The Wildcats will play their biggest game of the season on Saturday against Utah Tech University, but that’s not because of the opponent or any special ramifications of the contest. It’s because it’s the game on the schedule this week, according to Head Coach Keith Patterson.
“In the month of November, every time you win makes the next game the biggest game of the year,” Patterson said. “That’s the way we’re approaching this game. This is the biggest game of the year for our football team.”
Following wins this season, the Wildcats are 1-3, only winning consecutive games once this season, with the victories over the University of North Alabama and the University of West Georgia.
After the victory over Tarleton State University last week, the Wildcats control their destiny with three games to go. Three wins will earn the team its second consecutive United Athletic Conference title.
The first of the three remaining games will be at home. It will also serve as the final regular-season home game for the first recruiting class from Patterson’s time at the helm of the program. The class has just four players remaining in the purple and white: Rovaughn Banks Jr., redshirt junior running back from Tulsa, Oklahoma; Alex Bowman, Jr., redshirt senior defensive lineman from Dallas; Joziah Fogle, senior offensive lineman from Spring; and Chidubem Lebechi, redshirt junior tight end from Katy.
At the end of practice on Wednesday, Patterson called the four players to the front of the team’s huddle to recognize their loyalty and commitment to the culture and program they have been a part of for four years.
“We just want to honor and recognize those guys,” Patterson said. “If they win, they’ll be 17-4 in their career at home with four losses to ranked teams.”
Those four losses have come by one point, seven points and three points twice.
Saturday’s final home contest will feature the UTU Trailblazers, who enter 2-7 but are coming off an overtime 33-32 win over UNA. Prior to the overtime thriller, the Trailblazers had not won since Sept. 20, going winless in October while scoring just over 15 points per game in the month and 14.25 over the four-game losing streak.
The win showed the Trailblazers’ ability to run and throw the ball as quarterback Bronson Barben threw for 272 yards and a touchdown while redshirt freshman running back Asa Chatman set the turf ablaze with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
“They’ve played teams close all year long,” Patterson said. “They’re a team that plays hard for four quarters, and they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”
Last season, the two teams took the field in St. George, Utah, with the Wildcats winning on the road by a score of 55-30.
In the victory, Tyson Williams, junior defensive back from Bixby, Oklahoma, broke up a pass, registered five total tackles with one tackle for a loss of three yards.
“Last year, I had a good game, but I’ve got to focus on this season,” Williams said. “It’s a whole different team. They have a new roster, we have a new roster. Just gotta focus on the film.”
In the victory over TSU last week, Williams was heavily targeted on the outside. He ended the game with four total tackles and three pass break-ups–a season high that brings his total on the campaign to five.
“I love it, just keep throwing it,” Williams said. “I know if they catch a ball or something, it’s a mistake that I made, not that the other team did. Personally, I don’t think that the receiver’s gonna do something crazy that’s better than me.”
A win on Saturday would accomplish a goal Patterson has set for this program before every season–to go undefeated at home.
“It’s goal number one to go undefeated at home,” Patterson said. “If we get that done, now we can move on and start continuing to focus on goal number two.”
With four quarters standing between Patterson’s Wildcats and the opportunity to accomplish their number one goal, the Wildcats will look to control the ball, continue to score well at home and convert on third down better than they did a week ago.
“We average 39 points a game at home,” Patterson said. “We’re scoring about 74% of the available points in the red zone, which is just excellent. I think we didn’t convert enough third downs offensively on Saturday… That’s what left the game in jeopardy.”
The final 2025 regular-season home game for the purple and white is set for a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday. Before the kickoff, the Wildcats will honor 31 seniors for Senior Day.
