#13 ACUÂ (4-3, 3-0) at Southern Utah (1-5, 0-2)
Cedar City, UT | Eccles Coliseum
Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. CT
GAME LINKS
CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Abilene Christian football team completes its United Athletic Conference criss-crossing road trip with a game at Southern Utah on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT.
The Wildcats are fighting for their eighth straight UAC victory and the tenth in their last eleven conference games.
ACU shot up to No. 13 in the FCS Stats Perform Top 25 this week following a 30-13 road triumph over West Georgia last Saturday. The Wildcats played one of their more complete games with a 23:10 - 6:50 time of possession edge in the second half, and rushing for 210 yards. The Wolves entered the game allowing just 94 yards on the ground on average.
Quarterback
Stone Earle was named
the UAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance which included 241 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, and a career-high 78 rushing yards.
Southern Utah enjoyed its open week after giving No. 3 Tarleton State a scare in Stephenville on Oct. 4. The Thunderbirds led 35-28 at halftime, and 42-35 midway through the third quarter before the Texans scored the game's final 17 points for a 52-42 decision.
SUU's offense is one of the most efficient in the FCS with 37 points per game on 447 yards (199 rushing, 248 passing). However, its defense has struggled mightily. The T-Birds give up 39 points on average and rank 107th in total defense.
LAST TIME OUT
- ACU scored 21 straight points from the mid-2nd quarter to the mid-3rd quarter to take a 24-6 lead over West Georgia.
- UWG had the ball with a chance to make it a one-score game late in the 3rd, but CB Tyson Williams intercepted a pass from a receiver on a trick play at the 6-yard line.
- That play set up a 19-play, 94-yard drive which consumed 10:29 off the clock and ended with an 11-yard TD pass from Stone Earle to J.J. Henry. The drive included five 3rd down conversions, and was ACU's longest by number of plays and time in at least 7 seasons. The last drive that covered more yards was a 10-play, 96-yard TD drive at Texas Tech on Aug. 31, 2024.
3-0 START TO CONFERENCE
- ACU has a 3-0 conference record for the second straight season.Â
- The Wildcats have had a 3-0 conference record 9 times before -- 1973, 1986, 2006-11, and 2024.
- Eight of those teams made their respective playoffs (NAIA, Division II, or FCS).
- Four of those teams won conference championships, including the 2024 team which won the UAC with a 7-1 league record.
- ACU has been 4-0 in conference eight times before. The Wildcats lost their fourth UAC game in 2024.
CREATING TURNOVERS
- ACU's defense has 12 takeaways on the season, which is 12th most in the FCS and 3rd most in the UAC.
- Nine of those 12 have been fumble recoveries, which leads the country. Rashon Myles, Jr., is 1st among all players with 4 fumble recoveries himself.
- ACU only forced 14 takeaways all of last season, and finished -8 in turnover margin.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 72% - Keith Patterson's winning percentage against teams currently in the UAC (13-5 record).
- 10:29 - Amount of time ACU took up on a 19-play, 94-yard touchdown drive to seal the win last week. The Wildcats converted five 3rd downs, including a 3rd & 11 and a 3rd & 10.
- 4-0 - ACU's record when having a better offensive 3rd down conversion rate than their opponent in 2025.Â
AN ACU WIN WOULD...
- Give the Wildcats a 4-0 start in the UAC. ACU was last 4-0 in conference when they did it in 6 straight seasons from 2006-11.
- Push ACU's win streak to 3 games. The Wildcats had a 4-game win streak from Oct.-Nov. 2024.
- Give the Wildcats 10 wins in their last 11 UAC games.
- Make Keith Patterson 7-3 in conference road games as ACU's head coach.
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