Date: September 18, 2021
Time: 6 PM
Where: Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium, Abilene, TX
Weather: 91 degrees and sunny at kick-off, wind 9 mph
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Rock 95.1 FM
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Scouting the opponent
After facing a Division I and a Division III opponent, the Wildcats will finish the trifecta with the Division II Falcons.    The Wildcats opened their season with a 56-9 defeat at the hands of SMU before taking down Louisiana College 62-7 in their home opener on Saturday. 
Stone Earle won WAC Offensive Player of the Week after tossing 6 TDs on Saturday.  The freshman was 18-of-19 for 233 yards in the win.  Backup QB Peyton Mansell leads the ground attack with 81 rushing yards.  Tyrese White is the lead back with 78 yards on 12 attempts with Anthony Smith picking up 69 yards on 12 attempts.  Kobe Clark leads the aerial attack with 10 catches for 154 yards and three TDs.  Darius Lewis is right behind him with 139 yards on 6 catches and a score. 
Though two games the Wildcats are –4 in turnover differential.  The team is 9-21 on third down.
 
Keeping the train rolling
Falcon Football is red-hot winners of nine of their last 10 games, including eight in a row.  In the spring of 2021, the Falcons went 5-0 and re-wrote the record books along the way.  The Falcons won five games in a season for the first time in program history and set a record for the longest winning streak to start a season.   In those wins the Falcons:
· Tied for the largest comeback in program history (14)
· Scored the most points in program history (70)
· Set the largest margin of victory (56)
· First overtime game and win
· Beat West Texas A&M and Midwestern State for the first time
 
Magic man
Clayton Roberts sports arguably the best facial hair in all of college football but may also be the top QB in Division II.  Roberts broke a school record with six TD passes in a game, and came within one of tying the single game Lone Star Conference record.  Heading into Saturday, he leads the LSC in TD passes (8), passing yards (525), completions (41), and passing efficiency (182.8), while being the only starting QB in the LSC without an interception. 
Over his last 5 starts, Roberts is 5-0 with 18 TD passes, 1,039 yards, 55 percent completion percentage, and only 1 turnover.
 
Ground and pound
The Falcons continue to make the ground attack a point of emphasis in 2021.  Nathan Tilford leads the way with 172 yards through two weeks on 35 carries.  Jayvon Davis and Adrian Walker have combined for 25 carries and 89 yards behind him.
 
Winning on the perimeter
MJ Link is making his case as one of the best receivers in Division II football.  On Saturday the junior went off for 140 yards and a pair of TDs, his third career multi-TD game in just his eighth game as a Falcon.  For his career Link now has eight TD receptions in seven games to go along with 549 yards on 30 catches. 
Kobe Robinson hasn't found the end zone yet this young season, but the junior leads the team with 13 catches and is second with 156 yards.  Jordan Smart has had a fantastic start to his Falcon career.  He's burst onto the scene as a freshman with three touchdowns on nine catches for 125 yards.
 
Getting defensive
Once the Falcon defense settled in on Saturday the Falcons pulled away from West Texas A&M.  The defense has been a major part of the Falcon turn around.  During the 8 game winning streak, the defense has allowed just 15.5 points per game while forcing 21 turnovers during that time.  Over the last seven games the Falcons have picked off opposing quarterbacks 15 times.  The Falcons are +15 in turnover differential over their last 8 games.
 
Home Cooking
The Falcons have turned the Permian Basin into a tough place for opposing teams in recent years.  Since 2018 the Falcons are 10-5 at Ratliff and Grande Stadium.  The last two seasons the Falcons are 8-2 and winners of six straight home games. 
 
Closing Time
Give the Falcons a lead and they won't look back.  All-time the Falcons are 14-2 with a halftime lead and 16-3 with a lead after three quarters.