ACU (5-4, 3-2) plays its final home game of the 2023 season at 2 p.m. on Saturday, when it hosts Tarleton State (7-3, 3-2). Saturday’s game will also mark the final conference game for the Wildcats in their first year as part of the United Athletic Conference.
The Wildcats come into Saturday’s contest coming off of a 24-7 win over Utah Tech in their previous game.
“I’m very proud of our players and I thought that was a big win,” head coach Keith Patterson said. “When you come off of a road loss and the way that we played at Southern Utah, sometimes you can lose a lot of confidence. So it was very critical that we come out and establish ourselves early in the game.”
The Texans come into their final game of the season on a three game winning streak, including a 59-17 win against Stephen F. Austin last week.
The Wildcat defense will need to carry over the momentum from last week’s win against Utah Tech if they want to battle with the Texans come Saturday afternoon. Although they only allowed 83 rushing yards last week, the ACU defense is second to last in the UAC in rushing yards allowed per game at over 210 per game.
If the Wildcats are not careful, the Texans will take full advantage of the subpar defense as Tarleton running back Kayvon Britten leads the UAC in rushing yards and rushing TD’s.
“We are looking forward to a great game with those guys,” Patterson said. “It’s going to boil down to, can we stop the run and can you stay sound vertical? We’ve got to protect the ball offensively and there are going to be a lot of factors in this football game.”
When it comes to the Wildcat offense, junior quarterback Maverick McIvor had a solid outing last week and will look to lead his team to a winning season for the second straight season. McIvor had a solid performance last weekend and used his legs a bit more, running the ball six times and grabbing a rushing touchdown to go along with his two TD’s in the air.
The Wildcats seem to find extra success this year when they win the turnover battle, an area that they have thrived in all season. No ACU running back has lost a fumble this year and the Wildcats are first in the UAC with only two lost fumbles on the season, with one of them coming on defense.
The Wildcat defense has been able to come away with these much needed turnovers as senior defensive back Patrick Jolly is first in the UAC in passes defended per game as well as interceptions, with four total.
As he has all season, sophomore kicker Kyle Ramsey will look to have a big impact in Saturday’s contest as the Houston transfer is the only FCS kicker who has not missed a field goal this season, going 12-12 so far.
“We play well at home,’ Patterson said. “The proximity of our universities and the old Lone Star Conference, it does add a little bit of a twist and that’s what college football is all about.”
A win for the Wildcats this weekend would ensure a winning season, giving ACU its first back-to-back winning seasons in the Div. I era. With only two conference losses, a win would also give the Wildcats a chance at a share of the regular season UAC title.
The Wildcats take on the Texans at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium with the game streaming live on ESPN+
