United Athletic Conference

Three teams representing the WAC earned wins during the official opening week of the 2022 college football season. Southern Utah blasted St. Thomas (Minn.) 44-13, Tarleton bested Mississippi Valley State 29-13 and Abilene Christian outlasted Lamar 28-14 on Sept. 1 to kick off the new year.

 

No. 10 Stephen F. Austin trailed host Alcorn State by a 24-10 score heading into the halftime break, but the Lumberjacks scored three touchdowns in the second half to stun the Braves 31-27 on Sept. 3. Moe Wedman scored from 11 yards out on a touchdown pass from Trae Self with 2:22 to play to give SFA its first lead since early in the second quarter and put the Lumberjacks in front for good.

 

Following a second lengthy inclement weather delay in as many games, SFA became the first opponent to win at Alcorn State’s Jack Spinks–Marino Casem Stadium since Oct. 6, 2018 (a 28-25 ASU loss in overtime against Alabama State). 

 

Southern Utah lit up both the scoreboard and the stat sheet against St. Thomas (Minn.) to give head coach DeLane Fitzgerald a 44-13 victory in his debut at the Division I level. The Thunderbirds outgained the Tommies 489-462 in total offense and finished each quarter with 10 or more points scored.

 

Justin Miller shined under center for Southern Utah, completing 23-of-35 passes for 364 yards through the air and three touchdowns. Isaiah Wooden hauled in five receptions for 142 yards and two scores for the Thunderbirds in the win.

 

New head coach Keith Patterson earned the first win of his collegiate career in Abilene Christian’s 28-14 triumph over Lamar to kick off the 2022 season. The Wildcats dominated the Cardinals with 444 yards from scrimmage and a 25-7 edge in first downs.

 

Kendall Catalon finished the ACU win against Lamar with seven grabs for 119 yards and a 30-yard touchdown catch, adding a 37-yard scoring run to his day.

 

Tarleton defended home field to begin the new season against Mississippi Valley State, emerging with a 29-13 win to move to 1-0. The Texans averaged 6.1 yards per offensive play in the triumph, gaining 491 yards of total offense. 

 

Beau Allen accounted for an even 300 yards passing on 23-of-38 attempts for Tarleton, which included three passing touchdowns. Jaden Smith led all players in the contest with 11 catches and three receiving touchdowns, and Gabe Douglas brought in five catches for 126 yards for the Texans.

 

As of the latest NCAA FCS football national statistics report that was released on Sept. 5, Abilene Christian’s seven first downs allowed to Lamar placed the Wildcats at the top of the national standings in the stat metric. The Wildcats also were third in time of possession (40:20), while Southern Utah was ranked second in turnover margin (+4) and was third in turnovers gained (4).

 

Southern Utah’s Jake Gerardi led all FCS players with a 55.2 yards per punt average, with teammates Justin Miller ranking fifth in passing yards per game (364.0) and Isaiah Wooden fifth in receiving touchdowns (2). Stephen F. Austin’s Trae Self was fifth with five overall passing touchdowns after two starts.

 

Southern Utah ventures to in-state foe Utah on Sept. 10, with kickoff against the No. 13/15 Utes slated for 11:30 a.m. MT. The Thunderbirds lost in their only previous trip to face Utah in Salt Lake City, dropping a 24-0 decision on Sept. 1, 2016. Tarleton heads to Fort Worth for a Texas showdown with TCU at 7 p.m. CT on the 10th. It will be the first meeting in series history between the Texans and Horned Frogs.