallace Hampton and Chris Heard (1989), coach Joe Cardot

Host: Southwest Missouri State

Elizabeth Alvarez and Ben Stevens (2002), coach Sally Gary

Host: Gonzaga University

Andrea Schweikard and Brandon Lemley (2005), coach Sally Gary

WEST POINT CONNECTION

• ACU QB Peyton Mansell’s mother and father, Kim and Mike, met at West Point, where Kim (Hanson) played basketball and Mike played hockey.
• Both Kim and Mike were pre-law majors at West Point and originally worked in military intelligence. 
• Mother, Kim, was a four-year letter winner at West Point. She was her team's captain and MVP following the 1995-96 season after averaging 10.2 points per game. The year prior she averaged 5.6 rebounds per game. She also recorded 15 steals through four meetings with Navy and finished her career with a 74.0 free-throw percentage.
• Father, Mike, played for Army Hockey from 1992-93 through 95-96. Through 108 games, he scored 80 points on 10 goals and 70 assists.
• Uncle, Robert, was a forward for the Black Knights from 1990-91 to 1992-93.

UTEP DUBSTEP

• Abilene Christian lost its season opener at UTEP, 17-13, on Sept. 19. It was the first meeting between the two schools since 1959.
• The game was remarkbly even from a statistical perspective. Below is a quick comparison:

• The Wildcats’ defense set several game records vs. an FBS opponent (since 2013), including fewest all-purpose yards (317) and attempts (51), lowest average gain per play (5.0) and per rush (2.9), fewest passing yards (195) and total offense yards gained (293). UTEP’s 317 all-purpose yards were the fourth-fewest allowed by the Wildcats since jumping into the DI ranks in 2013, ahead of only 2017 Houston Baptist (243), 2019 Arizona Christian (235) and 2014 Incarnate Word (224).
• Freshman Jermiah Dobbins scored his first collegiate touchdown on only his second touch of the first quarter at the 9:03 mark.
• For the second straight game vs. an FBS opponent, the Wildcats have had three players post a single run of 10 or more yards. Tyrese White (10), Jermiah Dobbins (11) and Peyton Mansell (12) accomplished this feat vs UTEP, while White (13), Sema’J Davis (10) and Kobe Clark (10) did so last November at Mississippi State.
• Receivers Remington Lutz (35), L.J. McConnell and Taelyn Williams (49) each had at least one reception of 35 yards or more. They are the first Wildcat trio to catch a deep pass (35+ yards) since Sept. 27, 2014 when Cade Stone (39), Demarcus Thompson (36) and Jonathan Epps (59) all did similarly at Houston Baptist.
• Jordan Brooks-Wess’ 27-yard punt return was the longest by a Wildcat since Justin Miller’s 33-yarder vs. Houston Baptist on Sept. 17, 2016.
• Byron Robinson’s seven tackles were a career single-game high.
• The all-time series between the Wildcats and Miners is tied at 3-3.
• Five of the six games have been played in El Paso. ACU also won a 20-13 game during the 1951 season in Midland, Texas.

OL PARMELLY RECOGNIZED AS FCS PLAYER OF THE WEEK  

• Senior offensive lineman Kade Parmelly was recognized as the FCS Player of the Week for Sept. 15. The league’s twitter page revealed three clues about Parmelly pertaining to his academic awards, on field-performance and community service before showcasing his introductory video. Parmelly completed his undergraduate degree (kinesiology) in just three years. He also is a Dean’s List Award recipient and a two-time Southland Football All-Academic Team member.

CAPTAINS LOG

• Abilene Christian football Monday (Sept. 14) selected seven team captains: junior quarterbacks Peyton Mansell and Sema’J Davis, and seniors Jack Gibbens (LB), Kade Parmelly (OL), Koy Richardson (CB), Byron Robinson (S) and Nico Russolillo (OL).
• Abilene’s Parmelly and Gibbens - a native of Bulverde, Texas - are both second-year team captains who’ve been with the team since 2017.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH?

• ACU will play an eight-game schedule this fall, which starts Sept. 19 at UTEP and concludes Nov. 21 at Virginia, a longtime mainstay of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The additional games on this year’s slate means the Wildcats will not compete in the spring.

PRESEASON HONOREES

• Seniors Jack Gibbens (LB) and Nico Russolillo (OL) joined ACU’S list of preseason selections as both were named to Phil Steele’s 2020 Preseason All-Southland Conference Second Team.
• ACU’s three Southland-chosen preseason honorees: Branden Hohenstein (First Team TE), Billy McCrary (Second Team RB) and Kade Parmelly (Second Team OL) also were selected by the staff at Phil Steele.

STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY

• Junior Anthony Egbo this summer accepted an invitation to join the university’s first-ever Diversity Council, which will be co-chaired by ACU President Dr. Phil Schubert and ACU’s chief diversity officer Dr. Stephanie Hamm.
• The goal of this group is to foster a more racially and culturally supportive and diverse environment at ACU. Egbo will be one of five students serving on the council.

DON’T TRUST THE POLLS

• There were no surprises in the Southland Conference’s annual release of its preseason poll, which is determined by the league’s 11 head coaches and sports information directors.
• The rankings closely followed last year’s standings with Central Arkansas topping the list with 190 points and 12 first-place votes. The defending champion Bears tied Nicholls for the league’s best record at 7-2, but the Colonels slipped to third with Sam Houston State tallying 170 points (4).
• Nicholls scooped up the remaining six first-place votes in finishing a point (169) behind Sam Houston State. The Colonels will be the Wildcats’ homecoming opponent this season on Oct. 17.
• Southeastern Louisiana, which celebrated a playoff win last fall over Villanova, was pegged fourth with 157 points.
• The Wildcats played in six one-possession conference games in compiling a 4-5 record vs. the Southland (232 points for, 233 points against) last fall, and they start the year ranked seventh with 101 points. They were topped by McNeese (113 points) and UIW (104).

2020 Southland Conference Preseason Poll

1. Central Arkansas (12) - 190  

2. Sam Houston State (4) - 170  

3. Nicholls (6) - 169  

4. Southeastern Louisiana - 157

5. McNeese -113

6. UIW - 104  

7. Abilene Christian - 101

8. Stephen F. Austin - 60

9. Houston Baptist - 59

10. Northwestern State - 49

11. Lamar - 38

Teams competing this fall in bold