Post by TroyFootball05 on May 17, 2014 12:18:00 GMT -6
Opponent Preview: Abilene Christian
Overview: This is Game 3 for The Trojans. Troy's second home game of the season following a could be sell out home opener vs Duke. This will be a decent tune up game that will challenge Troy more than Savannah State did in 2013.
Abilene Christian will play in the Southland Conference (FCS) for the first time since 1972. The Wildcats were one of the founding members of the conference and will return to the Southland Conference in 2014 after playing as an FCS Independent in 2013. In 2012, The Wildcats were only Division II. Their mascot is the wildcat, their colors are purple, black, and white.
The Wildcats finished the 2013 season at 6-5 as an FCS Independent. They appear to be a middle of the pack FCS team in terms of talent, but certainly have some FBS and P5 talent sprinkled throughout the roster. Massey had them rated as the 78th best FCS team out of 127 ranked FCS teams at the end of 2013. For comparison, Troy opponent Appalachian State (4-8) was ranked 61st. Georgia Southern (7-4) was ranked 33rd. Savannah State (1-11) was ranked 120 out of 127.
2013 Abilene Christian Schedule
Schedule Roundup: The highlight of the season may have been taking New Mexico State down to the wire. If you recall, Louisiana-Lafayette barely escaped with a win vs NMSU in 2013. This of course does not mean ACU is close in talent to the Rajun Cajuns. College football doesn't work that way. If there was a low point on the schedule it would have to be losing to Incarnate Word, after thrashing them 40-6 the month before. This is the first time I've seen a team play the same team twice in the regular season.
Team Analysis: Ken Collums returns as head coach for his third season with the Wildcats. Looking at last season's schedule, it doesn't appear the Wildcats lacked offensive firepower in 2013, albeit against low level teams, even for FCS. According to acusports.com, the Wildcats bring back several defensive starters but must replace almost everyone of value on offense, including starting quarterback John David Baker. The backups have had very little playing time at all under Baker, and the line losses their top offensive lineman in Will Latu to the NFL. Taylor Gabriel (WR) and Charcandrick West (RB) who combined for 66 TDs and over 7,000 yards of offense over their careers also signed as NFL free agents. Herschel Sims (RB, Oklahoma State) is the heir-apparent to West and should do a stellar job if he can get good line play to back him up.
ACU is known for heavily recruiting BCS/AQ/P5 transfers as several players on their roster come from these type schools. Three of these players are Herschel Sims, Will Harlos, and Damon Williams. Sims (now 5'9" 220), if that name sounds familiar, was rated the No. 2 all-purpose running back in the country, a four star athlete, before signing with Oklahoma State, where he finished 3rd on the team as a freshman in 2011 with 242 rushing yards at an astronomical 7.8 yards per carry. Will Harlos was the 13th ranked outside linebacker by ESPN.com before signing with Colorado. Damon Williams (6'3" 305) is a defensive tackle that originally signed with Oklahoma. Last year ACU played an offensive lineman by the name of Will Latu (mentioned above), the highest ranked JUCO offensive lineman of the year. The combination of Latu and Sims would have been a thing to watch, however, Latu has signed a free agency with Kansas City. Two other ACU Wildcats (also mentioned above) from the 2013 season have also signed as NFL Free agents.
Stats: I would normally post stats here, but I can't find any. The NCAA (and Phil Steele) do not recognize ACU as FCS until 2014, even though they are technically an FCS Independent. Listing D-II stats, if they are any on ACU, would serve little purpose here.
Matchups: With ACU having to replace most of its offensive firepower, Troy's defensive line should be able to push them around throughout the matchup. This is typically where trans-divisional games have the biggest divide. Troy's offensive line returns almost everyone including "Big Terrence Jones" and adds Ethan Hutson from Ole Miss. The Trojans should overpower the Wildcats in the run game with Jordan Chunn (14 TDs in 2013) and Brandon Burkes returning. The speed at wide receiver in Bryan Holmes and Chandler Worthy will play a huge role in Troy's passing game. This is a game where you should expect to see a lot of backups across the board rotating in and out. Plenty of other wide receivers on the roster have the speed and elusiveness to make plays against the Abilene Christian Defense. Expect Jarvis Bently (6'5", 195) to use his height early and often. One on one match ups to the corner will give Bentley an "ET" look as he is the front runner to fill Thomas's shoes.
Summary: Abilene Christian will be a good game for Troy to iron out some kinks before heading to Athens on September 20th. There is enough talent on the roster to give Troy a challenge for a quarter or two, but the absence of Will Latu will make this game easier for Troy. Make no mistake, however: ACU is not Savannah State. Troy could conceivably lay an egg here if they are expecting a cakewalk looking ahead to Georgia.
Abilene Christian will square off against Troy conference opponent Georgia State to begin their seasons on Wednesday August 27th. The game will be aired on ESPN-U at 6PM (CST). Troy fans will want to tune into this.
Overview: This is Game 3 for The Trojans. Troy's second home game of the season following a could be sell out home opener vs Duke. This will be a decent tune up game that will challenge Troy more than Savannah State did in 2013.
Abilene Christian will play in the Southland Conference (FCS) for the first time since 1972. The Wildcats were one of the founding members of the conference and will return to the Southland Conference in 2014 after playing as an FCS Independent in 2013. In 2012, The Wildcats were only Division II. Their mascot is the wildcat, their colors are purple, black, and white.
The Wildcats finished the 2013 season at 6-5 as an FCS Independent. They appear to be a middle of the pack FCS team in terms of talent, but certainly have some FBS and P5 talent sprinkled throughout the roster. Massey had them rated as the 78th best FCS team out of 127 ranked FCS teams at the end of 2013. For comparison, Troy opponent Appalachian State (4-8) was ranked 61st. Georgia Southern (7-4) was ranked 33rd. Savannah State (1-11) was ranked 120 out of 127.
2013 Abilene Christian Schedule
Schedule Roundup: The highlight of the season may have been taking New Mexico State down to the wire. If you recall, Louisiana-Lafayette barely escaped with a win vs NMSU in 2013. This of course does not mean ACU is close in talent to the Rajun Cajuns. College football doesn't work that way. If there was a low point on the schedule it would have to be losing to Incarnate Word, after thrashing them 40-6 the month before. This is the first time I've seen a team play the same team twice in the regular season.
Team Analysis: Ken Collums returns as head coach for his third season with the Wildcats. Looking at last season's schedule, it doesn't appear the Wildcats lacked offensive firepower in 2013, albeit against low level teams, even for FCS. According to acusports.com, the Wildcats bring back several defensive starters but must replace almost everyone of value on offense, including starting quarterback John David Baker. The backups have had very little playing time at all under Baker, and the line losses their top offensive lineman in Will Latu to the NFL. Taylor Gabriel (WR) and Charcandrick West (RB) who combined for 66 TDs and over 7,000 yards of offense over their careers also signed as NFL free agents. Herschel Sims (RB, Oklahoma State) is the heir-apparent to West and should do a stellar job if he can get good line play to back him up.
ACU is known for heavily recruiting BCS/AQ/P5 transfers as several players on their roster come from these type schools. Three of these players are Herschel Sims, Will Harlos, and Damon Williams. Sims (now 5'9" 220), if that name sounds familiar, was rated the No. 2 all-purpose running back in the country, a four star athlete, before signing with Oklahoma State, where he finished 3rd on the team as a freshman in 2011 with 242 rushing yards at an astronomical 7.8 yards per carry. Will Harlos was the 13th ranked outside linebacker by ESPN.com before signing with Colorado. Damon Williams (6'3" 305) is a defensive tackle that originally signed with Oklahoma. Last year ACU played an offensive lineman by the name of Will Latu (mentioned above), the highest ranked JUCO offensive lineman of the year. The combination of Latu and Sims would have been a thing to watch, however, Latu has signed a free agency with Kansas City. Two other ACU Wildcats (also mentioned above) from the 2013 season have also signed as NFL Free agents.
Stats: I would normally post stats here, but I can't find any. The NCAA (and Phil Steele) do not recognize ACU as FCS until 2014, even though they are technically an FCS Independent. Listing D-II stats, if they are any on ACU, would serve little purpose here.
Matchups: With ACU having to replace most of its offensive firepower, Troy's defensive line should be able to push them around throughout the matchup. This is typically where trans-divisional games have the biggest divide. Troy's offensive line returns almost everyone including "Big Terrence Jones" and adds Ethan Hutson from Ole Miss. The Trojans should overpower the Wildcats in the run game with Jordan Chunn (14 TDs in 2013) and Brandon Burkes returning. The speed at wide receiver in Bryan Holmes and Chandler Worthy will play a huge role in Troy's passing game. This is a game where you should expect to see a lot of backups across the board rotating in and out. Plenty of other wide receivers on the roster have the speed and elusiveness to make plays against the Abilene Christian Defense. Expect Jarvis Bently (6'5", 195) to use his height early and often. One on one match ups to the corner will give Bentley an "ET" look as he is the front runner to fill Thomas's shoes.
Summary: Abilene Christian will be a good game for Troy to iron out some kinks before heading to Athens on September 20th. There is enough talent on the roster to give Troy a challenge for a quarter or two, but the absence of Will Latu will make this game easier for Troy. Make no mistake, however: ACU is not Savannah State. Troy could conceivably lay an egg here if they are expecting a cakewalk looking ahead to Georgia.
Abilene Christian will square off against Troy conference opponent Georgia State to begin their seasons on Wednesday August 27th. The game will be aired on ESPN-U at 6PM (CST). Troy fans will want to tune into this.