ACU hosts WTAMU today

By TED DUNNAM / Assistant Sports Editor

Abilene Christian University, which has not scored this month, looks to present first-year head coach Jack Kiser with a winning season when the Wildcats tangle with West Texas A&M University today at Shotwell Stadium.

With a victory, the Wildcats (5-4 and 3-3) can assure themselves of a winning Lone Star Conference record as well as a winning overall mark in the season finale for both teams.

WTAMU, meanwhile, will try to claim its first LSC victim of the year. The Buffaloes take 1-9 and 0-6 records into the game.

Although the game, on paper, looks as if it favors the Wildcats, Kiser certainly isn't taking the Buffaloes for granted.

"They beat Midwestern State 5-0 and we only beat Midwestern 17-14 in overtime. Plus, West Texas played A&M-Kingsville 0-0 at halftime whereas we were down 24-0 at halftime.

"Based on that, you can say they ought to kick our tails," Kiser said. "That's the way this conference is. There's Kingsville and then the rest of us are lumped together."

If ACU's offense doesn't get untracked, the Wildcats will end the season with three consecutive losses. In the last two outings, ACU has been shut out by Texas A&M-Commerce (17-0) and A&M-Kingsville (38-0).

"I got over the Kingsville loss pretty quick. They were just a better team than us," Kiser said. "The one I had trouble with was East Texas. I felt we could have and should have won the game.

"I felt we had gotten better each week up until the East Texas game. These last two games, we've gone backwards."

However, Kiser said a victory today can right a few wrongs.

"There's a lof of difference between 6-4 and 5-5," he said. "For the seniors, the last ballgame they play is the one they'll remember, and you want to go out a winner.

"Plus, you can take this game and build on it for next year. Another reason that it's very important is that you can tell prospective players that, hey, look how we've turned it around here. What were we last year? 3-7 or 4-7?

"Two of our losses are against the No. 1 (A&M-Kingsiville) and No. 2 (Central Oklahoma) teams in the nation at the time we played them, and East Texas was a top 10 team at one time."

A victory by the Wildcats will give them their first winning season since 1993.

West Texas A&M has struggled offensively this year, scoring only 91 points in nine games. Until last week's 31-21 loss to Eastern New Mexico, the Buffaloes had scored just one touchdown in their three previous games.

"They're a lot like us on offense in that they've struggled," Kiser said. "And they've got a pretty good defense. I think both teams know if they can score two or three touchdowns, they've got a pretty good shot at winning."

West Texas A&M vs. Abilene Christian

-- Where: Shotwell Stadium

-- When: 2 p.m.

-- Records: WTAMU 1-8, 0-6; ACU 5-4, 3-3

-- Last year's score: ACU 21, WTAMU 14

-- Key stat: A win gives ACU its first winning season since 1993.

-- Injuries: WTAMU none; ACU none

-- Radio: KACU-FM 89.7