The Wildcats are coming off a fun-filled trip to Jerryworld, but this weekend they will pack their bags again and travel to San Angelo to take on the Angelo State Rams in a Lone Star Conference showdown.
ACU is coming off of a thrilling come-from-behind win against Tarleton State, in which the ‘Cats erased a 10-point halftime lead in order to secure their first conference win of the 2012 campaign.
“Not many people get to play in such a big venue,” linebacker Thor Woerner said. “So it’s been a blessing for me. When Jerry opened that up to us, it was hard to put into words. It’s a lot of fun.”
Wildcat fans came out in droves to support the purple and white in what could be their last trip to Cowboys Stadium in the foreseeable future.
On the flip side, Angelo State has lost their last two games by double digits, including a 33-point drubbing at the hands of Valdosta State last week.
The Rams have gotten the short end of the stick against ACU recently, falling to the ‘Cats once a year for over a decade.
“We are not looking past anyone,” head coach Ken Collums said. “We have to handle Angelo State. They are a well-coached team; they are big, strong and physical. They are going to line up and try to out execute you on offense and defense.”
Defending LSC offensive player of the week Taylor Gabriel and the rest of the ACU offense should be able to move the ball against an Angelo State defense that gave up more than 40 points last week.
Another matchup to watch is the ACU offensive line against the Angelo State pass rush. The Rams have only registered two sacks on the season, so quarterback Mitchell Gale should have a clean pocket to deliver the football.
The new-look ACU defense has played good football in the first few weeks, and should be able to put together another strong showing against a Rams team that has scored only one touchdown in each of the last two weeks.
A Ram to keep an eye on is running back Jermie Calhoun, who played for the Oklahoma Sooners before a gruesome knee injury put his career in jeopardy.
The speedster was one of the top recruits in Texas, and is finally making his way back onto the gridiron after more than a year of rehabilitation.
“I think we’ll do fine because our guys are going to compress the running lanes and get him to bounce the ball so he is running sideways instead of north and south,” Collums said.
The Wildcats will face off against the Rams at 6 p.m. Saturday in San Angelo with a chance to improve to 3-1.
