Wildcats ground Skyhawks, 46-7
ACU rolls up 620 yards of offense in rout of Fort Lewis
ABILENE -- ACU bounced back from its season-opening loss in a big way Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats rolled up 620 yards of offense in a 46-7 rout of Fort Lewis (Colo.) at Shotwell Stadium.
The 620 yards is the sixth-best single-game total in school history, and it was spearheaded by senior running back Richard Whitaker and senior quarterback Colby Freeman. Whitaker rushed for 188 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries, while Freeman completed 18 of 32 passes for 261 yards and two scores. Whitaker had an 80-yard touchdown run, while Freeman had a 75-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Hardman.
The ACU defense flexed its muscle again Saturday afternoon. Just nine days after limiting the high-powered Central Arkansas offense to just 314 yards, the Wildcats held the Skyhawks to just 259 yards of offense. Fort Lewis quarterback Andrew Webb led NCAA Division II in total yards and passing yards last season, but he was under constant pressure from the Wildcats' front four, and never found a passing rhythm against the ACU secondary.
The Wildcats recorded seven sacks of Webb -- two by Brad Walton and 1.5 by Clayton Farrell -- and held him to just 189 passing yards and intercepting him twice. Webb was just 22 of 49 in the game, and his longest pass of the day went for 26 yards. The Skyhawk ground game gave him no help as it mustered just 27 yards on 25 carries.
ACU never trailed, getting out to a 3-0 lead on a Eben Nelson's 44-yard field goal with 11:18 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats added 16 points in the second quarter, the final seven coming on the Freeman-to-Hardman connection with 24 seconds left in the half.
The Wildcats salted the game away wih 13 points in the third quarter that made it a 32-7 game heading to the final quarter. ACU had scoring plays of 24, 75, 38, 80, 35 and 19 yards in the game.
The Wildcats (1-1) will return to action Saturday at 6 p.m. when it takes on Lone Star Conference rival Tarleton State at Shotwell Stadium.
