ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats have been waiting all season for a big play from one of their kick return teams. They got two of them Saturday night, and they were the tide-turning plays in the Wildcats' 51-35 non-conference win over Western Oregon at Shotwell Stadium.
Sophomore wide receiver
Taylor Gabriel had a 35-yard return late in the first half to set up a Wildcat score, and then he added a scintillating 55-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5:56 left in the third quarter to help the Wildcats finally put the Wolves away.
The Wildcats' second straight win pushes them to 3-1 overall, while the Wolves fall to 3-2. The Wildcats (2-0 in the Lone Star Conference) will be back in action next Saturday at 3 p.m (Abilene time) against Eastern New Mexico in Portales, N.M.
Gabriel put a little bit of momentum in the ACU corner near the end of the first half when he fielded a punt at his own 27-yard line and returned it 35 yards to the WOU 38-yard line, giving the ball to the ACU offense in great shape with 1:38 left in the half and the game tied 14-14.
Fromer there, Mitchell Gale – who posted the 10th 300-yard passing game of his career by going 29 of 43 for 356 yards and two scores – moved the Wildcats to a firtst-and-goal at the 7-yard line. Gale finished the drive with a seven-yard scoring run up the middle to make it a 21-14 ACU lead at the half.
With ACU's lead trimmed to 24-21 early in the second half, the Wildcats responded with a 4-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Gale to
Darian Hogg, pushing the lead to 31-21. The Wildcat defense then forced a three-and-out, and that's when the game changed, finally, in ACU's favor.
Scott Buche's punt was fielded by Gabriel at the ACU 45-yard line, and he spun to the middle of the field, turned his back to the oncoming Wolves, went back to the right, found a hole on the far sideline and scooted down the boundary for a 55-yard touchdown return.
Morgan Lineberry's PAT made it a 38-21 game with 5:56 left in the third quarter.
"The one before the half gave us great momentum going into the lockerroom, and the one for the touchdown allowed us to get some separation," ACU head coach Chris Thomsen said of Gabriel's two punt returns. "That's really the first time this year that we've been able to get any separation from our opponent. We told our guys throughout the week that we thought we could get a big play or two out of our return game. Those plays gave us a little cushion and allowed us to get after them defensively a little bit more."
ACU put the game away late in the third quarter when Gale found
Darrell Cantu-Harkless on a 10-yard out route. The sophomore from Austin then found the middle of the field, hit the gas and motored the rest of the way into the end zone for a 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown to make it 45-28 with 1:36 left in the quarter.
Lineberry added two fourth-quarter field goals and Western Oregon scored on a touchdown pass with four seconds to play to complete the scoring in the contest.
Gabriel finished the game with 183 all-purpose yards (90 yards receiving on six catches and 93 yards in punt returns) and one score, while
Daryl Richardson rushed 15 times for 101 yards and one score.
