WEEK 8 SCHEDULE
SATURDAY SLATE | Oct. 19
2 PM ET | WEST GEORGIA vs Shorter (ESPN+)
2 PM MT | AUSTIN PEAY at UTAH TECH* (ESPN+)
3 PM CT | EKU at #17 ABILENE CHRISTIAN* (ESPN+)
* UAC Conference Game
OPENING KICKOFF
GAME OF THE WEEK: Coming off a bye, Austin Peay heads out west to face off with Utah Tech for the first time at Greater Zion Stadium… Game marks the second meeting between the squads as the Govs scored 10-unanswered points over the final 17 minutes of play last season to come away with a 30-17 victory at “The Fort”… The Trailblazers are still searching for their first win of the the season against a challenging schedule that has featured six of Tech’s first seven opponents being either ranked at the time the Trailblazers played them, or at one time ranked, in either or both the FCS, and FBS (UNLV), Top-25 polls… APSU looks to pick up back-to-back UAC wins on the road after edging West Georgia, 20-16, before their bye
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
– At the midway point of the 2024 season, a trio of UAC squads are still undefeated on their home fields as Central Arkansas (3-0), EKU (3-0) and Tarleton State (3-0) have successfully defended their friendly confines
BORN TO RUN
-The UAC is home to the TOP THREE running backs in FCS rushing with TSU’s Kavyon Britten (1,160 yds), UCA’s Shun Derrick Powell (1,107 yds) and SUU’s Targhee Lambson (1,093 yds)… In all of Division I Football (FCS & FBS) only Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty (1,248 yards) of Boise State has more than the UAC Triple-Threat
NOTEWORTHY
– Week 7 marks a BYE week for four UAC squads (Central Arkansas, North Alabama, Southern Utah and Tarleton State)
– West Georgia’s tilt with Shorter on Saturday is one of just three remaining non-conference games among the final 25 contests on the UAC composite regular season schedule for 2024
– Oct. 5 clash between #5 Central Arkansas and #16 Abilene Christian was just the second head-to-head UAC battle of ranked squads in league history… UCA has been part of both competitions, having faced #12 Austin Peay, ranked 20th last season
– With Southern Utah’s 27-24 OT win over UTEP on Sept. 7, the T-Birds secured the league’s first victory against an FBS foe… Abilene Christian (52-51 loss at Texas Tech) and Central Arkansas (34-31 loss at Arkansas State) both nearly accomplished the feat as well this season
– The Bears 34-14 victory over #19 Lamar (Sept. 29) marked just the second UAC win against a ranked non-conference foe… EKU topped #16 Southeast Missouri, 41-38, last year
– Thunderbirds head coach DeLane Fitzgerald earned the 100th of his career with SUU’s victory over EKU… Fitzgerald joins TSU’s Todd Whitten (135 wins) in the Coaching Century Win Club
WHERE DO WE RANK
– A trio of UAC teams were again ranked in the Top 25 nationally as ACU, UCA and TSU were all recognized. The Texans were listed 10th (STATS) and 9th (AFCA), the Bears were 12th (STATS & AFCA) while the Wildcats were 17th (STATS)/21st (AFCA)
– In the Sept. 30 STATS Ranking, Central Arkansas was listed No. 5, marking the highest ever rank for a UAC program
– The league has seen three teams ranked in the Top 25 for five consecutive weeks… Last season, the UAC only saw two teams ranked in the same week at most, occurring five times
– Including the Preseason Poll, eight of the nine teams in the conference have received votes for the Top 25 in one or both of the National Rankings
WHAT TO WATCH FOR…
– Following back-to-back single score deficits in UAC play, West Georgia steps out of league play on Saturday when the Wolves host former Gulf South Conference rival Shorter in a Homecoming showdown… UWG is 27-15 all-time in Homecoming games… Saturday’s contest marks the 12th all-time meeting between the Wolves and Hawks with West Georgia on a current 10-game win streak in the series
– Both teams in the day’s finale are looking to rebound from their first UAC losses of the season when No. 17 Abilene Christian welcomes EKU to the “Lone Star State” for a Homecoming battle… The Wildcats have earned the win in five straight Homecoming tilts and feature an offense led by the FCS top passer, Maverick McIvor with 2,231 yards passing… The Colonels are 4-4 under head coach Walt Wells against ranked opponents… Saturday will be the second meeting between the squads with EKU having posted a 30-15 victory in Richmond (2021)
UAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | Week 7
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TJ SMITH North Alabama QB | RS-SR
– Smith accounted for six touchdowns in the Lions upset win over #10 ACU on Saturday. He posted career highs in passing (220 yards) with four touchdowns and rushing (94 yards) with two scores. On the night, Smith was 17-for-24 passing, marking his second consecutive game completing over 70 percent of his passes
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
GREGORY REDDICK UNA | DB | SR DILLON WILLIAMS UCA | DB | SO
– Reddick had a game-high 12 tackles (7 solo) in the win over #10 ACU, matching his season best and one stop shy of a career best mark. He also snatched an INT in the final minute to thwart a final comeback by the Wildcats – Williams had an INT return for TD (89 yds) halting a drive by UWG and allowing UCA to keep a 21-10 halftime advantage in a game the Bears held on for a one-point win. He finished the with five tackles, including 2.0 TFLs and a sack
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
PATRICK NATIONS EKU K | RS-SR
– Nations converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts against SUU, breaking the EKU program record for field goals in a career with 50. He added one PAT and also saw all five of his kickoffs go for touchbacks
FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JALEN FLETCHER North Alabama RB | FR
– Fletcher, a true freshman running back, rushed 10 times for 123 yards (12.3 yds/ carry) and a touchdown in UNA’s history-making win. The performance marked Fletcher’s first career 100-yard rushing game and included a 24-yard touchdown scamper featuring multiple broken tackles. This marks back-to-back and the third award of the season for Fletcher
