The Wildcats are coming off a 38-10 loss to Lamar, who after the win last week moved to third place in the conference. The loss was ACU’s sixth-straight, but it will get its starting quarterback in sophomore Dallas Sealey back for Saturday’s game.

Meanwhile, SHSU enters the game on a roll, having not lost a game this season at 5-0. The Bearkats lead the conference offensively in almost every category including pass offense and rush offense at 354.2 passing yards per game and 257.6 rushing yards.

SHSU is also averaging twice as many points as it allows at just 28.2 points per game and averaging 56.2 points which is 17 more than the next closest in Central Arkansas. One of the reasons for the success has been quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe who leads the conference conference in total offense at 334.6 yards per game.

The Bearkats also have a very capable running back in Corey Avery. Avery ranks second to Kade Harrington who ran for 149 yards against the Wildcats last Saturday.

Like mentioned before ACU will have its starting quarterback returning in Sealey. Sealey after sitting out last week’s game with a concussion returns as the second leading offensive player in the Southland, just behind Briscoe.

Last season when ACU hosted SHSU, the Bearkats came away with a 49-21 victory on homecoming. SHSU jumped out to an early lead at 35-7, but the Wildcats matched SHSU’s scoring output in the second half at 14 points a piece.

ACU will try and return the favor from a year ago, as it travels to Huntsville to take on the Bearkats on their homecoming. The Bearkats enter the game looking to remain atop the Southland Conference after a 63-48 shootout against Incarnate Word.

A win for the Wildcats would end a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season.

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Former Chicago Bear and free agent Danieal Manning has signed a deal with the Houston Texans. Manning, a safety, will look to stabilize what has been a shaky secondary the past few seasons.

The Texans didn’t just bolster their pass coverage with Manning, though, as they also signed top-tier cornerback Jonathan Joseph from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips will be in charge of fostering these two young talents in Houston as the Texans made him their new defensive coordinator this year.

With Manning moving to the Texans, ACU now has a hand in five NFL organizations across the country including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cowboys, Bears, Bengals and Texans.

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With the lockout over and teams scrambling to sign undrafted free agents, both Raymond Radway and Trevis Turner have been inked to deals with Super Bowl contenders.

Radway, a wide receiver and track star for ACU, will stay close to home signing with the Dallas Cowboys. He will join an exciting receiving corps that includes Pro Bowler Miles Austin and rookie phenom Dez Bryant.

Cowboys training camp is set to begin in San Antonio on Thursday. “America’s Team” typically spends a couple of weeks training in San Antonio before moving camp to California. It is suspected that owner Jerry Jones will do the same thing this season.

Turner will head north and join the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The all-American offensive tackle proved himself to pro scouts at the Cactus Bowl by earning the Jim Langer Offensive Lineman of the Game Award.

The Steelers hold their training camp closer to home in Latrobe, Pa. They begin team workouts Friday.

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Gates’ participation in the combine marked the third straight year that a former ACU player was invited to the premiere scouting event for the NFL draft and the fourth time in the last six years.

Edmund “Clyde” Gates topped all receivers in the 40-yard dash with a sub-4.4 time of 4.37, good for second fastest at the Combine with just the defensive backs left to run. He also preformed well in the broad jump and vertical jump, posting top-10 numbers in both drills.

“I feel I did good with my workouts,” said Gates. “I know I could have done better with some of the drills.”

As fast as Gates was his time was merely second best among ACU players who have participated in the Combine. Gates outperformed his cousin Bernard Scott by five-hundredths of a second, but was not fast enough to overcome the 4.34 mark set by former Wildcat and current Chicago Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox, set just two years ago.

Gates was forced to pull out of the final three workout drills due to a lingering groin injury. The injury was sustained against Central Missouri, his last in an ACU uniform. It is not the same injury that kept him from playing in the 2011 senior bowl, which he did not participate in after injuring his hamstring on the first day of practices.

“That little groin injury kept me from opening up and running like I wanted to,” said Gates.

With the blistering 40-yard dash time, and great drill workouts combined with a good showing in position drills, including the famed gauntlet drill, Gates solidified himself as one of the top deep threats coming into the draft and one of the better receivers overall. Some scouts have Gates going as high as the second round with his impressive showing at the Combine.

Edmund will have another chance to prove to scouts he belongs in the NFL with his pro day workouts on March 31. Gates hopes to improve his broad jump time and would like to be able to complete the cone drills that he forwent at the Combine.

“The biggest thing to work on is getting healthy,” said Gates. “I want to get back to 100 percent for my pro-day.”

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After being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round on the 2010 NFL draft, Knox astonished Bears fans with his speed when he blew by Charles Woodson of the Green Bay Packers in his first  game.

Now Knox is taking another step in his career. During the Bears training camp, Knox was named one of two starting wide receivers for the Bears in 2010 along with Devin Hester.

Chicago Bears interactive depth chart

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Knox and six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz were honored with the annual award given to a Chicago Bears’ rookie and veteran. The award honors players who demonstrate courage, loyalty and a sense of humor.

The award is named after former Bears’ running back Brian Piccolo who died of testicular cancer in 1970. Piccolo’s story gained national attention through the 1971 ABC television movie Brian’s Song, starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams. Brian’s Song won the 1971-72 Emmy Award for Best Dramatic Program.

Knox, a fifth-round NFL Draft selection by the Bears, caught 45 passes for 527 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. He also returned 32 kickoffs for 927 yards, including a 102 yard return for a touchdown. Last season, Knox became the 13th rookie in Bears’ history to make the Pro Bowl.

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Bernard Scott and Lance Barrow Story

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Scott’s Touchdown Highlight

Post Game Interview

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Video by Grant Boone

Editing by Brandon Tripp

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Video by Grant Boone

Editing by Brandon Tripp

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