Abilene Christian Wildcats (1-4)
Head Coach: Adam Dorrel (14-25 at ACU, 90-33 overall)
Series: Saturday is the first all-time meeting between UVa and ACU
Abilene Christian Offense
Performance: Abilene Christian’s offense has been up-and-down this season, averaging just 21.8 points per game. The Wildcats opened the year with a pair of FBS opponents, scoring 13 in a close loss to UTEP and then 23 in a blowout loss to Army. Their high watermark for points this season is 32 in an overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin. ACU has a balanced attack on offense, with the exact same number of pass and run attempts, 158 each.
The Wildcats have been a bit more efficient as a passing team than they are on the ground. They average 227.8 passing yards per contest with five touchdowns and three interceptions in five games. Those numbers seem a bit pedestrian but the rushing stats are not any better. On the ground, ACU is averaging 3.6 yards per carry and just over 114 yards per game, with seven rushing scores.
Abilene Christian has also struggled to do the little things at times. For example, in five games, the Wildcats have fumbled the ball 11 times, losing six of them to opponents. Their 3rd-down conversion rate could also use quite a bit of work. They have converted just 23 of 67 tries on 3rd down this year, for a 34 percent success rate.
Players to Watch
QB Peyton Mansell
The Wildcats quarterback is a team captain in his first season with the program. Prior to ACU, Mansell was a backup quarterback at Iowa, where he played sparingly over three seasons.
Coming into tomorrow’s game, Mansell has thrown for 200+ yards in four straight games and has had a 45+ yard passing play in all four contests. He had his best day of the season in the loss to Army, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort.
WR Lionell McConnell
Mansell’s most-reliable weapon in the passing game has been the junior wideout McConnell, who is the team leader in receptions with 31 and receiving yards with 299. The Cincinnati native has two 100+ yard receiving days this season, against Army and Mercer, and has three games with at least six receptions.
Abilene Christian Defense
Performance: Like its offense, the ACU D has had ups and downs this season. In their five games, the Wildcats have allowed 31.6 points per contest and have allowed 34 points or more to three opponents, including their most-recent opponent Angelo State, a D2 school. Teams playing ACU are averaging 5.9 yards per play and just better than 400 yards per game this season.
Against the run, Abilene Christian has had a tough go of it at times. The Wildcats are allowing 5.2 yards per attempt on the ground and are averaging nearly 250 yards per game. The loss to Army certainly didn’t help, with the Black Knights rushing for 441 yards and six touchdowns on 60 carries. Abilene’s pass defense has faired better but a lot of that has to do with who the Wildcats have played: Opponents have thrown for just 155 yards per game and six total touchdowns this season.
Abilene Christian has done a decent job forcing fumbles, recovering six of 11 forced on the season. The secondary hasn’t made a lot of plays in the passing game, however, with just one interception on the year. The pass rush has just seven sacks on the season, which could bode well for Virginia’s ability to make plays down the field. Abilene Christian has done a nice job getting off the field on 3rd downs, however, allowing conversions on just 36 percent of tries this year.
Players to Watch
LB Jack Gibbens
The top player on Abilene Christian’s defense, Gibbens excels off the field as well. He is a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, otherwise known as the “Academic Heisman” which former Wahoos Micah Kiser won several years ago. On the field, Gibbens leads his team in tackles with 42 and has 2.5 TFLs and a sack to his credit as well. In the loss to Angelo State earlier this month, Gibbens recorded an interception to add to his two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to his credit as well.
DE Jordan Paup
Paup is another player to watch on Saturday, as he is coming off of his best game of the season. He recorded a pair of sacks against Angelo State, and leads the team with 2.5 total on the year. Paup also has 27 tackles while leading the team in tackles for loss with 4.5.
