Lumberjacks Take on Abilene Christian in First Southland Road Contest of 2017

Saturday, September 23

Abilene, Texas

6:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Abilene Christian

Lumberjacks Take on Abilene Christian in First Southland Road Contest of 2017

9/20/2017 7:17:00 PM | Football

SFA faces Abilene Christian Saturday night in a pivotal Southland Conference road matchup that pits two teams who won their league opener last weekend

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Stephen F. Austin (1-2, 1-0 Southland) at Abilene Christian (1-2, 1-0 Southland)
Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 | 6 p.m. | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium | Abilene, Texas

Watch | Listen (Q107.7) | Live Stats | Game Notes

THE KICKOFF
The Stephen F. Austin football team will embark on its first Southland Conference road trip of the year Saturday when the Lumberjacks make the trip to Abilene, Texas, facing Abilene Christian in a 6 p.m. kickoff. It will be just SFA's second trip to Abilene since the Wildcats rejoined the Southland as NCAA Division I members in 2013. The road contest follows back-to-back home games for the 'Jacks the last two weekends.

FOLLOWING THE LUMBERJACKS
Saturday's game at Abilene Christian will be streamed live online through an internet-only broadcast, available at portal.stretchinternet.com/abilene/. Rob Meyers, the voice of the Lumberjacks, will call the game along with color commentator Kevin Langford on Q107.7 FM, available online at Q1077.com as well as through the Lumberjack Sports Network on the TuneIn app. Live stats will be available at ACUSports.com, complemented by Twitter updates from @SFA_Football.

ABOUT THE GAME
In a battle of two Southland teams that won their conference openers a week ago, Saturday night's game will be an intriguing matchup for both the 'Jacks and Wildcats. Both teams faced challenging opponents in their first two games of the season as Abilene Christian opened up with a pair of FBS games on the road, falling 38-14 at New Mexico and 38-10 at Colorado State. Meanwhile, SFA took on two very talented programs that are trending upward in SMU out of the American Athletic Conference and Southern Utah out of the Big Sky Conference. Dropping both decisions by a large margin, 58-14 at SMU and 51-14 versus Southern Utah, those two teams' only losses of the season have come against nationally ranked FBS competition.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
2017: 1-2 overall, 1-0 Southland Conference (T1st)
Last Three Games: Win vs. Houston Baptist (24-3), Loss at Colorado State (38-10), Loss at New Mexico (38-14)
Head Coach: Adam Dorrel (Northwest Missouri State, 1998). First season at Abilene Christian (1-2, .333); Seventh season overall (77-10, .885).
Key Offensive Players:
• #1 Dallas Sealey (Jr., QB): 86-of-129 (66.7%) for 693 yds., 2 TDs, 4 INTs, 41-yd. long, 26 carries for 55 yds., 18.3 yds. per game
• #5 Troy Grant (Sr., WR): 19 catches for 139 yds., 7.3 yds. per catch, 46.3 yds. per game
• #2 DeShun Qualls (So., WR): 18 catches for 141 yds., 7.8 yds. per catch, 41-yd. long, 47 yds. per game
• #3 Carl Whitley (R-Sr., WR): 8 catches for 109 yds., 2 TDs, 13.6 yds. per catch, 36-yd. long, 36.3 yds. per game
• #23 Tracy James (So., RB): 20 carries for 88 yds., 4.4 yds. per rush, 26-yd. long, 29.3 yds. per game
• #22 De'Andre Brown (Sr., RB): 23 carries for 44 yds., 1.9 yds. per rush, 10-yd. long, 14.7 yds. per game
Key Defensive Players:
• #32 Bolu Onifade (So., S): 23 tackles (16 solo), 2.0 TFL for -5 yds., 4 pass breakups
• #41 Brandon Richmond (Jr., S): 19 tackles (11 solo), 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass breakups
• #12 Bryson Gates (Sr., OLB): 13 tackles (8 solo), 3.5 TFL for -18 yds., 2.5 sacks for -13 yds., 2 QBH, 1 pass breakup
• #13 Adonis Davis (So., CB): 12 tackles (10 solo), 1 fumble recovery
• #25 Jeremiah Chambers (So., LB): 10 tackles (6 solo), 1.5 TFL for -5 yds., 1.5 sacks for -5 yds.
• #21 Royce Moore (Sr., LB): 9 tackles (7 solo), 3.0 TFL for -12 yds., 1.0 sack for -9 yds., 1 pass breakup

OPPONENT SYNOPSIS
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Adam Dorrel, the winningest active head coach in all of college football by winning percentage, Abilene Christian appears to be much improved from a year ago. Despite their 0-2 start to the season, the Wildcats had an impressive 24-3 home-opening victory over Houston Baptist last Saturday as Abilene Christian opened the gates to its brand new Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. Starting Southland play 1-0 this year just like SFA, the Wildcats won just two games in all of 2016 and finished 10th in the league with a conference mark of 2-7. Dorrel arrived on the campus of Abilene Christian this past December with an overall head coaching record of 76-8 at his alma mater, Northwest Missouri State. A three-time NCAA Division II national champion head coach, Dorrel was hired at ACU just two days after winning his second consecutive Division II national title. His impact on the program has been immediately felt as the Wildcats currently rank second in the Southland in passing defense, holding opponents to 206.3 yards through the air per contest, while ranking third in the league in passing offense with a 256.3 passing yards per game average. The ACU defense has also been opportunistic through three games this season, registering a conference-leading three interceptions and ranking second in the Southland in opponent third-down conversion at 34.4 percent. Individually, junior starting quarterback Dallas Sealey ranks fifth among Southland signal callers in passing yards per game (231), while backup Luke Anthony has been extremely efficient during his time on the field. Anthony ranks tops in the conference in pass efficiency after tossing a pair of touchdowns and completing 6-of-10 passes for 76 yards. Senior wide receiver Troy Grant and sophomore wideout DeShun Qualls are two of the top receivers in the league when it comes to receptions per game. Grant ranks first with a 6.3 per game average, while Qualls is tied for second at six per contest. Sealey's 249.3 total offensive yards per game is fifth best in the Southland as the quarterback has 26 carries for 55 yards, averaging 18.3 yards on the ground per outing.

SERIES INFORMATION
Abilene Christian owns a 10-7 advantage over SFA in the series as the two schools have met a total of 17 times on the gridiron dating back to Oct. 6, 1973. A year ago on Sept. 24, 2016, the 'Jacks picked up a 41-30 home victory against the Wildcats, their first win over ACU since 1999. However, SFA was edged 35-32 in Abilene during the 2015 season and lost a 37-35 heartbreaker inside Homer Bryce Stadium in 2014. SFA is seeking its first win in Abilene since Sept. 24, 1984, when the 'Jacks defeated ACU 37-21 as both schools were competing as NCAA Division II institutions. Since 2013, when the Wildcats rejoined the Southland as NCAA Division I members, ACU has gone 2-1 against SFA, but both of those wins have come by a margin of three points or less. In the Lumberjacks' last three wins over the Wildcats, SFA has posted an average margin of victory of over 14.5 points. All-time, the 'Jacks are 2-6 on the road against the Wildcats as the two teams met annually for 13 years from 1973-1985. Head coach Clint Conque is 4-2 against ACU with three of his wins coming while at the helm of Central Arkansas.

LAST TIME OUT: SFA 37, INCARNATE WORD 31
Sophomore safety Alize Ward intercepted Incarnate Word's Sean Brophy on a flea flicker pass with 16 seconds remaining and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown as time expired, lifting Stephen F. Austin to a 37-31 victory in the Lumberjacks' Southland opener inside Homer Bryce. Trailing 31-21 with un-der nine minutes left, SFA scored 16 unanswered points in the final eight and a half minutes of play to top the visiting Cardinals. A 37-yard field goal by sophomore Storm Ruiz (League City, Texas), the Lumberjacks' first field goal attempt of the season, capped a 10 play, 29-yard drive and got SFA within a touchdown of UIW with 8:24 remaining. After forcing a three-and-out on the Cardinals' following drive, the 'Jacks immediately capitalized on their defensive stop. SFA went 73 yards in 51 seconds on just four plays, highlighted by a 41-yard sliding catch by senior wide receiver Trae Hart (Mesquite, Texas). Junior TCU transfer quarterback Foster Sawyer (Fort Worth, Texas) found sophomore Tamrick Pace (Brownsboro, Texas) in the back of the end zone on fade rout for a 24-yard score, tying the game at 31-31 with 5:24 to go. The 'Jacks' defense came up big again and forced another Cardinal punt with just over three and a half minutes to play, however, SFA was stopped at its own 48. The five-play, 33-yard drive was hampered by a five-yard sack by UIW's Mar'kel Cooks and Darrius Montgomery. Junior punter Caleb Lewallen (Kingwood, Texas) pinned the Cardinals back at their own five-yard line as UIW had 1:11 left of clock to work with. Following a first down, the Cardinals were facing third-and-six when coach Conque elected to burn one of his two final timeouts with 16 ticks to go. UIW came out of the timeout and ran one of their special situation plays as Brophy handed the ball off to the Cardinal's Derrick Mitchell, who tossed it right back to Brophy for the flea flicker. However, would-be recipient Phillip Baptiste was in triple coverage as Ward came down with the interception and returned it down the home sideline for the game-winning touchdown with 00:00 showing on the clock. Redshirt freshman Rayshad Nichols (Bridge City, La.) and sophomore linebacker Teddy Britton (San Antonio, Texas) threw tremendous blocks to help the San Diego, California, native leap his way into the end zone. The mesmerizing finish to the game came after SFA raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, followed by 31-straight points by the visitors. A three-yard run by senior running back Kijana Amous (Mansfield, Texas) gave the 'Jacks their first score of the game less than two minutes in as the SFA scored on its opening possession. After three-and-out on UIW's opening drive of the game, the 'Jacks took the ball 70 yards on five plays in in just under a minute and a half. Sawyer collected his first rushing touchdown in a SFA uniform on a 19-yard scamper down the middle of the field, forcing his way past the goal line to give the 'Jacks a 14-0 lead. Later on in the quarter, junior University of North Texas transfer wide receiver Terian Goree (Carthage, Texas) collected his first touchdown for the purple and white when he reeled in a 28-yard pass from Sawyer with just under three minutes to go in the first. The touchdown catch capping an eight-play, 69-yard drive in 2:14. Sawyer finished the game with a season-high 33 completions for 283 yards and pair of touchdown passes, while Hart tallied eight receptions for 77 yards. Amous teamed up with sophomore running back Jamall Shaw (Broken Arrow, Okla.) to combine for 47 yards rushing as the 'Jacks were outgained 205 to 66 on the ground. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Anthony Jacobs (Houston, Texas) led SFA with a career-high 13 tackles, including seven solo stops. Ward added 10 tackles as Nichols notched a career-high eight, including two tackles for loss and a sack. Junior defensive tackles Demetrion Amie (Fort Worth, Texas) and Lamont Alexander (Nolanville, Texas) and senior defensive end John Franklin (Greenville, Texas) each recorded a sack, while Jacobs and sophomore linebacker Spencer Choka (Bryan, Texas) combined for another.

LAST TIME VS. ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Senior quarterback Hunter Taylor threw for a career-best 376 yards and four touchdowns as SFA raced out to a 38-7 lead on ACU, then held off a late Wildcat rally to earn the 41-30 win. The victory marked the first time of the season that SFA outgained its opponent, finishing with 513 yards of total offense compared to 466 for ACU. Both teams struggled in the running game but the passing game took center stage with the Wildcats passing for 400 yards while the 'Jacks racked up 398. Taylor proved to be the sparkplug for the Lumberjacks, entering the game early in the first quarter and posting his career highs, completing 31 of his 46 passes with no interceptions. Seven of his completions went to senior Justice Liggins, who set a new career-best with 100 receiving yards on seven catches, marking the first 100-yard receiver for SFA this season. Junior Trae Hart also had seven catches for 71 yards on the night as nine different receivers hauled in passes. Junior Nick Jones had his best night as Lumberjack, finishing with a pair of catches for 44 yards, both of which went for touchdowns. Freshman Tamrick Pace caught five passes for 55 yards, including an impressive one-handed touchdown snag in the first quarter, while redshirt freshman Kiki Hill had three receptions for 30 yards along with his first collegiate touchdown. SFA finished with 115 rushing yards against ACU, led by 64 yards on 18 carries from senior Joshawa West. Junior Kijana Amous rushed five times for 18 yards, adding to his three catches for 51 yards, while Taylor scrambled for 16 yards on six carries. Defensively, Price Miller led the way for the Lumberjacks with 15 tackles, registering a pair of tackles for loss and the game-clinching interception in the final minute. SFA pressured ACU quarterback Dallas Sealey all night, finishing with eight tackles for loss and three sacks, credited to Kedrick Harrison, Jamal Allen and John Franklin. Turnovers also played a pivotal role in the Lumberjack win as SFA forced six Abilene Christian turnovers, including five forced fumbles. SFA's offensive attack was on point early, racing out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter following Taylor touchdown passes to Jones (37 yards) and Pace (three yards). That advantage increased to 28-0 late in the first half as Taylor and Jones connected once again for a seven-yard strike, followed by a three-yard touchdown run from Zach Conque with 1:45 remaining. ACU got on the board late in the half, registering a touchdown with 22 seconds to go and trimming the Lumberjack halftime lead to 28-7. As the third quarter progressed, it looked as if SFA had all but put the game away. Behind a 25-yard field goal from Storm Ruiz and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Hill, the Lumberjack lead extended to 38-7 with 4:00 remaining in the third quarter. However, ACU showed its resilience, using a 93-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff to spark new life into the Wildcat sideline. Over the next 12 minutes, ACU outscored SFA 23-0, pulling to within one possession at 38-30 with 7:30 left on the clock. A 20-yard field goal from Ruiz gave the 'Jacks some breathing room with 5:17 left, pushing the lead back to a two-possession game at 41-30, before a defensive stop on fourth down and a late interception by Miller sealed the win for SFA.

SFA IN SOUTHLAND ROAD CONTESTS
The 'Jacks are 43-49-2 in true Southland road contests since joining the league in 1987. Since 2014, SFA is 6-5 in away conference games, excluding the annual Battle of the Piney Woods matchup with Sam Houston State at NRG Stadium in Houston, and has gone 2-1 in its previous three Southland road openers.

PACE ON PACE FOR 1,000
Sophomore standout wide receiver Tamrick Pace is just five yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard receiving mark for his career. The preseason All-Southland Second Team wide receiver is off to another strong start in 2017 after earning HERO Sports FCS First Team Freshman All-American status and claiming All-Southland honorable mention honors in 2016. Entering the season with 836 receiving yards after just one season as a Lumberjack, Pace has tallied 159 yards on 17 receptions through three games of his sophomore campaign. Making a spectacular grab on the touchdown catch that tied up the game at 31-31 this past Saturday against Incarnate Word, Pace currently ranks eighth in the Southland in receiving yards per game (53). He is on pace to reach 1,000 yards receiving this Saturday in Abilene and looks to have a big game as starting quarterback Foster Sawyer has seemed to hit his stride in the pocket.

WHAT DO YOU SAY, ALIZE?
Sophomore safety Alize Ward created quite the buzz around college football's social media world Saturday night after his game-winning pick-six play won the game for the 'Jacks over Incarnate Word. The first takeaway of the season for SFA could not have come at a better time than it did with approximately eight seconds showing on the game clock. Just Ward's second interception of his Lumberjack career, the 70-yard touchdown return after the pick will go down in SFA football lore as one of the best plays to have ever taken place inside Homer Bryce Stadium. The game-winning interception and return garnered national media attention as the video began to go viral on Twitter and Instagram. It claimed the No. 3 spot on ESPN SportCenter's Top 10 plays of the night and reached over 1.3 million views on SportCenter's Instagram account. Ward was SFA's second-leading tackler in the game and finished with 10 total tackles, including seven solo stops, a five-yard tackle for loss and a pair of pass breakups. For his defensive efforts and the attention-grabbing interception, Ward was named both Southland Defensive Player of the Week and STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week. He became the first SFA football player to earn a player of the week plaudit in 2017 and the first since Hunter Taylor claimed Southland Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 26 of 2016. Ward was the Lumberjacks' first defensive player of the week honoree since Nov. 11, 2014, when Lance Skyler claimed the weekly award. Furthermore, Ward became the first player to collect national player of the week accolades since running back Loren Easly was selected as STATS FCS Freshman of the Week on Oct. 5, 2015.

-SFA-