#19 ACU Faces #4 Idaho in Wildcat Stadium's First Top-25 Match-Up

#19 ACU (2-1, 1-0) vs. #4 Idaho (2-1, 0-0)
Abilene, TX | Wildcat Stadium
Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. 

GAME LINKS

• Buy Tickets | Watch on ESPN+ | Listen on 106.3 The Raider | Live Stats | Weekly Football Press Conference | ACU Game Notes (PDF)

ABILENE - Wildcat Stadium will host its first-ever top 25 match-up on Saturday night with #19 ACU welcoming in Idaho, the #4 ranked team in the FCS.

The Wildcats are coming off an exhilarating victory in Greeley, Co. where kicker Ritse Vaes nailed a game-winning 54-yard field goal on the final snap to complete the 24-22 comeback against Northern Colorado.

ACU climbed up to #19 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, and also made its first appearance in the FCS Coaches Poll at #23.

The Idaho Vandals have looked impressive this season with a 24-14 loss at Oregon, a 17-13 win at Wyoming and a 41-13 takedown of UAlbany, which was ranked #17 at the time.

Tickets are still available for Saturday's showdown in Abilene, including in the Brown Family Club Level. 

Kick-off between ACU and Idaho is scheduled for 7 p.m. As with every game this season, fans can watch the game on the ESPN+ streaming platform (requires paid subscription), and also listen to the radio call on 106.3 The Raider.





THE MAV-MAN

• Three-year starting QB Maverick McIvor went over 5,000 career passing yards in last week's win at Northern Colorado.
• McIvor has started 23 games coming into Saturday's match-up vs. Idaho.
• McIvor has also been careful with the football. He has not thrown an interception in 6 straight games dating back to the 2023 season (220 total attempts).

ROACH KILLER

• Redshirt senior DL Kaghen Roach was named the UAC Defensive Player of the Week.
• Roach totaled 13 tackles, including three for losses, and one sack in the win at Northern Colorado.
• His teammate on the line, Jerry Lawson, had a team-high 15 tackles.

NICK AT NIGHT

• Associate HC Nick Holt spent 10 total seasons coaching at Idaho, including as head coach for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
• Holt was Idaho's DL coach from 1990-1993, and was elevated to defensive coordinator from 1994-1997.
• He returned in 2004 to be the Vandals' head coach. His teams had a combined 5-18 record in two seasons.
• Idaho's current head coach Jason Eck was an assistant during Holt's tenure as head coach. 

STATS TO WATCH

• One of coach Keith Patterson's stats to watch each week is how many yards per play his defense allows. ACU is 2-0 when giving up less than 5 yards per play (4.4 vs. West Georgia, 3.4 at Northern Colorado).
• QB Maverick McIvor is 2nd in FCS in passing yards with 1,032, and 3rd in completions per game with 26.
• ACU is 6th in points per game at 37.7.

ACU vs. RANKED OPPONENTS

• This is the first Top 25 match-up at Wildcat Stadium. The last time ACU was ranked and played a ranked opponent was in Sept. 2012 -- ACU's final season in Division II.
• ACU is 3-8 vs. ranked teams since joining the FCS. The last win was in 2019 at #15 Nicholls.

AN ACU WIN WOULD...

• Push ACU's win streak to 3 games for the first time in the Keith Patterson era. ACU's last 3-game winning streak was during the 2021 season (Louisiana College, UT Permian Basin, Lamar). This would be ACU's first where all 3 wins were vs. FCS opponents since 2019 (Houston Baptist, SFA, Nicholls).
• GIve ACU a 3-1 start for the third time in the past four seasons. The Wildcats also started 3-1 in 2021 and 2022.