Interview with Junior LB T. Woerner |
Interview with head coach K. Collums
SAN ANGELO – One week after a thrilling come-from-behind win kept their season alive, the ACU Wildcats are back on the road this week for another key Lone Star Conference contest.
This time the nation's 19th-ranked team will be at San Angelo Stadium to take on longtime rival Angelo State in the LSC opener for the Rams. ACU is tied for third in the LSC (with Midwestern State, Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville) at 1-1.
Saturday night's game marks the 49th and possible final meeting between the Wildcats and Rams. ACU has announced that it will move to NCAA?Division I affiliation and the Southland Conference in 2013, possibly leaving behind its rivalry with the Rams.
ACU?has dominated the series of late having won nine of the last 10 games on the field to cut ASU's series lead to 27-20-1.
After struggling offensively two weeks ago in a loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville and then again throughout the first half of last week's win over the Texans, the Wildcats apeared to have figured some things out in the second half when they scored 24 points in the comeback win.
Senior QB Mitchell Gale was 15 of 20 for 157 yards and two scores in the second half and directed an offense that played some of its best football of the early season.
The Wildcats still have some issues, however, as the offensive line has already allowed nine sacks in three games. The running game hasn't gotten untracked yet, either, as ACU?is averaging just 102.3 yards per game on the ground.
And the Wildcats' explosive plays – the type of plays this offense has made its living on over the last seven years – are so far non-existent. The Wildcats have just six plays of more than 25 yards through three games, and one of those was
Taylor Gabriel's 54-yard punt return last week against Tarleton State.
OTHER ACU NOTES
• ACU head coach
Ken Collums said Wednesday that the offensive line might have a different look Saturday night against Angelo State than in the three previous games. Collums wants to get junior
Josh Perez back to right guard instead of center to strengthen the position. Perez was an all-Lone Star Conference performer at guard in 2011, but was forced to the center position during summer two-a-days. However, Collums is experimenting with moving
Colton Carnes to left guard and Perez to right guard and has given sophomore
Tyler McIntosh a shot at winning the starting center position.
• Collums said he's still not sure if safety / outside linebacker
Lynn Grady will play Saturday against the Rams. Grady separated his shoulder twice in the Wildcats' Sept. 8 loss against Texas A&M-Kingsville and did not play last week against Tarleton State.
• Since Chris Thomsen (head coach) and
Ken Collums (offensive coordinator and now head coach) came back to ACU in 2005, the Wildcats are 20-0 when they don't turn the ball over, including last week against the Texans.
