Cats Ready to Open Football Season

Northern Colorado at ACU
Thursday, 7 p.m., at Wildcat Stadium
Television: ESPN+
Radio: ACU Sports Network
Tickets | Live Stats | Fan Guide

ABILENE – Abilene Christian launches its 2023 season on Thursday night, taking on Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. in Wildcat Stadium.
 
The Wildcats look to take steps forward after a strong 7-4 campaign in 2022 and face a test on Thursday from a Bears team that ACU has never beaten.
 
ACU Storylines
 
SNUBBERY: Despite being one win away from a Western Athletic Conference championship last season, ACU is ranked fifth in the preseason United Athletic Conference coaches poll. Three former ASUN members grabbed all but one first-place vote with the one remaining top vote being cast for Utah Tech, which is ranked seventh in the league.
 
YEAR TWO: The Wildcats enter the second year of the Coach Keith Patterson era after a successful season in 2022. The Wildcats went 7-4 last season and narrowly missed a WAC Championship in year one. That team returns 10 players on offense and five on defense, including all five offensive linemen, the leading passer, the leading rusher, three-fourths of the defensive backfield and half the linebacker corps.
 
AWARDS THEN: ACU brings back six All-WAC performers this season. Running back Jermiah Dobbins and left tackle Reese Moore were first-team selections. Safety Elijah Moffett, corner Patrick Jolly, tight end Noah Caldwell and long snapper Dustin Inness were second-team picks.
 
WATCH MOORE: Offensive lineman Reese Moore made the East-West Shrine Bowl's watch list. Moore, a 6-6, 300-pound lineman from Seminole, made the event's "Shrine Bowl 1000" list which "serves as a look into our scouting process, as well as begin to preview college players who are currently all-star game eligible for the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2024 NFL Draft class.
 
PURPLE IN BLUEBLOODS: The Bluebloods listed four Abilene Christian players on its 2023 Preseason United Football Conference All-Conference team, the media outlet announced Wednesday. Reese Moore earned first-team as an offensive lineman and Elijah Moffett represents the Wildcats on the first-team defense as a defensive back. Jermiah Dobbins, running back, and Colt Cooper, tight end, made the second-team offense and Patrick Jolly is a second-team defensive back.
 
STEELERS: Thirteen Abilene Christian University football players, led by first-team selection Reese Moore, landed on the Phil Steele Preseason All-United Athletic Conference team, the magazine announced recently. Moore, a 6-6, 300-pound offensive lineman, is ACU's only first-team pick. Listed on the second team are offensive lineman Rafiti Ghirmai, long snapper Dustin Inness and defensive backs Patrick Jolly and Elijah Moffett. Linebacker Reese Young, tight end Colt Cooper, wide receiver Tristan Golightly and running back Jeremiah Dobbins are on the third team. Fourth-team selections from ACU are wide receiver Blayne Taylor, tight end Noah Caldwell and linebackers Darius Moore and Kenton Wilhoit.
 
COACHES SAY…: Abilene Christian placed three football players on the United Athletic Conference's first-ever Preseason Football Squad. Offensive lineman Reese Moore, tight end Noah Caldwell and long snapper Dustin Inness were selected to the team by a vote of UAC head coaches.
 
YOUNG AND STRONG: Dave Campbell's Texas Football selected Abilene Christian's Skyler Cassity in its annual 40 Under 40 Award. Cassity is one of 15 college coaches around the state to be included and the first-ever ACU coach to win the honor. The entry reads "The Wildcats allowed 20.5 points per game, which led the Western Athletic Conference in Cassity's first year as a defensive coordinator. He is on the fast track to an FBS position."
 
GETTING VOTES: Abilene Christian football's stock is on an early uptick with the Wildcats receiving votes in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 released on Monday. ACU received six points in the preseason poll and is the fourth of four United Football Conference teams to be listed.  Eastern Kentucky is 24th with 137 points after its playoff season in 2022. Central Arkansas (137), Austin Peay (40) and ACU (6) all were in the received votes listing. ACU plays Central Arkansas in Conway on Sept. 23.
 
History with Northern Colorado
 
UNC leads the series 2-0
 
All-time scores
2016: UNC 55, ACU 52, in Abilene
2015: UNC 40, ACU 36, in Greeley
 
Scouting the Bears
 

• Ed Lamb will make his debut as the Bears head coach. Lamb, who previously was the head coach at Southern Utah and the top assistant coach at BYU, has instilled his no-nonsense attitude into the program. Lamb inherited a SUU team that had suffered 18 straight losses, Lamb's debut campaign saw the Thunderbirds go from 0-11 the previous season to a 4-7 record in 2008. By his third season at the helm, Lamb guided SUU to a winning record at 6-5 and a perfect 4-0 mark in Great West Conference play for the league championship.
• All-American linebacker David Hoage and defensive back Jordan Knapke were named to the Big Sky Football Preseason All-Conference Team. Hoage missed the 2022 season with an injury.
• The Bears were 3-8 last season and 2-6 in the Big Sky Conference.
• Jacob Sirmon gets the start at quarterback after being a part-time starter last season. He played in seven games and passed for 595 yards and four touchdowns.