The Wildcats will play their final home game of the 2024 regular season Saturday against the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds after not playing a game last week.
A week without a game can significantly impact a football team. Head Coach Keith Patterson said it allowed for some recruiting work while the team had time to get healthy.
“It was an opportunity for all the young men who have played a lot of snaps this year to take a step back, take a deep breath and take care of their body,” Patterson said.
The Wildcats had played a game for eight straight weeks dating back to their season opener against Texas Tech University on Aug. 31.
“It gets to be a grind, coming all the way through fall camp and then eight straight weeks,” Patterson said. “It was much needed for our players to be able to try and get their bodies back a little bit.”
Patterson also said that the open week was an opportunity for some of the younger players to get additional touches in practice that they would not typically get.
The Wildcats have won two of their last three games in what Coach Patterson claimed were two of the best wins at home the team has had during his time coaching at ACU.
Saturday will mark the last opportunity for the team’s 19 seniors to play at Wildcat Stadium.
“We want to play well to send those guys out of here,” Patterson said. “I told them that if you choose to stay here it’s going to be one of the best decisions you’ve made in your life.”
Patterson also said, “We want to send these guys out of here on senior day as winners.”
SUU will enter the game with a 4-4 record after going 3-1 since the start of United Athletic Conference games.
The Thunderbirds are hot off a 28-17 road victory against the University of West Georgia. Quarterback Jackson Berry continued his impressive season, throwing for 257 yards, two touchdowns to one interception while completing 16 of his 20 passes.
Patterson was quick to give praise to the Thunderbirds, noting their difficult schedule and high preseason ranking.
“They’re a very well-coached football team,” he said. “They’ve had a very tough schedule so their record is not very indicative of what type of team they are.”
SUU has relied heavily on senior running back Targhee Lambson this season. He leads the team with 1239 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground this season.
Lambson’s talent and success is no surprise to ACU after his three-touchdown performance against the Wildcats last year.
“He’s like a robot,” Patterson said. “He runs so hard, low to the ground and plays behind his pads.”
The Thunderbirds have scored 26 points per game so far this season while giving up 28 to their opponents. This trend bodes well for the Wildcat offense, which is scoring over 37 points per game.
The Wildcats’ offensive success has come at the hands of first-year Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie, who attributes the team’s success to the number of weapons they have in their skill positions.
“It’s an explosive group,” Bowie said. “It’s a player’s game. They’re passionate about their preparation and they have the physical abilities to make you pay.”
“We joke in the offensive staff room that we do our best to get you open, but once the ball hits your hands and you’re out in space; we all become fans,” he said.
Bowie and Patterson both talked about turnovers when asked what their keys to success would be against SUU.
In the team’s wins this season, the Wildcats have a +4 turnover differential, while posting a -5 in the team’s three losses.
Bowie also mentioned the importance of owning the line of scrimmage. That will start with seniors Tay Yanta, Alan Hattten and Jacob Thielen, who have combined to start over 100 games for ACU in their careers. Hatten and Yanta are three-year starters for ACU while Thielen is a four-year starter who will make his 40th career start on Saturday.
“It’s essential. You can’t replicate game reps, especially up front,” Bowie said. “The reps that those three have had together and the maturity that they can expand to the tackles is just essential.”
