Photo by: Natalie Wright
ACU at UNT: Matchup Keys
9/28/2023 9:50:00 AM | Football
ABILENE – Abilene Christian gets a chance to prove itself Saturday when the Wildcats visit FBS foe North Texas at 6 p.m. at DATCU Stadium in Denton.
Defensively, ACU has the task of taking away part of the Mean Green's balanced offense. The Wildcats, which allowed ShunDerrick Powell to rush for 250 yards last week, face another strong rushing attack this week. Ayo Adeyi and Oscar Adaway III have combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground this season.
"It's a different style challenge this week," said ACU Head Coach Keith Patterson. "They have two running backs that I like. They are powerful and they run hard. But it always starts with us. We have to stop the run and make them one-dimensional. If we don't, they can stay balanced and keep us off track just like what happened last week."
UNT quarterback Chandler Rogers averages 174 yards passing per game while former Wildcat Stone Earle has thrown for 274 yards this season in two games.
Offensively, the Wildcats have to recapture and sustain their confidence. In its two losses, ACU has scored first, including an opening-drive touchdown last week.
"It's all confidence. We lost our confidence somewhere along the road," said Patterson. "We have to go in with confidence and have an expectation to win. We have to stay aggressive and if we do that, I think you're going to see us get back on track at some point. We have to keep working hard and put our players in position to make plays."
The Mean Green has allowed six yards per carry this season and if the Wildcats can keep themselves balanced they can create positive opportunities.
The Wildcats continue to shine on special teams. Kyle Ramsey is five for five in field goals this season, obviously leading the FCS in field goal accuracy. But that's only part of the story. All five kicks have been at least 40 yards. His field goals this season are from 40 (Northern Colorado), 55 (Prairie View), 44 (Central Arkansas), 51 and 44 (Incarnate Word). He also is 13-13 on PAT kicks. Seventeen of his 19 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.
The ACU punt coverage team has been super this season, ranking second in the FCS and first in the United Athletic Conference in net punting at 45.06 yards. The Cats are 16th in the FCS and first in the UAC in punt return defense, allowing two yards per return. Wildcat punter Grant Nickel averages 46.6 yards per punt this season with seven of his 14 punts going inside the 20. He has six punts over 50 yards with a long of 59. Only one of his punts has gone for a touchback and eight have ended in a fair catch.
Marcayll Jones is ninth in the FCS and leads the United Athletic Conference with 29.8 yards per kickoff return. He has 149 yards on five returns with a long of 54 yards coming against Prairie View A&M.
Defensively, ACU has the task of taking away part of the Mean Green's balanced offense. The Wildcats, which allowed ShunDerrick Powell to rush for 250 yards last week, face another strong rushing attack this week. Ayo Adeyi and Oscar Adaway III have combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground this season.
"It's a different style challenge this week," said ACU Head Coach Keith Patterson. "They have two running backs that I like. They are powerful and they run hard. But it always starts with us. We have to stop the run and make them one-dimensional. If we don't, they can stay balanced and keep us off track just like what happened last week."
UNT quarterback Chandler Rogers averages 174 yards passing per game while former Wildcat Stone Earle has thrown for 274 yards this season in two games.
Offensively, the Wildcats have to recapture and sustain their confidence. In its two losses, ACU has scored first, including an opening-drive touchdown last week.
"It's all confidence. We lost our confidence somewhere along the road," said Patterson. "We have to go in with confidence and have an expectation to win. We have to stay aggressive and if we do that, I think you're going to see us get back on track at some point. We have to keep working hard and put our players in position to make plays."
The Mean Green has allowed six yards per carry this season and if the Wildcats can keep themselves balanced they can create positive opportunities.
The Wildcats continue to shine on special teams. Kyle Ramsey is five for five in field goals this season, obviously leading the FCS in field goal accuracy. But that's only part of the story. All five kicks have been at least 40 yards. His field goals this season are from 40 (Northern Colorado), 55 (Prairie View), 44 (Central Arkansas), 51 and 44 (Incarnate Word). He also is 13-13 on PAT kicks. Seventeen of his 19 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.
The ACU punt coverage team has been super this season, ranking second in the FCS and first in the United Athletic Conference in net punting at 45.06 yards. The Cats are 16th in the FCS and first in the UAC in punt return defense, allowing two yards per return. Wildcat punter Grant Nickel averages 46.6 yards per punt this season with seven of his 14 punts going inside the 20. He has six punts over 50 yards with a long of 59. Only one of his punts has gone for a touchback and eight have ended in a fair catch.
Marcayll Jones is ninth in the FCS and leads the United Athletic Conference with 29.8 yards per kickoff return. He has 149 yards on five returns with a long of 54 yards coming against Prairie View A&M.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
P
/ Football
K
/ FootballACU Press Conference: Abilene Flying Bison to Play at ACU in 2026
Tuesday, April 07
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Softball: Jo Koons Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | March 31, 2026
Tuesday, March 31
