Saturday, August 29
Beaumont, TX
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
at
Lamar
Photo by: Aly Bayliss
Wildcats Visit Lamar in Season-Opening Top 20 Matchup
8/28/2026 5:40:00 PM | Football
#14 ACU (0-0) at #20 Lamar (0-0)
Beaumont, TX | Provost Umphrey Stadium
Saturday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m. CT
GAME LINKS
BEAUMONT, Texas – The No. 14 Abilene Christian Wildcats kickoff the 2026 season with a nonconference bout against the 20th ranked Lamar Cardinals on Saturday evening in Beaumont. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network.
ACU, the back-to-back defending United Athletic Conference champion, is coming off a second straight 9-5 season. The Wildcats' No. 14 ranking in the AFCA Coaches Poll represents their highest starting position in the Division I era.
Saturday's game is the first of two rematches ACU plays against the teams it faced in the 2025 FCS Playoffs. The Cats defeated Lamar 38-24 in the first round last season, then lost to Stephen F. Austin 41-34 in round two. SFA visits Abilene on Sept. 12.
Head coach Keith Patterson will climb to sixth place in ACU's coaching wins leaderboard with his next victory.
Fifty-four new players have joined ACU this season with 18 transferring from FBS schools. The Wildcats do have 45 returning players, including 12 who were regular starters in 2025.
The Cardinals and Wildcats have agreed to three more nonconference meetings in the near future: 2027 in Abilene, 2029 in Beaumont, and 2030 in Abilene.
During what is officially 'Week 0' of the FCS season, ACU's trip to Lamar is one of only two ranked games in the country, and the lone top 20 contest.
SERIES NOTES
NUMBERS TO KNOW
QUARTERBACK DUEL
NOT A STONE OR MAVERICK
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
TAKEAWAY MACHINE
SHUT DOWN STARTS
ACU IN SEASON OPENERS
Beaumont, TX | Provost Umphrey Stadium
Saturday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m. CT
GAME LINKS
- Watch on ESPN+ | Listen on the ACU Sports Network | Live Stats
- Weekly Press Conference | ACU Game Notes (PDF)
BEAUMONT, Texas – The No. 14 Abilene Christian Wildcats kickoff the 2026 season with a nonconference bout against the 20th ranked Lamar Cardinals on Saturday evening in Beaumont. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network.
ACU, the back-to-back defending United Athletic Conference champion, is coming off a second straight 9-5 season. The Wildcats' No. 14 ranking in the AFCA Coaches Poll represents their highest starting position in the Division I era.
Saturday's game is the first of two rematches ACU plays against the teams it faced in the 2025 FCS Playoffs. The Cats defeated Lamar 38-24 in the first round last season, then lost to Stephen F. Austin 41-34 in round two. SFA visits Abilene on Sept. 12.
Head coach Keith Patterson will climb to sixth place in ACU's coaching wins leaderboard with his next victory.
Fifty-four new players have joined ACU this season with 18 transferring from FBS schools. The Wildcats do have 45 returning players, including 12 who were regular starters in 2025.
The Cardinals and Wildcats have agreed to three more nonconference meetings in the near future: 2027 in Abilene, 2029 in Beaumont, and 2030 in Abilene.
During what is officially 'Week 0' of the FCS season, ACU's trip to Lamar is one of only two ranked games in the country, and the lone top 20 contest.
SERIES NOTES
- Lamar leads the series 13-11 which dates back to 1953
- However ACU has won four straight, including last season's first round playoff game
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- #1 - Voted 1st in the UAC Preseason Coaches Poll. It's the first time the Wildcats have been picked 1st in their conference preseason poll since 2011.
- 5 - Number of wins over ranked opponents in 2025. ACU played 12 games (8-4 record) vs. the Top 25 over the past two seasons, exceeding the amount they played in the first 11 years at the FCS level.
- 2-0 - Head coach Keith Patterson's record in season openers vs. FCS opponents (2022 - vs. Lamar; 2023 - vs. Northern Colorado).
- 72 - The 2024 and 2025 seasons mark the first time to win back-to-back conference championships in 72 years when Abilene Christian won the Texas Conference from 1950-53.
QUARTERBACK DUEL
- Keith Patterson announced on Monday that ACU plans to play two quarterbacks against Lamar.
- None of ACU's four QBs have started a game in college, and only Tucker Parks and Marcos Davila have seen game action at their previous schools.
- At Western Kentucky, Parks played on 11/1/2025 vs. New Mexico State, going 0/2 passing and rushing for 6 yards.
- At Nebraska, Davila played vs. Akron and Houston Christian in 2025 but did not record any statistics.
NOT A STONE OR MAVERICK
- Saturday marks the first time ACU's starting QB is not Stone Earle or Maverick McIvor since 2020.
- Earle started in 2021, transferred twice and returned to start in 2025.
- McIvor was a three-year starter from 2022-24.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
- Two Wildcats received Preseason All-America honors: RT Luke Roaten and transfer DB Dillon Williams.
- Roaten started all 14 games in 2025, next to his twin brother Landon at right guard.
- Williams left Central Arkansas to join his older brother DJ, who is ACU's secondary coach.
- Williams led UCA with 83 tackles last season and was named the No. 1 transfer safety by FCS Football Central.
TAKEAWAY MACHINE
- The Wildcat defense was one of the best at taking the ball away in 2025.
- ACU had 24 takeaways (2nd in UAC, 8th in FCS) and finished +8 in turnover margin (2nd in UAC, 14th in FCS).
SHUT DOWN STARTS
- ACU's defense did not give up a point the first time they stepped on the field in 9 of the final 11 games last season.
- On their opponents' first drive, the Wildcats forced 8 punts - including four 3-and-outs - and a blocked field goal.
ACU IN SEASON OPENERS
- The Wildcats are 3-10 in season openers since moving from Division II to FCS in 2013 -- but are 3-0 vs. non-FBS opponents.
Players Mentioned
QB
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QB
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QB
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OL
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DB
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