#17 ACU (7-4, 6-1) at Central Arkansas (3-8, 2-5)
Conway, AR | Estes Stadium
Saturday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. CT
GAME LINKS
CONWAY, Ark. – The Abilene Christian football team accomplished its first goal of the season two weeks ago when it defeated Utah Tech to finish an unbeaten run at home in 2025. Its next goal, win the United Athletic Conference championship, is theirs for the taking on Saturday afternoon against Central Arkansas.
ACU will claim the UAC title with either a win over the Bears, or a Tarleton State loss to Austin Peay. Both of those games kickoff at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday. The Wildcats own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Texans thanks to the 31-28 thrilling victory on Nov. 1.
Below are scenarios for the conference championship and the league's automatic qualifier into the FCS Playoffs.
- An ACU win = the Wildcats are back-to-back UAC champs and earn the AQ
- An ACU loss and a Tarleton State win = the Texans are UAC champs and earn the AQ
- An ACU loss, a Tarleton State loss, and a Southern Utah loss at North Alabama = the Wildcats are UAC champs and earn the AQ
- An ACU loss, a Tarleton State loss, and a Southern Utah win at North Alabama = a shared UAC championship between the three schools, with ACU earning the AQ via tiebreaker
The Wildcats have won three straight, including last Saturday's 17-10 comeback victory at Eastern Kentucky. ACU's defense allowed just 165 total yards, and only ten on the ground to the Colonels. Defensive lineman
Kaghen Roach, a redshirt senior from Celina, Texas, was named the UAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance which included 2.5 sacks and recovering the fumble which led to the game-winning touchdown. A Wildcat defender has won the conference honor in three consecutive weeks with
Rashon Myles, Jr., claiming the award on Nov. 3, and
Dorian Plumley on Nov. 10.
ACU defeated Central Arkansas at Wildcat Stadium in 2024 with a 41-34 victory over the then-No. 5 ranked Bears. It was ACU's first win in Abilene over UCA. The Wildcats are technically 0-7-1 against the Bears in Conway, Ark., due to a 1974 ACU win which was later forfeited.
UCA is 3-8 overall, but has played one-score games at Austin Peay (41-38), and at Southern Utah (28-21) in each of the past two weeks.
LAST TIME OUT
- ACU used a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Eastern Kentucky, 17-10 behind a dominant defensive performance.
- The Wildcats held EKU to 165 yards (155 pass, 10 rush), and sacked QB Myles Burkett six times.
- It's the second time this season ACU has held an opponent to under 50 rush yards. West Georgia only ran for 35 yards against the Wildcats on Oct. 11.Â
- DL Kaghen Roach had 2.5 sacks to push his team-leading total to 6.5Â for the season. That's the most for an ACU player since Temisan Kuyatsemi had 8.5 in 2019.
- DL Chris Wright and Kortin Rausaw sandwiched Burkett to force a fumble which Roach recovered. The takeaway led to ACU's game-winning - and only - TD.
- WR Javon Gipson had a 100-yard game with 6 catches for 100 yards and that winning TD catch on a slant pattern from 7 yards out with 4:03 left. He's the second Wildcat to have a 100-yard receiving game in 2025.
- K Brandon Perez was a perfect 3-for-3 on FG, connecting from 30, 25 and 21 yards. Perez is now 10-of-14 this season, including 5 straight makes.
MEET AT THE QUARTERBACK
- ACU's defense recorded 6 sacks in a game for the first time since having 10 vs. McMurry on Sept. 1, 2012.
- Kaghen Roach had 2.5 sacks for his second multi-sack game of the season.
- Chris Wright had 1.5 sacks while DB Dorian Plumley had 1.0, and Will Shaffer and Kortlin Rausaw were each credited with half a sack (0.5).Â
- ACU did not record a sack in three of its four losses.
- The Cats have 24.0 sacks in 2025 -- their highest season total since having 36.0 sacks in 2019.
LAST SEASON VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS
- The 2024 meeting in Abilene saw ACU beat then-No. 5 Central Arkansas, 41-34. It started ACU's active stretch of 5 consecutive wins over ranked teams at home.
- It was the Wildcats' highest-ranked victory since 2009.
- QB Maverick McIvor threw for 350 yards and 5 TD, and WR Nehemiah Martinez I had 202 yards and 3 scores. Current ACU receiver Hut Graham caught a TD pass.
- Will Shaffer recorded 8 tackles and the game-sealing INT in the final minute. Chris Wright had 9 tackles.
- It was ACU's first win over Central Arkansas in 11 years, snapping a 7-game losing streak, and the first-ever victory in Abilene.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 100 - Receiving yards by Javon Gipson last week at Eastern Kentucky. Gipson is the second ACU player a 100-yard receiving game in 2025 (Raydrian Baltrip had 116 yards vs. Austin Peay).
- 10 - Amount of rushing yards allowed at EKU. It's the fewest ACU given has up to an FCS opponent in the Div. I era.
- 71 - Â Years since the Wildcats have won back-to-back conference titles. ACU won four straight Texas Conference championships from 1950-53.
AN ACU WIN WOULD...
- Make the Wildcats the back-to-back UAC champions and clinch the conference's auto berth in the FCS Playoffs. ACU last won consecutive conference titles since winning four in-a-row from 1950-53.
- Be HC Keith Patterson's 29th win at ACU, putting him 7th by himself in school history.
- Give ACU 8 wins for the second year in a row (ACU went 9-5 in 2024).
- Push the Wildcats' record to 11-1 in their last 12 UAC games.
