ABILENE – No. 3-ranked Abilene Christian University stymied Angelo State University's running game and used its explosive passing attack to outscore the Rams, 33-20 in the Big Country-Concho Valley Shootout in Shotwell Stadium.
ACU sophomore quarterback
Mitchell Gale completed 27 of 41 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns in leading his team to a 9-0 overall and 5-0 record in the South Division of the Lone Star Conference. Angelo State fell to 3-5 overall and 1-5 in the LSC South.
Neither team had much success running the ball, but the Wildcats made life more difficult for the Rams, limiting them to -23 yards on the ground and tackling Angelo State ball carriers 17 times for losses. ACU totaled 459 yards of offense.
The win, combined with No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State's 20-17 loss to Michigan Tech, may move ACU even higher in the American Football Coaches Association national rankings next week. It also sets the stage for a showdown next Saturday night in Canyon between the Wildcats and West Texas A&M. The Buffaloes, 8-2 overall and tied for second in the LSC South with Texas A&M-Kingsville, beat Incarnate Word this afternoon, 49-10.
ACU opened the scoring with
Morgan Lineberry's 49-yard field goal in the first quarter, but Angelo State answered back when Garrett Tidwell ran 11 yards for a touchdown with 1:51 left.
The Wildcats scored touchdowns on their first and last drives of the second quarter in taking a 16-7 halftime lead. Gale passed 4 yards to former six-man football star and senior fullback
Emery Dudensing and 9 yards to former NCAA sprint champion
Raymond Radway, the latter with 59 seconds left in the first half.
Angelo State opened the third quarter with a TD when senior quarterback Josh Neiswander found Dakarai Pecikonis over the middle for a 26-yard scoring play. ACU defensive end
Aston Whiteside blocked the extra point, but ASU cut the Wildcat lead to 16-13.
Gale threw a second TD pass to Dudensing on the ensuing drive, a 7-yarder that pushed ACU's lead to 23-13 when
Ryan Owens' PAT was good.
With 2:05 left in the third quarter, ACU blew the game open when Gale completed a pass in the right flat to senior wide receiver
Edmund Gates, who sprinted down the sideline for a 55-yard touchdown. Gates totaled 128 yards on seven catches for the game, his fifth straight 100-yard performance. He also passed former NFL Giants' star Johnny Perkins for second place on ACU's all-time receiving yards list.
Angelo State bounced back early in the fourth quarter when Neiswander passed to CJ Akins for 12 yards and the Rams' third TD of the game.
Ryan Smith's PAT cut the lead to 30-20.
ACU finished its scoring and sealed the win when Owens kicked a 22-yard field goal with 6:12 left in the game.
Forced to throw on nearly every down by the dominating ACU run defense, Neiswander completed 33 of 48 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver CJ Akins caught seven passes for 129 yards and a score for the Rams, and Dakarai Pecikonis also had seven catches for 99 yards and one TD.
ACU managed only 82 yards on the ground, with a scrambling Gale leading the way with 31. Gale completed passes to nine receivers. Radway had six catches for 82 yards and a TD.
Kevin Washington led the Wildcats with 13 tackles. Whiteside had four tackles, one sack and a blocked PAT.
James Williams and
Eric Edwards registered seven tackles apiece, and
Fred Thompson had five tackles and a sack.
Kickoff for the ACU-WT game is 6 p.m. next Saturday in Canyon. Radio listeners can follow along on Mix 92.5 FM.
