The football team will remain in its new stadium this weekend as it welcomes the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin.
The Wildcats hold a 1-2 overall record after topping Houston Baptist a week ago in their first conference game of the season.
SFA has had a similar experience this season so far with a 1-2 record, losing to SMU and Southern Utah in its first two games, then winning its conference opener last week against Incarnate Word.
Junior defensive tackle Dante Hibbert said the team must worry about themselves before heading into Saturday.
“We have to focus on us and make sure we’re where we need to be,” Hibbert said. “We have to beat ACU first, but Saturday we’re not playing ACU, so it’s mainly our scout guys, they give us a good look for every team.”
Last Saturday, the Wildcat defense held its first Southland opponent to 129 total yards and an average 2.5 yards per play. The team’s only points surrendered were by an impressive 54-yard field goal from HBU junior kicker Alec Chadwick.
Junior quarterback Dallas Sealey and the offense nearly tripled HBU’s yardage, picking up 386 in the game. Sealey threw for 195 of those yards and ran for another 46.
After three games, including two against FBS schools, the Wildcats have racked up a total of 1001 yards offensively and given up 1215 defensively.
SFA comes into Wildcat Stadium after escaping last week’s wild contest against Incarnate Word.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lumberjacks led Incarnate Word 21-0; however, the Cardinals flipped a switch and scored 31 unanswered points up until the 11:58 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Lumberjacks then answered with 10 points to tie the game at 31, and with 17 seconds left in the game, the Cardinals threw an interception to sophomore safety Alize Ward, which he returned for a 70-yard pick-six as time expired.
Through SFA’s three games, they have earned 822 yards on offense and given up 1520 yards on defense.
Last year, when the Wildcats and Lumberjacks faced each other, SFA won by a score of 41-30.
Sealey played a phenomenal game, however, throwing for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back De’Andre Brown, a junior at the time, caught the ball out of the backfield well with 165 yards and a touchdown, while senior wide receiver Troy Grant, also a junior at the time, added another two touchdowns with 53 yards.
Head coach Adam Dorrel said SFA will be a talented team.
“If you look at them across the board, they’re super athletic big kids,” Dorrel said. “They’ve got really good skill players, and it will be a tough game because they’re very athletic.”
Kickoff will be at 6 p.m., and the game can be heard on 98.1 FM. Tailgating will also be on campus starting at 3 p.m., and the stadium gates open at 4:30 p.m.
