After a heartbreaking loss to last week, the Wildcats (4-2, 1-0) hope to get back on track and earn their second Western Athletic Conference win on Saturday against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-3, 1-1) for Homecoming.
The Wildcats’ heartbreaking loss came at the hands of conference opponent and rival, SFA. After the Wildcats clawed their way back after being down 21-0 in the first quarter, a short field goal and a 15-yard penalty gave the Lumberjacks a lost second to ice the game and come away with the 41-38 win.
“I’m very proud of our players and the resiliency they continue to show,” said head coach Keith Patterson. “We just made too many mistakes and missed opportunities in the special teams, then a couple of critical errors. It ended up being costly. But, at the end of the day, it’s a team effort, and we just got to look at what we can improve and eliminate those mistakes.”
As for Southern Utah, they are also coming off a near loss, falling to the Tarleton Texans 42-40. The game in Cedar City, Utah was also a exciting won, with the Thunderbirds nearly coming back from a 35-13 deficit to start the fourth quarter. But after a failed two-point conversion, a successful onside kick and a thrown interception by new head coach DeLane Fitzgerald’s Thunderbirds in the final two minutes, the Texans were able to escape with the win.
Despite the Wildcats dealing with their second loss of the season, plenty of positives and bright spots came from their matchup against the Lumberjacks.
One of those includes the performance of sophomore running back Jermiah Dobbins. He finished the game running a total of 166 yards and three touchdowns. This is the second straight game Dobbins ran for three touchdowns and the third straight game Dobbins ran for over 100 yards, being the first player in ACU’s Division I era to do so. His performance also gave him the WAC’s Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week.
“He continues to be consistent, and he’s the same every single day when he shows up to prepare,” Patterson said. “He’s just rock solid. That shows up in his performance and he’s getting a rhythm for understanding where the run lanes and creases are going to be exposed. He’s doing a nice job just sticking his foot in the grass and getting the ball north and south.”
Another Wildcat made history in their matchup with the Lumberjacks as well.
On the final drive of the game for ACU, senior wide receiver Kobe Clark caught a 17-yard pass, his ninth reception of the night. With the catch, Clark moved to 236 career receptions at ACU, passing now running backs coach Jerale Badon as the Wildcat with the most career receptions at ACU.
“What a great accomplishment that is,” Patterson said. “It’s a great honor for him. It’s something that we’ll celebrate after the season’s over. But, we’re very proud of him and what he’s been able to do here at ACU.”
Leading the charge offensively as quarterback for their teams is Southern Utah’s redshirt junior Justin Miller and ACU’s sophomore Maverick McIvor. Miller finished last week’s matchup with 32 completions for 383 yards and two touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. Meanwhile, McIvor finished last Saturday with 24 completions for 283 yards and two touchdowns to one interception.
Now, the Wildcats look ahead to the Homecoming game, where Wildcat fans from across the country will gather in order to support the Purple and White. Along with earning a Homecoming win, the Wildcats aim to keep their home record unblemished.
Ultimately, Patterson hopes that his team will stay focused and he and his team will make Wildcat Nation proud.
“Homecoming is always a little bit of a challenge because players have to understand that it’s for fans, alumni and people coming back,” Patterson said. “You have to be able to manage distractions and things that go along with the pageantry. It’s also a huge part of college football, so it’s very important for us to be able to make sure that we maintain a focus and in the in our preparation so that we can make our alumni and our fans proud.”
The Homecoming game will begin in Wildcat Stadium on Saturday at 3:25 p.m., with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
