# 2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

The 2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team represented Abilene Christian University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Wildcats were led by fifth-year head coach Adam Dorrel and played their home games at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium, Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats played their 100th season in 2021.
The Western Athletic Conference and ASUN Conference announced the formation of the WAC-ASUN Challenge (AQ7) for the 2021 season on February 23, 2021. The Challenge included the four fully qualified Division I (FCS) members of the WAC (Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin) and Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State of the ASUN Conference. The winner of the challenge received an auto-bid to the NCAA Division I FCS football playoffs.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls
#### WAC Poll

The Western Athletic Conference coaches released their preseason poll on July 27, 2021. The Wildcats were picked to finish fifth in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Sam Houston | 20 (5) |
| 2 | Stephen F. Austin | 16 (1) |
| 3 | Tarleton State | 11 |
| 4 | Lamar | 8 |
| 5 | Abilene Christian | 5 |
* Note: Dixie State is not included since they are not playing a full WAC schedule due to previous non-conference game contracts. Dixie State players are eligible for individual rewards.

#### AQ7 Poll

The AQ7 coaches also released their preseason poll on July 27, 2021. The Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the ASUN-WAC Challenge.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Sam Houston | 49 (7) |
| 2 | Central Arkansas | 40 |
| 3 | Jacksonville State | 37 |
| 4 | Stephen F. Austin | 27 |
| 5 | Eastern Kentucky | 20 |
| 6 | Abilene Christian | 15 |
| 7 | Lamar | 8 |

### Recruits

College recruiting information (2021) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Hayden Anderson QB | Keller, Texas | Keller High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | - | Jul 24, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Tyrin Bradley DE | Lubbock, Texas | Monterey High School (Lubbock, Texas) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | - | Dec 11, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Cirby Coheley LB | Iowa Park, Texas | Iowa Park High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | - | Jul 13, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Colt Cooper TE | Quinlan, Texas | Ford High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | - | Jun 30, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Luke Dillingham S | Brock, Texas | Brock High School (Texas) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Kyle Pointer LB | Queen Creek, Arizona | Queen Creek High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jar'Quae Walton RB | Waco, Texas | La Vega High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | - | Dec 13, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jackson Andrews OL | Schertz, Texas | Samuel Clemens High School (Schertz) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Landon Eades DT | Boerne, Texas | Samuel V. Champion High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Isaiah Pedack DT | Dallas, Texas | Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Ethan Taite OLB | Frisco, Texas | Independence High School (Frisco, Texas) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

### Transfers

| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prev. school |
| Trey Adams | #5 | LB | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 190 pounds (86 kg) | Redshirt Sophomore | Corvallis, Oregon | Northern Colorado |
| Alex Spadone | #7 | WR | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 216 pounds (98 kg) | Redshirt Junior | Houston, Texas | San Diego |
| Triston Anderson | #12 | CB | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 pounds (88 kg) | Redshirt Freshman | Rockwall, Texas | Arkansas State |
| Roland Williams III | #15 | DB | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 pounds (82 kg) | Redshirt Junior | Arlington, Tennessee | Richmond |
| Anthony Smith | #20 | RB | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 195 pounds (88 kg) | Redshirt Sophomore | Fort Worth, Texas | Texas State |
| Mike Garrett Jr. | #29 | DB | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 187 pounds (85 kg) | Redshirt Junior | Magnolia, Texas | Tulsa |
| John Brannon | #43 | LB | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 233 pounds (106 kg) | Senior | Prosper, Texas | Texas State |
| Kaleb Chester | #58 | OL | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 271 pounds (123 kg) | Sophomore | Grayson, Georgia | Lenoir–Rhyne |
| Derek Simmons | #73 | OL | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 311 pounds (141 kg) | Redshirt Freshman | Jacksonville, Florida | Tusculum |
| Reese Moore | #74 | OL | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 273 pounds (124 kg) | Redshirt Freshman | Seminole, Texas | Texas |
| Derek Simmons | #99 | DL | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 245 pounds (111 kg) | Redshirt Freshman | Bakersfield, California | Fresno State |
| Tyran Calloway | # | DT | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 249 pounds (113 kg) | Junior | Fort Worth, Texas | Howard Payne |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Alma mater | Joined Staff |
| Adam Dorrel | Head Coach | Northwest Missouri State (1998) | 2016 |
| Josh Lamberson | Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks | Northwest Missouri State (2005) | 2016 |
| Clint Brown | Defensive Coordinator | |
| James Curlee | Wide Receivers | Hastings College (2016) | 2017 |
| Travis Dixon | Cornerbacks | UNLV (2010) | 2020 |
| Zach Williams | Safeties / Co-Recruiting Coordinator | |
| Bryce Baccarini | Running Backs / Fullbacks / Co-Recruiting Coordinator | |
| Travis Britz | Defensive Line | Kansas State (2017) | 2020 |
| Cody Scribner | Defensive Line | Central Missouri (2010) | 2020 |
| Drew Liddle | Offensive Line | Kansas State (2014) | 2021 |
| Dimitri Donald | Tight Ends | West Texas A&M (2015) | 2021 |

## Depth chart

Defense :
* FS
* Bryan Bullock
* Koy Richardson
| WLB | MLB | SLB |
| ⋅ | Hunter Kier | ⋅ |
| John Brannon | Chike Nwanko | ⋅ |
* SS
* Elijah Moffett
* Koy Richardson
* CB
* Ryan Stapp
* Ira Branch
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| Garviea Freeny | Will Morgan | Quent Titre | Jordan Paup |
| Osaretin Obadeyi | Dre Jones | Jack Schultz | Kadron Johnson |
* CB
* Triston Anderson
* Roland Williams III
Offense :
* WR
* Alex Spadone
* Dax Neece
* WR
* Kobe Clark
* Jordan Brooks-Wess
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Reese Moore | Truett Knox | Collin James | Jacob Thielen | Derek Simmons |
| Dylan Howerton | Alan Hatten | Peyton Girty | Bronson Warner | Wyatt Tate |
* TE
* Remington Lutz
* Grant Miles
* WR
* Darius Lewis
* Davion Johnson
* QB
* Stone Earle
* Peyton Mansell
* Special teams
* PK Blair Zepeda
* PK Oscar Hernandez
* P Logan Burke
* P Will Fargason
* KR Jordan Brooks-Wess
* PR Jordan Brooks-Wess
* LS David Stone
* H Logan Burke
* RB
* Jermiah Dobbins
* Tyrese White

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 6:00 p.m. | at SMU* | Gerald J. Ford StadiumDallas, TX | ESPN+ | L 9–56 | 23,373 |
| September 11 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana College* | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | ESPN+ | W 62–7 | 8,117 |
| September 18 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas–Permian Basin* | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | ESPN+ | W 34–9 | 9,018 |
| September 25 | 6:00 p.m. | at Lamar* | Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, TX | ESPN+ | W 56–0 | 5,411 |
| October 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX (WAC/ASUN Challenge) | ESPN+ | L 21–42 | 6,602 |
| October 9 | 5:00 p.m. | at Eastern Kentucky | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY (WAC/ASUN Challenge) | ESPN+ | L 15–30 | 8,659 |
| October 16 | 3:00 p.m. | Lamar | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | ESPN+ | W 24–17 | 10,121 |
| October 30 | 4:00 p.m. | at Stephen F. Austin | Homer Bryce StadiumNacogdoches, TX | ESPN+ | L 27–41 | 9,817 |
| November 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at Jacksonville State | Burgess–Snow Field at JSU StadiumJacksonville, AL (WAC/ASUN Challenge) | ESPN+ | L 25–40 | 14,143 |
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | Tarleton State | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | ESPN+ | W 29–3 | 6,213 |
| November 20 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 1 Sam Houston | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | ESPN+ | L 9–35 | 4,421 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at SMU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| • Mustangs | 7 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SMU –32 | 66 |
| Statistics | ACU | SMU |
| First downs | 14 | 27 |
| Total yards | 332 | 490 |
| Rushing yards | 119 | 171 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 319 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:22 | 31:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Abilene Christian | Passing | Stone Earle | 13/28, 160 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Abilene Christian | Rushing | Peyton Mansell | 2 carries, 33 yards |
| Abilene Christian | Receiving | Kobe Clark | 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD |
| SMU | Passing | Tanner Mordecai | 24/30, 317 yards, 7 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Ulysses Bentley IV | 10 carries, 48 yards |
| SMU | Receiving | Danny Gray | 4 receptions, 72 yards, 2 TD |

### Louisiana College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| LC Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| ACU Wildcats | 27 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 62 |

### UT Permian Basin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 27 | 0 | 7 | 34 |

### at Lamar

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 14 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 56 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Statistics
| Statistics | Abilene Christian | Lamar |
| First downs | 22 | 10 |
| Total yards | 461 | 136 |
| Rushing yards | 274 | 98 |
| Passing yards | 187 | 38 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:13 | 30:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Abilene Christian | Passing | Stone Earl | 13/18, 187 yards, long 32 yards, 3 TDs |
| Abilene Christian | Rushing | Peyton Mansell | 6 carries, 107 yards, long 62 yards, 1 TD |
| Abilene Christian | Receiving | Kobe Clark | 4 catches, 50 yards, long 16 yards, 1 TD |
| Lamar | Passing | Jalen Dummett | 4/7, 38 yards, long 14 yards |
| Lamar | Rushing | Hunter Batten | 7 carries, 29 yards, long 11 yards |
| Lamar | Receiving | Kirkland Banks | 2 catches, 15 yards, long 10 yards |

### Central Arkansas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |

### at Eastern Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Colonels | 10 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 30 |

### Lamar

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
Statistics
| Statistics | Lamar | Abilene Christian |
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total yards | 364 | 466 |
| Rushing yards | 158 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 206 | 258 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:35 | 30:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lamar | Passing | Mike Chandler | 9/17, 206 yds, 1 TD |
| Lamar | Rushing | James Jones | 9 carries, 81 yds, 1 TD |
| Lamar | Receiving | Nathan Gaskamp | 1 reception, 80 yards, 1 TD |
| Abilene Christian | Passing | Peyton Mansell | 10/18, 135 yds |
| Abilene Christian | Rushing | Peyton Mansell | 18 carries, 106 yds, 2 TD |
| Abilene Christian | Receiving | Davion Johnson | 6 receptions, 82 yds |

### at SFA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 |
| Lumberjacks | 3 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 41 |

### at Jacksonville State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| Gamecocks | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 40 |

### Tarleton

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 29 |

### No. 1 Sam Houston

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Bearkats | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |