Saturday, September 26
Abilene
7 p.m.
Abilene Christian
vs
Mercer
Photo by: Jonathan Sargent
ACU Takes on #23 Mercer During Family Weekend
9/23/2026 9:47:00 PM | Football
(RV) ACU (1-3) vs. #23 Mercer (2-2, 0-1 SoCon)
Abilene, TX | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium
Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. CT
GAME LINKS
ABILENE - The Abilene Christian football team begins a three-game homestand by welcoming the No. 23 Mercer Bears to Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium during Family Weekend presented by United Supermarkets on Saturday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are coming off a 41-39 victory over the Idaho Vandals at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. ACU scored 20 straight points to start the 4th quarter, building a 17-point lead, and then held on for the two-point win.Â
Even without leading rusher Alex Broome and leading receiver Cristian Driver, the ACU offense was able to gain 392 yards, including 244 on the ground. It was the 16th time the Wildcats have gained 200+ rushing yards under head coach Keith Patterson, and the fourth most for a single-game in his tenure.
Rovaughn Banks Jr. carried the ball 22 times for 99 yards while Deonte Dean added 63 yards and a score. Quarterback Tucker Parks, making his second career start, added 74 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Parks was 14/21 passing for 148 yards and two more TD. Dean also added a receiving TD on a 37-yard screen catch and run.
ACU also got a defensive touchdown from Obi Udom who forced the ball out of Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood's hands, picked it up and stretched across the goalline for his first career score.
UAC Special Teams Player of the Week Brandon Perez was 2/2 on field goals, including a new personal NCAA Division I career-long of 51 yards.
Mercer enters on a two-game slide. After starting the season with wins over East Texas A&M (23-15) and Presbyterian (62-3), the Bears have dropped contests to Furman (20-13) and Georgia Tech (44-11) the past two weeks. Joel Taylor, who led the West Georgia Wolves from 2024-25, was hired as Mercer's head coach during the offseason.
Saturday's game will air on ESPN+.
SERIES MATCHUP
AN ACU WIN WOULD...
A WALK IN THE PARKS
BETTER START
SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
ACU vs. TOP 25
TAYLOR A FAMILIAR FACE
Abilene, TX | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium
Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. CT
GAME LINKS
ABILENE - The Abilene Christian football team begins a three-game homestand by welcoming the No. 23 Mercer Bears to Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium during Family Weekend presented by United Supermarkets on Saturday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are coming off a 41-39 victory over the Idaho Vandals at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. ACU scored 20 straight points to start the 4th quarter, building a 17-point lead, and then held on for the two-point win.Â
Even without leading rusher Alex Broome and leading receiver Cristian Driver, the ACU offense was able to gain 392 yards, including 244 on the ground. It was the 16th time the Wildcats have gained 200+ rushing yards under head coach Keith Patterson, and the fourth most for a single-game in his tenure.
Rovaughn Banks Jr. carried the ball 22 times for 99 yards while Deonte Dean added 63 yards and a score. Quarterback Tucker Parks, making his second career start, added 74 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Parks was 14/21 passing for 148 yards and two more TD. Dean also added a receiving TD on a 37-yard screen catch and run.
ACU also got a defensive touchdown from Obi Udom who forced the ball out of Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood's hands, picked it up and stretched across the goalline for his first career score.
UAC Special Teams Player of the Week Brandon Perez was 2/2 on field goals, including a new personal NCAA Division I career-long of 51 yards.
Mercer enters on a two-game slide. After starting the season with wins over East Texas A&M (23-15) and Presbyterian (62-3), the Bears have dropped contests to Furman (20-13) and Georgia Tech (44-11) the past two weeks. Joel Taylor, who led the West Georgia Wolves from 2024-25, was hired as Mercer's head coach during the offseason.
Saturday's game will air on ESPN+.
SERIES MATCHUP
- ACU defeated Mercer 20-17 in the two programs' only meeting on Oct. 31, 2020
- Blair Zepeda kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired to give the Wildcats their lone win of the COVID season
- It was also win #500 in ACU program history
- The Cats outgained Mercer 276-82 in the second half
AN ACU WIN WOULD...
- Give the Wildcats a winning streak for the first time in 2026.
- Improve ACU's record vs. Top 25 teams at Wildcat Stadium to 7-2 since 2024.
- Be their 9th overall victory over a ranked team since 2024.
- Push the Wildcats to 11-1 in their last 12 home games.
- Make ACU 11-5 vs. FCS opponents since the beginning of the 2025 season.
- Improve Patterson's home record to 19-5.
A WALK IN THE PARKS
- QB Tucker Parks made his second career start at Idaho. He finished 14/21 for 148 yards and 2 TD, and ran the ball 13 times for 74 yards and another score.
- Parks showed versatility and fearlessness when running on several designed QB runs, including a 41-yard scamper.
- Parks, a finance major, started the season-opener at Lamar but was pulled after throwing back-to-back INT.
BETTER START
- ACU scored a touchdown on its opening possession at Idaho.Â
- That marked the first time this season to start any half (1st or 2nd) with any kind of score.
- The Wildcats had 5 punts and 1 interception in their previous drives to begin the 1st and 2nd halves.
SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
- K Brandon Perez was named the UAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
- He was perfect with 2/2 on FG and 5/5 on PAT for 11 total points.
- Perez made a 51-yard FG which set a new mark for his longest make as a Wildcat. Perez converted a 54-yarder while at NCAA Division II East Central (Okla.) in 2024.
- RB Alex Broome won the same award for his 98-yard kickoff return for a TD at Texas Tech earlier this month.
ACU vs. TOP 25
- Saturday's game marks the 15th time the Wildcats have played a ranked opponent since 2024.
- ACU is 8-6 overall in that stretch, but 6-2 at Wildcat Stadium. Among the home victories are wins over the #2 and #5 ranked teams in the FCS.
TAYLOR A FAMILIAR FACE
- Though ACU has only played Mercer once before, and that was in 2020, the Cats did face Mercer HC Joel Taylor the past two seasons during UACÂ action when he was leading West Georgia.
- The Wildcats defeated the Wolves 38-24 in 2024 in Abilene, and 30-13 in Carrollton, Ga. in 2025.
- Taylor led UWG to an 8-3 record during the program's second FCS season in 2025.
Players Mentioned
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