Campus hosts 111th Summit starting next week Page 2
FEATURE
Friday, September 15, 2017 Vol. 106, Issue 04
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
DE LEON TALKS ABOUT HIS PATH TO ACU Page 4-5
3, 2, 1 KICKOFF
NOAH TAMBORELLA VIDEOGRAPHER After years of preparation, the campus prepares to finally attend the first home game at Wildcat Stadium Saturday. Thousands of fans will pack the stadium and campus.
CALENDAR 9/15 •
NEEDTOBREATHE performs at 8 p.m.
9/16 • •
Cross Country hosts alumni and community 5k at 10:50 a.m. Tailgate at 2 p.m.
•
Football at 6 p.m.
9/17 •
Summit begins with Alumni Chorus concert
9/18 •
Freshman Follies crew sign-up deadline
9/20 •
Men’s pledging registration deadline
BOX OFFICE SEPTEMBER 8-10 1. It
$123,403,419
2. Home Again $8,567,881 3. The Hitman’s Bodyguard $4,801,745 4. Annabelle: Creation $4,003,115 5. Wind River $3,132,362
0
DAYS UNTIL
WILDCAT STADIUM OPENS NEWS
PLAYERS TALK GAMEDAY EXCITEMENT Page 3
Alumni Relations prepares for stadium opening BY ASHLEY ALFRED COPY EDITOR
Alumni are traveling from all over as they gear up for their first taste of on-campus football at their former university. Craig Fisher, director of alumni relations and annual projects, said alumni are traveling from across the state and the country. He said that he knows for certain that alumni will be visiting from Arkansas, Arizona and Kentucky with
no doubts that some will travel further. Fisher said the Office of Alumni Relations has been planning for Opening Day for a year and a half to give alumni the opportunity to reconnect with classmates and enjoy being back on campus. Alumni Relations designed many of the weekend’s events with alumni in mind to make their first modern era on-campus football game a memorable one.
“We want them to see and experience the home football experience that they were not able to when they were students,” said Fisher. “They can experience ACU again in an all new way. While they’re here we want them to see the campus, expansion, and new buildings while also enjoying being back as they remember their favorite places ... we want them to bring their children and show them the benefits of a unique edu-
cation at ACU.” An portion of the tailgate area will be set up specifically for alumni, faculty, staff, student life and fans. The portion of the tailgate south of the GATA fountain will have inflatables for children and teens. “We didn’t plan any specific alumni-focused activities for this weekend because we want everyone to feel like they are a part of the ACU family,” said Samantha Adkins, talent
management specialist and Gameday Committee member. “We know they want to connect with classmates and experience a little of student life now.” This football season will feature more opportunities than ever before for alumni to reconnect and experience the how life is changing on campus.
Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) deadlines. Before this year, students could file the FAFSA and receive financial award letters in the spring. Campbell said this allowed the admissions team to visit high schools in the fall, then work on sending award letters in the spring. This year, students were able to file the FAFSA as early as Oct. 1. Campbell said many students received award letters and knew their financial situations before they even got a chance to visit schools. A third reason freshmen enrollment went down could be the lower population of high school graduates nationwide. Campbell said most states have fewer high school graduates,
but Texas has had a rise in high school graduates. This means more colleges outside of Texas recruited Texas high schoolers. “Competition for Texas students has never been higher,” Campbell said. “They are telling us that they are being inundated from colleges all over America trying to recruit them.” The university undergraduate totals have also gone down, with fewer fifthyear seniors on campus. Campbell said before the university had block tuition, only 60 percent of students graduated in four years. Now, 83 percent of students graduate in four years, which led to a decline in the
AMA14B@ACU.EDU
Declining enrollment reflects state trends BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF
The university enrolled fewer freshmen than expected this year which reflects national and state trends for freshmen enrollment, university officials said. Kevin Campbell, vice president of enrollment management and student engagement, said the university aimed to get 1,060 new freshmen, but just 971 have enrolled at the 12th day of classes, which was Tuesday. The lower enrollment may not have a big impact on university finances because the university only budgeted for 980 freshmen, Campbell said. “Any time your overall
freshmen class slips a little bit, it does have an impact on the financial status of the institution,” Campbell said. “But ACU is extremely financially strong. More of what we need to do is realign our budget and expectation as we go into this next year.” Across the nation, the number of freshmen enrolling in college has dropped during the last year. State schools in Texas are getting less government funding and are turning to tuition money to bolster their finances, Campbell said. Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University took more freshmen this year than in previous years, and some of those students had
been considering ACU. Throughout the last few years, the number one choice for students who were accepted at ACU but didn’t enroll was Baylor University, followed by A&M, then Tech. However, this year Campbell said Texas Tech was the number one school students chose instead of ACU. “When they withdraw their application from ACU, we have a cancellation survey that goes out so know we where they wind up attending,” Campbell said. “We have never had more students in our pool choose Texas Tech.” The lower freshmen enrollment could also be the result of a change in Federal
SEE ENROLLMENT PAGE 2
Big teams lead to big payouts for football BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR
The Wildcats have been outscored 76 to 24 in the first two games of the season, and had the spread been right in either game, it would be much worse. But aside from getting the big-game experience that FCS schools can’t quite produce, why do schools like ACU play these lopsided games?
$650,000 is why. Before each of the games, ACU had already been promised $325,000 from New Mexico and another $325,000 from Colorado State. In fact, according to a USA Today Sports, ACU’s payout is just a fraction of the $150 million that is to be paid in “guarantee games” throughout college football this season. The Wildcats’ early
season matchups against FBS teams started back in 2013 with a late-season 34-29 loss to New Mexico State. ACU then opened the next season with a one-point loss to Georgia Southern in the Georgia Dome. However, the payouts for UNM and CSU doubled the combined total of those 2013 and 2014 games. In fact, since 2013 the football program has grossed $1.25 million in
W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M
“guarantee games,” and that doesn’t include the totals from matchups with Fresno State in 2015 and Air Force in 2016. Those totals were not disclosed at this time. But this is just a start. The Wildcats also have matchups slated against Baylor (2018), Mississippi State (2019), North Texas (2019), Texas A&M (2020), SMU (2021) and Texas Tech (2024, 2026).
Each of those teams will likely pay more than the $325,000 total. Aside from the huge payouts, it’s games like these that help get a small, Church of Christ-affiliated private school in West Texas on the map. Director of athletics Lee De Leon said the national recognition of the university has been a focal point SEE PAYOUTS PAGE 2
2
NE W S
Freshmen to carry flags at on-campus football games BY PHOEBE VOSS STAFF REPORTER
Late August, each student of ACU’s freshman class received an email inviting them to be a part of a brand new tradition coming to Wildcat football games. The students were asked to sign up to help display a 105 feet wide American flag on the field at Wildcat Stadium before all home football games this upcoming season. As the new season begins, Wildcat Athletics aims to add many exciting elements to Gameday, many of which the university has never seen before. Like the Wildcat Country Tailgate and Big Purple Band performance, this new flag tradition is meant to raise morale and get fans excited before the game. Wildcat Athletics recruited around 70 freshman to carry the large flag out onto the field as part of the pre-game festivities. SEE ACUOPTIMIST.COM
PVV16A@ACU.EDU
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Saunders to headline Sunday Summit opening
BY MADISON FICHTNER STAFF REPORTER
Summit, the annual event that features speakers from around the country addressing theology and Christian ministry, will begin Sunday and continue through Wednesday. Landon Saunders will kick off the event on Sunday at 7 p.m. at University Church of Christ. Other
theme speakers include Sean Palmer, James K.A. Smith, Josh Ross, Thema Bryant-Davis, Chris Seidman and Jeanene Reese. This year’s Summit theme is “The Choices We Make and the God We Serve” and will feature over 90 participants. Theme speakers will focus on the book of Deuteronomy during their presentations
BY LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR
Thousands of people will come to campus for the grand opening of Wildcat Stadium, creating logistical issues for the university. ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison recommended traveling guests plan to arrive an hour early because of the bridge construction on I-20 and Ambler. Ellison also said guests should be considerate of the residents on side streets. State law prohibits vehicles from blocking any driveway, sidewalk or alleyway, and any vehicle violating these laws is subject to be towed. In addition, because
property owners do not own or control the streets, they do not have the authority to post “no parking” signs. Parking along residential streets is legal as long as it is not in a posted “no parking” zone, or blocking driveways or alleys. For on-campus parking, parking lots will be split into two categories: controlled lots available by pre-issued parking passes only, and public lots, which are available on a firstcome/first-served basis. “As with any major event on campus, ACUPD will be as flexible as possible about certain parking infractions, but will be enforcing safety
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Last semester, the Students’ Association passed a resolution to ask the university to start a “cowbell” tradition for athletic events. The resolution was not implemented by the university in time for the grand opening of the stadium. Former Student Congress member Colton Powell wrote the resolution with the goal of creating a new tradition similar to the Baylor Line or Texas A&M’s Midnight Yell. The tradition would have included giving each student a cowbell with their graduation year on the handle and the four sides of the cowbell painted with the logo of the student organizations they were involved in. Students could bring the cowbells to make noise at every athletic event. “If we don’t capitalize on the momentum now and the excitement around the football program and the baseball program and all that, we might not have another chance to do it,” Powell said. SEE ACUOPTIMIST.COM
HRR13B@ACU.EDU
Many students look forward to Summit because of environment and the enhanced community it brings to campus. “Summit is such a unique experience of professional individuals who have mastered the skill of balancing both professional and personal life while maintaining their religious views,” said Lee
Mills, junior accounting and finance major from Colleyville. To stay in touch with everything going on during Summit, you can download the ACU Summit app from the App Store or Google Play.
MRF12A@ACU.EDU
University prepares for large Gameday crowds
Enrollment: Campus SA ‘Cowbell’ measure loses sees fewer freshmen you compare it to the last two traction before years,” Campbell said, “but current junior and soph- in the last 10 years at ACU, stadium opening The omore classes had some of 971 is a very good freshmen
BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF
in either Moody Coliseum or Cullen Auditorium. On Sunday, the Women for Abilene Christian University will do their one day only pie sale from 3-10 p.m. at the ACU Museum. All proceeds will benefit the WACU Endowed Scholarship fund. There will also be a mini-concert at University Church of Christ at 6:30-7 p.m.
the largest enrollment numbers in university history. This led to the expansion of freshmen women’s dorms to Sikes Hall and adding Dillard Hall for sophomore women. Campbell said if the university were to have two back-to-back freshmen classes of 1,070 students, all the dorms would be at maximum capacity. “So the drop to 971 looks bigger than it really is when
class.” The number of students who identified as Church of Christ went down by 3 percent. The university also so a .5 percent increase in black students and a 1 percent increase in Hispanic students. The percentage of white students dropped from 62.63 percent to 61.29 percent. HRR13B@ACU.EDU
Affiliations (% of those reported) Church of Christ
27.8%
Baptist
18.4%
Christian Church
17.9%
related violations such as blocking fire lanes, ramps, handicap spaces, turn-ins/ exits, etc.,” Ellison said. “People just need to remember that if a parking lot is full, seek a space elsewhere, don’t create a space. If an area is not striped for parking, consider it a prohibited area.” During the festivities, ACUPD will be using every available officer as well as 12 additional officers from the Abilene Police Department. Both agencies will be working together, Ellison said, and will continue to enforce alcohol restrictions on campus. “Alcohol violations have
always been rare at ACU home games over the years at Shotwell Stadium. We anticipate that trend to continue but will continue to enforce the law with a good balance of discretion,” Chief Ellison said. “As for tobacco, we would simply be advising patrons that tobacco use is prohibited by ACU policy and that they can remove the use, or choose to leave the property.” The official tailgating area, Wildcat Country, will be in the campus mall. Students will be allowed to set up in the north-mall near Moody Coliseum, and alumni on the south-mall. Director of Events, Jen-
nifer Ellison, said she anticipates numbers closer to 2,000 given the number of student groups involved and alumni returning. “My expectation is that they show up energized and excited to support ACU football,” Ellison said. “I hope that students see this as not only a great social activity, but also as an opportunity to support their peers and student athletes. It’s also a prime time to create new traditions and be a part of something truly fantastic.” LMF14A@ACU.EDU
ENROLLMENT DATA Undergraduate Freshman
Count
Graduate
1030
Special Graduate
51 18
Sophomore
904
Certificates
Junior
776
Master’s
Senior
945
Specialist’s
Special Undergrad Intercollegiate Undergraduate Total
12 3 3670
Ethnic and Racial Groups Amer. Indian/Alaska native
0.29%
Asian
Count
965 17
Doctoral
428
Graduate Total
1479
Top Ten States of Origin Texas
4083
California
112
1.17%
Oklahoma
56
Black
12.02%
Tennessee
50
Hispanic
16.55%
Colorado
48
Georgia
40
Florida
38
Native HI/Other Pacific Islander
0.12%
Catholic
5.8%
White
Methodist
4.1%
Multi-racial
4.02%
Arkansas
35
61.29%
“Community” Church
15.8%
Unknown
1.01%
Illinois
31
Other
10.2%
Non-Resident
3.53%
North Carolina
30
Payouts: Large school competition boosts bottom line CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Director of athletics Lee De Leon said the national recognition of the university has been a focal point for him, as he has continued what former director
of athletics Jared Mosley helped start before him. “The difference now as opposed to two-almostthree years ago is people know what we’re doing,” De Leon said. “I think we’ve done a good job of
celebrating our success and promoting ourselves nationally.” Few people knew of Howard University before its 43-40 upset of UNLV, and Liberty University put its name in
the national news after a 48-45 victory over Baylor in week one of this season. ACU will have its fair share of opportunities over the next several years to pull of a big upset, but at the end of the
day, each of the games’ payouts and recognition will greatly help the Department of Athletics and the university in general. JMR13B@ACU.EDU
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 09/08/2017 1:04 a.m. ACUPD investigated the report of a minor student resident in Gardner had consumed alcohol. The student was issued a municipal citation for Minor in Consumption. 09/08/2017 12:20 p.m. An unknown driver collided with a legally parked vehicle in the West Campus South Lot, then fled the scene without notifying ACUPD or leaving state-mandated contact information on the victim’s auto. 09/08/2017 3:45 p.m. ACUPD received a delayed report via SRWC staff and a faculty member, that a female student entered a women’s restroom on the second floor and saw a male sitting on the counter. Investigation open. 09/09/2017 8:17 p.m. ACUPD received a call from an unknown caller who said that as she was walking in the 600 block of EN 23rd Street. She heard a female voice call for help from a house in that block. 911 CALL ACCIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ADVICE ALARM ALCOHOL INCIDENT ASSAULT ASSIST ATTEMPT TO LOCATE BARRICADES
3 1 25 1 3 2 1 1 1 4
BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 13 CHECK BUILDING 271 CITATION ISSUANCE 1 DISTURBANCE 4 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE 2 FOOT PATROL 16 FOUND PROPERTY 8 HIT & RUN 1 INFORMATION REPORT 1 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 5
MEDICAL EMERGENCY 3 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 3 MOTORIST ASSIST INFLATE TIRE 4 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 3 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 10 OTHER 4 PARKING LOT PATROL 20 PARKING VIOLATION 8
PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING ROBBERY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY SUSPICIOUS PERSON SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE THEFT TRAFFIC STOP
1 9 12 19 1 3 7 3 1 1
TRAINING WELFARE CHECK TOTAL
3 6 578
POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK: Remember to help reduce parking and traffic issues; walk to Wildcat Stadium Saturday
N E WS
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
3
Players look forward to opening game BY ALLISON CRIST STAFF REPORTER AND PHOTOGRAPHER
AVA ILA B LE SEATIN G
L ED L IG HTING
A long-awaited date for Wildcats, Sept. 16 marks the grand opening of the new Wildcat Stadium, and the first home game of the season. Four players shared what they are most looking forward to about the upcoming game on Anthony Field.
The new LED lights have no buzz, no startup time, and will save use money on our electricity bill.
Kade Parmelly, freshman offensive lineman: “One thing I am looking forward to about playing in the new stadium is being able to contribute to what all the seniors and juniors have worked extremely hard for. They have been through a lot to finally have a home stadium to play in, and anything I can do to contribute to the team is what I’m looking forward to. Tracy James Jr., redshirt sophomore running back: “I’m looking mostly for a win in the new stadium, we are bringing football back to campus, so it’s our job to come out with a win. This game has more meaning than what others would think.” Sam Denmark, senior middle linebacker: “The thing I’m looking forward to the most for the new stadium is playing at home in front of the crowd. Finally, to see a stadium on campus after years of hearing about it, we can finally see it come true! As a Senior, it’s incredible to see how nice the stadium is because we can truly appreciate it. The locker room is incredible and it stands out amongst the top in the FCS.” Hunter Lees, senior wide receiver: “I’m really looking forward to seeing the past ACU alumnus and the present students’ reaction to the new stadium. It has been a long time since we’ve had football on our campus, so I’m expecting the atmosphere to be incredible. The new traditions we’ll be starting are definitely going to bring a great deal of pride back to ACU football. In the end, our goal is to defend our new home here on campus and bring back the winning ways of ACU football.” STAFF@JMCNETWORK.COM
AL L -NEW TURF The artificial grass for Anthony Field is a product called FieldTurf Revolution, which is the same turf used at Notre Dame Stadium. Also used on Anthony Field is a product called FieldTurf CoolPlay, which lowers the temperature on the field by 22%-27%.
THE VIDEO SC REEN (Each figure represents 100 seats) West Side 6,000 seats
East Side 3,000 seats
Berm Seating 2,500 seats
Chuck Sitton Tower 500 seats
150 ft.
The new video board is 25 feet tall and 64 feet 9 inches wide, making it the 4th largest on-campus video board in Division I-FCS.
CA MPU S H EIGHT C OMPARISONS
125 ft. 100 ft. 75 ft. 50 ft. 25 ft. 0 ft. TOWER OF LIGHT (150 ft.)
CHUCK SITTON TOWER (83 ft.)
JACOB’S DREAM (40 ft.)
AVERAGE HEIGHT OF AMERICAN (5 ft. 10 in.)
Mark and April Anthony Our lead donors for this project are both ACU alums; Mark is a former Wildcat golfer and April is a current member of ACU’s Board of Directors.
Top 5 Reasons to Call the Arch Home: FULLY FURNISHED UNITS WITH A WASHER AND DRYER CABLE AND INTERNET PROVIDED AMENITIES LOCATED ON SITE INCLUDING A 24-HOUR FITNESS CENTER PET FRIENDLY
Teakwood Townhome
FOR RENT
2 bedroom, $750 per month. Near ACU, just off EN 10th. Call for details (936) 662-3265.
WALKING DISTANCE TO THE NEW WILDCAT STADIUM AND ANTHONY FIELD
GOOD LUCK THIS SEASON AND GO WILDCATS!
CALL TODAY FOR PRICING! THEARCHABLENE.COM | 325-672-2960 2702 NORTH JUDGE ELY BOULEVARD, ABILENE TX 79601
4
F E AT U R E
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15 2017
F E AT U R E
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15 2017
5
BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR
T
his December it will be three years since director of athletics Lee De Leon moved to Abilene to take the helm of the Department of Athletics. At 32, he would become the youngest Div. 1 athletic director in the country, an accomplishment shattering his initial goal of attaining this type of job before he was 40.
Here and Now
PUTTING THE GO IN
GO WILDCATS AD Lee De Leon reflects on his past achievements, shares his hopes for future athletics and makes history with the new Wildcat Stadium
Now as students, faculty, fans and the Abilene community as a whole await the grand-opening of Wildcat Stadium, De Leon said this was the best decision he’s ever made. “It’s been the best decision of my life to come here and I couldn’t be happier here at ACU,” De Leon said. “You know, when I got here, I wasn’t sure how I’d be accepted. I’m not an ACU alum, I’m not a member of the Church of Christ, I was a little nervous about that, but man I feel like the people of ACU have really loved me and welcomed me and embraced me.” Although Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium is what many people might first associate with De Leon’s tenure here, the program has now completed the Div. 1 transition under him and the student-athlete number has grown to over 400. However De Leon said he has been fortunate to capitalize on momentum garnered before him. “Jared [Mosley] really set me up for success and had the train moving in the right direction,” De Leon said. “I felt like it was my job to capitalize on the momentum that had been created and to tell our story nationally.” And it’s safe to say ACU is on its way to being known nationally. Less than a year after his arrival, De Leon signed a five-year partnership with Nike, making ACU just the fifth school in Texas to do so. And just last spring, ACU athletics inked a 10-year deal with IMG college, a worldwide sports marketing and promotional firm. Although the partnerships, new stadiums, new sports and Div. 1 eligibility have highlighted the last three years for De Leon, he never forgets where the journey began.
Beginning of a Journey
“In high school I was a pretty avid soccer player, and I went to Notre Dame thinking I could walk-on to the program there, and I tried out on the first day of school and immediately got cut,” De Leon said. “So here I was at Notre Dame with no chance of playing Div. 1 athletics and decided you know what how can I still be involved with industry, be involved with this passion of mine that is college sports?” Then De Leon met Matt Root. The two met in the dorms at Notre Dame Root’s freshman year, De Leon’s sophomore year. Root began attending the same small group as De Leon, and the two became close friends shortly after. “Lee is a really outgoing, really good, really friendly guy,” Root said. “He was a huge Notre Dame sports fan. He was real passionate about his relationship with Christ and I was a freshman just kind of trying to find my way, wasn’t a strong a believer and he helped me.” But it wasn’t long after the two got to know each
PHOTO BY EMILY GUAJARDO
Lee De Leon, director of Athletics
1946
1919
ACU Football Starts First Coach Vernon McCasland
Last football season played at A.B. Morris Field
other that Root helped him. “Growing up around sports as a kid, I actually had a close friend whose dad was an athletic director, and I thought Lee would be perfect at that,” Root said. “Just thinking about Lees personality just being really gregarious, just being a natural leader. He led all these events at Notre Dame. He’s just really good at bringing people together.” It didn’t take De Leon long to agree either, when Root shared those thoughts with him. “I remember exactly where I was standing outside my dorm, I remember it like it was yesterday and I thought about it for about 2.5 seconds, and said ‘Ok! That sounds awesome!’” De Leon said. And now over a decade later, it comes as no surprise to Root that Lee is in the position he is now. “Lee really embodies not being intimidated by any challenge,” Root said. “He’s just really, really bold and I think a lot of his success can be attributed to his faith and how he’s trusted the Lord to open up doors for him to climb up the ranks to be an athletic director.” Root also gave insight as to why De Leon is so passionate about mending the bridge between student-athletes and the rest of the student body. He has a really cool perspective as an athletic director, because he has a student body perspective,” Root said. “He was the ultimate fan in college. Any sports event that was going on he wanted to go to it, he just followed them all. Lee really embodies and has such a heart for school spirit and the college coming together and the sports teams kind of representing the student body.” It’s that perspective that De Leon hopes to bring to the rest of the community.
Moving Forward
This year’s freshman won’t remember it, but many others will remember the emptiness of Shotwell Stadium on game days. But if De Leon has anything to say about it, he wants more than just the ACU community to be apart of the new era Wildcat Athletics. “We need to do better with the community of Abilene. And we’re trying to do that, we’re trying to think of ways we can do that,” De Leon said. De Leon said he and his staff want the new stadium and many of the improvements to come in the future to be a used by the community. “One of the ways I think we can do that is through Wildcat Stadium and opening it up to the community. There’s only going to be five ACU home games per year we want to use it throughout the year. I think it can be a rallying place for the entire community as well.” Because De Leon said it’s not just the football team winning on the scoreboard that makes the athletics, the university and the city of Abilene successful. “People are going to associate [ACU] with this entire city and for us to be successful and win at the highest level like we want to win, we’re going to need the whole city behind us.” That vision and mission might have began long before De Leon, but on Saturday when an ACU football game hits campus for the first time in 59 years, it will have the chance to be displayed in full force.
1969
Wally Bullington becomes athletic director after coaching the football team to its first NAIA Division I championship. He helped the school transition to the NCAA Div. II.
1970
ACU wins first national championship
1924
2014
2016
2017
Ken Collums fired after loss to Southeastern Louisiana in season finale
Athletics partners a ten-year deal with IMG
2016
Adam Dorrel hired one month later. Highest winning percentage of any head coach in college football at the time
2016
Athletics partners a five-year deal with Nike.
Announcement of the largest donation in ACU history, $50 million given by April and Mark Anthony to help build the stadium.
A.B. Morris began coaching. He coached for 17 years and longer than any other coach in ACU history.
1977
ACU wins second national championship
2010
The last time ACU football won a conference title under the leadership of Coach Chris Thomsen.
1976
Ove Johansson sets the record for longest field goal with a 69-yard kick. Wilbert Montgomery sets the college football record for touchdowns with 67.
4
F E AT U R E
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15 2017
F E AT U R E
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15 2017
5
BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR
T
his December it will be three years since director of athletics Lee De Leon moved to Abilene to take the helm of the Department of Athletics. At 32, he would become the youngest Div. 1 athletic director in the country, an accomplishment shattering his initial goal of attaining this type of job before he was 40.
Here and Now
PUTTING THE GO IN
GO WILDCATS AD Lee De Leon reflects on his past achievements, shares his hopes for future athletics and makes history with the new Wildcat Stadium
Now as students, faculty, fans and the Abilene community as a whole await the grand-opening of Wildcat Stadium, De Leon said this was the best decision he’s ever made. “It’s been the best decision of my life to come here and I couldn’t be happier here at ACU,” De Leon said. “You know, when I got here, I wasn’t sure how I’d be accepted. I’m not an ACU alum, I’m not a member of the Church of Christ, I was a little nervous about that, but man I feel like the people of ACU have really loved me and welcomed me and embraced me.” Although Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium is what many people might first associate with De Leon’s tenure here, the program has now completed the Div. 1 transition under him and the student-athlete number has grown to over 400. However De Leon said he has been fortunate to capitalize on momentum garnered before him. “Jared [Mosley] really set me up for success and had the train moving in the right direction,” De Leon said. “I felt like it was my job to capitalize on the momentum that had been created and to tell our story nationally.” And it’s safe to say ACU is on its way to being known nationally. Less than a year after his arrival, De Leon signed a five-year partnership with Nike, making ACU just the fifth school in Texas to do so. And just last spring, ACU athletics inked a 10-year deal with IMG college, a worldwide sports marketing and promotional firm. Although the partnerships, new stadiums, new sports and Div. 1 eligibility have highlighted the last three years for De Leon, he never forgets where the journey began.
Beginning of a Journey
“In high school I was a pretty avid soccer player, and I went to Notre Dame thinking I could walk-on to the program there, and I tried out on the first day of school and immediately got cut,” De Leon said. “So here I was at Notre Dame with no chance of playing Div. 1 athletics and decided you know what how can I still be involved with industry, be involved with this passion of mine that is college sports?” Then De Leon met Matt Root. The two met in the dorms at Notre Dame Root’s freshman year, De Leon’s sophomore year. Root began attending the same small group as De Leon, and the two became close friends shortly after. “Lee is a really outgoing, really good, really friendly guy,” Root said. “He was a huge Notre Dame sports fan. He was real passionate about his relationship with Christ and I was a freshman just kind of trying to find my way, wasn’t a strong a believer and he helped me.” But it wasn’t long after the two got to know each
PHOTO BY EMILY GUAJARDO
Lee De Leon, director of Athletics
1946
1919
ACU Football Starts First Coach Vernon McCasland
Last football season played at A.B. Morris Field
other that Root helped him. “Growing up around sports as a kid, I actually had a close friend whose dad was an athletic director, and I thought Lee would be perfect at that,” Root said. “Just thinking about Lees personality just being really gregarious, just being a natural leader. He led all these events at Notre Dame. He’s just really good at bringing people together.” It didn’t take De Leon long to agree either, when Root shared those thoughts with him. “I remember exactly where I was standing outside my dorm, I remember it like it was yesterday and I thought about it for about 2.5 seconds, and said ‘Ok! That sounds awesome!’” De Leon said. And now over a decade later, it comes as no surprise to Root that Lee is in the position he is now. “Lee really embodies not being intimidated by any challenge,” Root said. “He’s just really, really bold and I think a lot of his success can be attributed to his faith and how he’s trusted the Lord to open up doors for him to climb up the ranks to be an athletic director.” Root also gave insight as to why De Leon is so passionate about mending the bridge between student-athletes and the rest of the student body. He has a really cool perspective as an athletic director, because he has a student body perspective,” Root said. “He was the ultimate fan in college. Any sports event that was going on he wanted to go to it, he just followed them all. Lee really embodies and has such a heart for school spirit and the college coming together and the sports teams kind of representing the student body.” It’s that perspective that De Leon hopes to bring to the rest of the community.
Moving Forward
This year’s freshman won’t remember it, but many others will remember the emptiness of Shotwell Stadium on game days. But if De Leon has anything to say about it, he wants more than just the ACU community to be apart of the new era Wildcat Athletics. “We need to do better with the community of Abilene. And we’re trying to do that, we’re trying to think of ways we can do that,” De Leon said. De Leon said he and his staff want the new stadium and many of the improvements to come in the future to be a used by the community. “One of the ways I think we can do that is through Wildcat Stadium and opening it up to the community. There’s only going to be five ACU home games per year we want to use it throughout the year. I think it can be a rallying place for the entire community as well.” Because De Leon said it’s not just the football team winning on the scoreboard that makes the athletics, the university and the city of Abilene successful. “People are going to associate [ACU] with this entire city and for us to be successful and win at the highest level like we want to win, we’re going to need the whole city behind us.” That vision and mission might have began long before De Leon, but on Saturday when an ACU football game hits campus for the first time in 59 years, it will have the chance to be displayed in full force.
1969
Wally Bullington becomes athletic director after coaching the football team to its first NAIA Division I championship. He helped the school transition to the NCAA Div. II.
1970
ACU wins first national championship
1924
2014
2016
2017
Ken Collums fired after loss to Southeastern Louisiana in season finale
Athletics partners a ten-year deal with IMG
2016
Adam Dorrel hired one month later. Highest winning percentage of any head coach in college football at the time
2016
Athletics partners a five-year deal with Nike.
Announcement of the largest donation in ACU history, $50 million given by April and Mark Anthony to help build the stadium.
A.B. Morris began coaching. He coached for 17 years and longer than any other coach in ACU history.
1977
ACU wins second national championship
2010
The last time ACU football won a conference title under the leadership of Coach Chris Thomsen.
1976
Ove Johansson sets the record for longest field goal with a 69-yard kick. Wilbert Montgomery sets the college football record for touchdowns with 67.
6
OP I N I ON
&
ED IT O R IA L
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Give purple and white chance to fight
THE ISSUE
stadium became more real, we noticed more students were worried about negative impacts like the lack of parking. Some students complained that the university wasn’t giving enough attention to academic programs. The school can pay for football players to travel out-ofstate, but some students struggle to fundraise for important academic trips or conferences. Knowing the stadium cost millions of dollars only made students feel more frustrated. Students in the Department of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Psychology commented on
Students have mixed opinions about the new stadium.
OUR TAKE
We need to support our football team and take advantage of the opportunities the stadium brings The weekend we’ve been waiting for is finally here. For the first time since 1958, our football team will play on campus. Texans and non-Texans alike prepare for the all the pomp and circumstance that comes with football. But some students aren’t happy about the hype. We’re challenging the student body to give the stadium a chance, at least for this season.
Football may capture our attention on Saturdays, with enhanced tailgates, the cheers of Wildcat Reign and a chance to all come together with school pride. But the rest of our week, most of us are concerned with classes, club events and jobs. Most of us didn’t come to ACU for the football, we came for the degree. (Or the MRS degree in some cases.) As the opening of the
Twitter saying they feel their departments are underfunded. Others wonder if their tuition money played a part in the building of the stadium. The truth is, the stadium funding came from former students donating to the school. These alumni were once students who attended this school and probably had complaints like we do. Once they had the funds to help, they decided to do something about the needs of the university. In fact, the biggest donors to the stadium, April and Mark Anthony, also gave to the College of Business Administration and the
RATED R @PAYNEFISH 9/14/17 7:50 A.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut memories of Homecoming Games at Shotwell will never fade.
HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF Senior convergence journalism major Albuquerque, New Mexico
@ANNACURBY 9/14/17 1:02 A.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut we keep trying to et rid of the Ag&Environmental science dept b/c of limited funding for it...thankful 4 the donors tho
There are four kinds of people on a shooting range. There’s the steady people who say “Ready, Aim, Fire!” There’s the guy who says, “Ready, Fire! Aim.... oops.” There’s the cautious person who says, “Ready, Aim....oh wait, wait. Ready, Aim.....Ready, Aim.” And then there’s the guy who says, “Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!” If these four types of people represented the U.S. government, Congress would be the “Ready, Aim....oh wait” person. When it comes to immigration reform and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, both former President Obama and President Trump are like the “Fire! Fire! Fire!” person on the shooting range. As the chief member of the executive branch, that’s kind of the president’s job.
@BRADEN_8CLARK 9/13/17 11:18 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut I’ve gotten a firm no every single time I ask if we could use it for gladitorial combat @ELLIOTTCLONE 9/13/17 11:16 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut A distinct lack of classically trained dancing otters in the GATA fountain on wensday afternoons @LUKEPURS 9/13/17 5:26 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut we to pass a background check to enter it @SHAYNJOHNSON 9/13/17 2:16 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut our Instagram feeds are no longer in chronological order :’( @instagram @NICKBOONE5 9/13/17 1:16 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut Tammy’s Omelettes are still the pride of campus @MISSVICTORIA95 9/13/17 1:04 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut the psychology department is still in a boys dorm
@ALLEN_STORM96 9/13/17 12:40 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut the GATA fountain still gives you dysentery if you walk by it on a windy day. @ATOWNBMAN 9/13/17 11:47 A.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut we also have an unsupportive, incendiary campus newspaper. Please stop disparaging our university. @TAENJOHNSON 9/13/17 11:31 A.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut vine is still dead /: @OLIROD8 9/14/17 12:57 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut we are probably still gonna lose every game so do we really need one?
No matter your party, I think we can all agree that immigration needs to change in the U.S. We all want the U.S. to be a great place for women and children who are seeking refuge from abuse, hard workers who are seeking jobs, and diverse people who will add to our nation’s melting pot of culture. We shouldn’t have to wonder whether our law enforcement is on the same page as our federal government. We shouldn’t have to worry about our friends being deported. People shouldn’t have to break the law to come to our beautiful country. What we need is a creative solution. But honestly, when was the last time Congress passed some immigration reform? The DACA program was Obama’s way of saying Congress was taking
HOT OFF THE PRESTON MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Junior Convergence JournalismMajor Amarillo, Texas
It’s finally here. We are closing in on the opening of the new Wildcat Stadium, and for the first time since 1958, the football team will be playing on campus. A total of $44 million went into building the stadium, which demonstrates ACU’s commitment to bringing the structure to campus. While some might say that too much favoritism is being shown to athletics or that our football team is not good enough to warrant a stadium, we as a student body have to realize that this is what it takes to be a Div. 1 program. To be a Div. 1 school, we have to start looking
like one, and with a new stadium, locker room and equipment, we’re definitely staring to look like one. You might complain that our team isn’t good or is boring to watch; however, we have to realize that at the Div. 2 level, the Wildcats were a powerhouse team that did well in the playoffs most years and showed that they were talented enough to advance to Div. 1. If you’re disappointed with how the Wildcats have played in the transition, take FBS conference USA schools Marshall and Old Dominion for example. These teams have been in FBS a lot
T H E
EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY
Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
too long. Instead of waiting for Congress to pass immigration reform, he signed an executive order. When Obama first announced the DACA order in 2012, he said it was “temporary relief from deportation proceedings.” He said, “Let’s be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stop-gap measure....Precisely because this is temporary, Congress needs to act.” He essentially said “Fire!” hoping Congress would work together to come up with a wellaimed plan. But that didn’t happen. In a way, it just made it easier for Congress to procrastinate. It’s like when your teacher gives you a later deadline on your paper. Do you start working on the paper now? No, you wait until the last minute to do it. Now Trump is saying “Fire!,” but this time pushing Congress to a hard deadline. His decision to pull the plug on the program may seem heartless, but he seems to be will-
“
It’s like when your teacher gives you a later deadline on your paper. Do you start working on the paper now? No.”
ing to appear that way if it means pushing Congress to action. This is a chance for Congress to do something better than DACA, maybe something that will help not only those brought to the U.S. illegally as children, but also their families. It may be a chance for Congress to reform immigration in a way that benefits future immigrants, current undocumented immigrants and local law enforcement. Instead of griping at Trump for repealing the order, we should call upon our Congress to do what neither president could do.
HRR13B@ACU.EDU
Being Div. 1 means looking like it
@PHORREST_ 9/13/17 12:54 P.M. #WeHaveAStadiumBut a surprising # of students upset by dissenting opinions about school pride
invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published.
We can also raise our other complaints to the university and ask for more funding to academic departments. We can cheer or critique our football team. But no matter how we feel, this university is ours and this stadium is ours, so let’s take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy it. *Disclaimer: The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication benefited from the building of the stadium through receiving a fully equipped ESPN 3 television studio. Some members of the editorial board work at ACU TV.
DACA repeal could spur reform
#WeHaveAStadiumBut
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration. Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university. The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or
Onstead Science Building. Our tuition money did not make the stadium happen. At this point, we don’t know if the stadium is going to help our school in the long run. We don’t know if our team is going to do better this season. We don’t know if seeing the stadium will encourage more alumni to donate to academic programs or student scholarships. You don’t have to bleed purple this weekend if you don’t want to. But we have to give the stadium a chance. We can do our part – show up to the tailgate, wear purple, cheer a little if you want.
longer than ACU has, but have never been a powerhouse in Div. 1 despite having their own stadium and nice equipment. The Wildcats are trying to make the big transition into the highest stage of college football and the sad truth is that it won’t go smoothly for the first few years. Granted, our team is not the most talented team, and hasn’t performed well in these Div. I transition years, you have to consider who the team gets as recruits. We are still trying to get our name out as a Div. I school and now that we are eligible for postseason play, we will look to recruit better and more talented recruits. This transition is not easy by any means. If you think that Lee De Leon and the rest of the athletic staff don’t want to win, then you’re wrong. The athletic staff is
“
The athletic staff is doing everything in their power to make our program look great and capture attention from fans and recruits outside of Abilene.”
doing everything in their power to make our program look great and capture attention from fans and recruits outside of Abilene. The stadium just edges our program closer to looking like a Div. I school. So for now, just sit back and enjoy the stadium opener against Houston Baptist on Saturday. MJP14B@ACU.EDU
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SP ORTS
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
7
HOLLY DORN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Early Impact: Arteaga dominates despite her youth BY DAVIS DENTON SPORTS REPORTER
Despite a winless weekend in Oklahoma and a difficult non-conference schedule, the Wildcats head into the Southland Conference opener stacked with young talent. Much of that young talent has come from freshman Christina Arteaga. Head soccer coach Casey Wilson said his freshman midfielder has helped create numerous chances for the team early on. “Christina is a very composed player; she handles the ball really well,” Wilson said. “She doesn’t panic and that creates a lot of opportunities for us.” The transition to college
can be hard for some, but for Arteaga it appears to be a breeze. She scored her first collegiate goal and had seven shots against UTSA in just her first game as a Wildcat. In her next game against UTEP, she added an assist that propelled ACU to a 2–1 victory. In the team’s most recent win against UT-Permian Basin, Arteaga placed four shots in the goal. The Wildcats won 7–1 in Odessa in the wake of the Prairie View A&M tournament being cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. “The way I play on the field is as a leader,” Arteaga said. “Yeah, I’m a freshmen, but that’s the way I play. Soccer has always been a part of my life.”
Like many, the knack for soccer came at a young age and Arteaga has shown it for years since. In fact, as a freshman in high school, a YouTube video was posted of her juggling a soccer ball for four minutes. But there are several others as well, some of which Arteaga said have provided inspiration. “I don’t think the team knows anything about a juggling YouTube video of me considering I haven’t posted one of those in a long time,” Arteaga said. “But I have had younger soccer players tell me that I’m their inspiration.” The tricks in the videos are something Arteaga said she spent time as a young player practicing.
September 17-20, 2017 • acu.edu/summit Please join us as theme speakers and class leaders focus on Deuteronomy and the ways this ancient text informs the future of the church and the choices we make as we strive to serve God.
WITH COACH ADAM DORREL, GRANT BOONE AND HANNAH NULL
WATCH SATURDAYS @acuvideo
AT 11 AM ON K TAB -T V
“I started learning juggling tricks when I was young by constantly watching videos over it and trying to mimic the person as best I could till I could do it,” Arteaga said. “I wouldn’t get it right away, most moves took several days/weeks to finally accomplish,” Arteaga said. And although many of those tricks haven’t been used during the game, her work ethic in learning them is obvious. Against SEC powerhouse Arkansas, the freshmen midfielder played the full 90 minutes and has played total of 571 minutes heading into Friday’s match against Houston Baptist. Arteaga has also
played the entire match two other times this season. “Sometimes getting into Div. 1 can bring a little bit of a panic mode,” said Wilson. “These are the type of players we’re looking to recruit and the high level of play has really helped our club.” As the Wildcats start conference play on Friday, Wilson said his players are well equipped after finishing up the end of the out-of-conference slate against a nationally ranked opponent. Despite falling 3–0 to undefeated No. 18 Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Sunday, ACU had two players listed on the all conference preseason team
by southlandconference.org and finished third in conference last year. As a freshman, Arteaga wasn’t eligible since the recognition only takes into consideration returning players. “This season I expect we do really well in conference,” Arteaga said. “Even though it didn’t show in preseason and the outcome wasn’t as well as we thought, we still played really good.” But if she continues to produce shots at her team-leading pace of 3.14 shots per game, she might be in the conversation in the future. DMD14A@ACU.EDU
8
SPORTS
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Playoffs motivate soccer ahead of HBU BY RACHEL POE SPORTS WRITER
After a hard fought preseason schedule, ACU will host Houston Baptist in the Southland Conference season opener at Elmer Gray Stadium on Friday. Now that the Div. 1 fouryear transition period has come to an end, the soccer team members say they are ready and eager to play now that they can qualify for post-conference play. “We are really excited,
knowing that we can go further this year,” Johnson said. “It is inspiring us, willing us to work hard, and holding ourselves accountable.” The team has faced several challenging teams in this season’s non-conference play, including Arkansas, Oklahoma State and North Texas. Johnson said she likes playing the tough matches early on in the year. “Non-conference is a pretty tough season, but I
wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” Johnson said. “I think that Casey does a good job of setting us up to play harder teams to prepare us for conferences.” And so far it has seemed to work for head coach Casey Wilson and his team, who have won 27 Southland matches in the last four years. “Preseason schedules like we had allow us to identify a lot of weaknesses and what we need to work on,
ultimately it was all for the best,” Wilson said. Wilson also said the Wildcats are in a good place and have to maintain their focus for their upcoming match against Houston Baptist. “They are always a very athletic team, we need to be on our toes and make sure we don’t have breakdowns, but all in all it is just a matter of us figuring out ways to score and making sure they don’t, that is just the game plan going in,” Wilson said.
During the four year transition period ACU held a record of 3-1 against Houston Baptist, winning the matches in 2013, 2015 and in 2016. The game between ACU (2-5) and Houston Baptist (1-3-1) is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and will be the first of three ACU sporting events in Abilene this weekend.
RKP15A@ACU.EDU
Cross Country debuts brand-new course BY TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER
It’s a weekend of brandnew beginnings for the department of athletics, as football prepares to open an on-campus stadium for the first time in 59 years. The cross country team will also be featuring a brand-new course, as it returns to Abilene to host the Naimadu Classic on Saturday.
The meet will serve as a the Wildcats second dual meet against University of Incarnate Word and Stephen F. Austin, but also features Angelo State, UT-Permian Basin, Trinity, McMurry and Schreiner University. The Wildcats come into the meet after a good showing two weekends ago at the Bear Twilight Invitational, where the
men won 1-of-2 and the women swept their opponents. Redshirt senior Alexandria Hackett led the Wildcats in that meet with a third place overall finish in the 4k that catapulted her to a Southland Conference Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week award. On the men’s side, senior Ryan Cleary earned an honorable mention
Southland award, as he finished 11th in the 6k. After the meet, ACU was ranked 5th in the South-Central region, dropping from 2nd despite beating TCU and Texas State. Nonetheless, the Wildcats still remain as the team to beat in the Southland Conference. The meet will be the first of two held in Abilene this season. The South-
land conference championships will also be held here in late October. The men’s race will begin at 8 a.m. and the women’s will begin at 8:35 a.m. The new ACU Cross Country Course is located Southeast of ACU on EN 10th St, just west of Loop 322. TMW13A@ACU.EDU
Wildcats approach stadium-opener BY MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS DIRECTOR
The football team has arguably one of the most anticipated games in its history, as it takes on Houston Baptist University for the Wildcats’ stadium and conference opener. This Saturday’s game will mark the first time the team will play on campus since 1958. When asked how ticket sales were going, Director of athletics Lee De Leon said that there were only about hundred left for general admission seating as of Wednesday meaning that it should be a near-sellout crowd for the anxiously awaited game. Houston Baptist boasts a 1-1 record after finishing non-conference play, however, the team’s games included a 20-11 loss to Texas State in the first week, and a 24-17 win against Texas Southern, both teams that haven’t had a winning season in the last two years. The Wildcats come out of non-conference with a 0-2 record as well, but both losses came against tough Mountain West teams in New
CHRISTI LIM STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Freshman John Crisp and Jordan White-Sanders look as the Wildcats prepare for the stadium-opener against Southland Conference rival Houston Baptist.
Mexico and Colorado State. Head coach Adam Dorrel highlighted the special teams play in both of those games. “We’ve outplayed our opponents in special teams the first two weeks,” Dorrel said. “When I go back and watch the film, we’re playing better on special teams than two FBS teams and I want to carry that into conference.” Last year, the Wildcats met
up with the Huskies in Houston for what was also it’s conference opener and played to a heartbreaking 27-24 overtime lost. Senior kicker Nik Grau had his only miss of the season in the game, as the HBU got a hand on the kick late in the fourth. Ahead of Saturday’s game, junior quarterback Dallas Sealey leads the Wildcats offensively hav-
ing thrown for 498 yards of the team’s 615 total yards with a 63.7 completion percentage. Sophomore wide receiver DeShun Qualls has gained most of Sealey’s passing yardage with 116 receiving yards in their two games so far. Sophomore safety Bolu Onifade stands out defensively for the Wildcats after
a big game against Colorado State in which he made 17 tackles and a tackle for a loss. He leads the team with 19 tackles. For HBU, freshman QB Bailey Zappe has thrown for 447 yards with a touchdown and an interception in two games this season. Freshman running back James Brown has also shown young leadership with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown this season. Dorrel said he has big goals for first Southland game. “We have to be on the plus side of the turnover battle,” Dorrel said. “We want to stop giving up big plays on defense especially on third down. The last thing is that we have to run the football better, we’ve been working on that in practice and trying to put an emphasis on that.” Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be seen as one of ESPN3’s featured games of the week. Tailgating for the game will begin in the mall area, between Moody Coliseum and the GATA fountain at 3 p.m. MJP14B@ACU.EDU
FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2017 SEASON
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (0–2)
JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR
12.0
POINTS PER GAME
17.5
35.0
RUSH YPG
111.0
272.5
PASSING YPG
223.5
38.0
POINTS ALLOWED
18.5 HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITYT (1–1)
MAX PRESTON
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
DAVIS DENTON SPORTS REPORTER
TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER
The Wildcat offense is averaging just 12 ppg through two games this season. But after back-to-back weeks against Mountain West competitors, the offense will finally get going in the home-opener against Houston Baptist. Junior quarterback Dallas Sealey started to find a groove against Colorado State going 25-for-38 and racking up 258 yards, so I expect him to have big numbers against a susceptible passing defense. And although the ACU defense has given up 38 points in each of the last two weeks, when teams get into the red zone the Wildcats have held them to three or less points almost 50 percent of the time. ACU will also be looking to avenge last season’s loss in Houston. Unless the Wildcats get too caught up in the excitement of the new stadium and packed house, I see Head coach Adam Dorrel and his team coming away with a convincing first win of the season.
With the energy coming from opening a new stadium and playing the first conference game, the Wildcats are, or at least should be fired up. But guess what? Houston Baptist is fired up too. HBU should want nothing more than to win what is also their first conference game and spoil the opening of Wildcat stadium. ACU has without a doubt faced more talented teams in its first two games against New Mexico and Colorado State while HBU lost to Texas State and barely edged out Texas Southern for a victory, two teams that couldn’t manage a winning record in the last two years. The Wildcats traveled to Houston to face the Huskies last year and lost a heartbreaker in OT 27-24, so they will look to bounce back and win this year’s highly anticipated matchup. I think the energy and emotions of the game keeps both teams neck and neck for awhile, but the Wildcats will take a big lead and win later in the game.t
ACU has struggled against larger competition this season but they are competing well for playing against FBS teams that both played in bowls last season. I predict the Wildcats win big and the offense fires on all cylinders. A new football field makes your players excited and Quarterback Dallas Sealey will have his teammates ready to show out. The Wildcats will look to avenge a humiliating loss to HBU last season while the Huskies have averaged a measly 17 a game.
Even though the Wildcats offense has been struggling, a brand new stadium and a struggling HBU team may be what they need to turn the tide around. I expect a breakout game for Dallas Sealey as well as possibly seeing some good plays from two wideouts, redshirt senior Carl Whitley and sophomore DeShun Qualls, after getting good receptions against Colorado State. This may be the game that turns the tide for ACU for the rest of the season, and who better to have it against than the team that gave them a heartbreaking loss last season? All eyes are on Dorrell in his first home game as the Wildcat’s head coach, and I think he delivers.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 45 HBU 17
FINAL SCORE: ACU 38 HBU 24
FINAL SCORE: ACU 52 HBU 27
FINAL SCORE: ACU 41 HBU 27
STANDINGS Football
Team
Nicholls SHSU UCA HBU Lamar ACU NWSU SELU SFA UIW McNeese
Ovrl. SLC. 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1
Volleyball
Team
UCA SFA HBU McNeese NOU NWSU ACU SHSU TAMU-CC UIW Nicholls Lamar SELU
Team
1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1
Ovrl. SLC. 8–0 11–2 7–2 7–4 5–4 4–7 4–8 3–7 3–8 1–4 2–8 1–5 1–9
Soccer
0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Ovrl. SLC.
Lamar 5–2–1 McNeese 4–2–1 NWSU 4–3 SFA 3–3 SHSU 3–3 UCA 3–5 SELU 2–4–1 TAMU-CC 2–2–1 Nicholls 2–4 ACU 2–5 HBU 1–3–1 UIW 1–3
0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
DORREL DAILY
“We’ve outplayed our opponents in special teams the first two weeks. When I go back and Dorrel watch the film, we’re playing better on special teams than two FBS teams and I want to carry that into conference.”
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Football After recording just two tackles against New Mexico, sophomore safety Bolu Onifade Onifade burst onto the scene with 17 total tackles in last Saturday’s game. Of the 17 tackles, 11 of them were solo tackles, and Onifade had one tackle for loss against Colorado State. The 17 tackles were also a team-high and game-high.
Golf
Sophomore Bryce Dooley showed lots of promise in the golf team’s seaDooley son-opening tournament, as he led the team with a one-under-par score, which included an first round and final round score of 70. Individually, Dooley finished tied for 24th in the tournament. As a team the Wildcats finished 10th overall.
Volleyball
A big key to volleyball’s three wins over the weekend was sophomore middle Walker blocker Lauren Walker. Walker posted 29 kills and 15 blocks over the threegame span and head coach Angela Mooney said she was a ‘steady force in middle’ for the team. In light of her performance, Walker was recognized as a Honorable Mention Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week. For More visit ACUOptimist.com