Week 1 | Cats open 2022 campaign against Lamar on Thursday

ABILENE, Texas – The Keith Patterson era is set to officially get underway on Thursday night as ACU opens the 2022 campaign against former conference foe Lamar at Wildcat Stadium. ACU looks to win its season opener for the first time since 2013 and extend the current win streak against Lamar to three games.
 
The Game
Parking Lots: 3:00 p.m. CT
Wildcat Walk: 4:40 p.m. CT
Tailgate: 5:00 p.m. CT
Gates: 5:30 p.m. CT
Concessions/Club Level: 6:00 p.m. CT
Kickoff: 7:02 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+ (Zach Carlyle, Joseph Chapa, Connor Mullins)
Listen: ACU Sports Network (Grant Boone, Jim Reese)
Ticketing Info
Fan Guide 
Parking Map
 
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The Wildcats

• ACU named team captains last week, with Peyton Mansell, Kendall Catalon, Tory Hargrove and Blair Zepeda receiving the honors from their teammates. 
• On Saturday afternoon, ACU named Texas Tech transfer and former San Angelo Central standout Maverick McIvor the starting quarterback for the season opener. 
• McIvor's receiving corps this season will feature some combination of fellow transfers Tristan Golightly (Kansas), Catalon (Arkansas) and Blayne Taylor (Cisco). Fan favorite Kobe Clark returns for his final season with the Purple and White, and the Sweetwater native enters the 2022 campaign just 30 catches shy of the program record, which is currently held by running backs coach Jerale Badon. 
• Also climbing up the school record books is Zepeda, who comes into Thursday's game with 177 career kicking points and 31 made field goals.  
• Safety Elijah Moffett (61 tackles, 2 INT) and linebacker Hargrove (50 tackles, 4.5 TFL) are among the biggest defensive returners for ACU after each saw action in all 11 games a season ago. 

 
The Cardinals

• The Cardinals will again be young this fall, claiming just 12 returning starters and 41 total letter winners from last season. Lamar will be led by head coach Blane Morgan, who is in is third season at the helm of the program and enters with a career record of 4-13. 
• Linebacker Adrian Owens came away with 47 total tackles last fall, which makes him one of the most experienced returning defensive players on the squad.  
• On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals return seven starters, including the entire offensive line and three players with starting experience at quarterback. Among those three, however, is Jalen Dummett, who finished 2021 as the team's leading returning rusher, and has been moved to receiver entering the 2022 campaign. 
• The quarterback job in Beaumont is expected to be a competition between sophomore Mike Chandler and Missouri City native Jakolby Longino, who returns home after spending last season at UTEP. 
• LU struggled on the road last fall, going just 1-5 with the lone win coming in overtime of Week 3 against Northern Colorado.

 
What to Watch For 

• Kobe Clark has played against Lamar three times in his career, totaling 18 catches and 187 yards to go with a pair of touchdowns. 
• In two meetings between the two teams last season, the Wildcats dominated at the line of scrimmage, rushing for 482 yards and six scores. 

 
The Series

• Lamar leads the all-time series 13-9, but ACU has won each of the last two meetings. 
• Abilene Christian is 4-7 at home against Lamar, but the Cardinals have only played one of those games at Wildcat Stadium. 
• Last season in Beaumont, ACU came away with the highest point total in series history (56), as well as the biggest margin of defeat (56).  

 
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