WICHITA FALLS – No. 12-ranked Midwestern State University spotted Abilene Christian University an early 7-0 lead and then ran away from the No. 9 Wildcats, 70-28, in a Saturday night battle of undefeated Lone Star Conference teams.
Mustang wide receiver Edgard Theliar caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Brandon Kelsey and running back Keidrick Jackson ran for three other scores for MSU (7-0 overall and 6-0 in the LSC). ACU fell to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the LSC. The two teams combined for 1,287 yards of offense.
The Mustangs rolled up 740 offensive yards, just a week after accumulating 737 in a 68-20 rout of Angelo State University. MSU's vaunted rushing attack was in high gear against the Wildcats, with six players running for 436 yards and six TDs to thrill a MSU Homecoming crowd in Memorial Stadium.
The 740 yards posted by Midwestern State are the most ever rung up by a Mustang team and are the most ever allowed by an ACU team in history. The 70 points are the most the Wildcats have ever allowed in a regular-season game, and are the second-most points allowed in their history behind the 76 scored by Chadron State (Neb.) in a triple-overtime playoff loss in 2007.
The matchup featured MSU, the LSC's top rushing team, and ACU, its best rushing defense, but the Wildcats were no match on this night for the Mustangs, who had lost four of the last five and 19 of its previous 25 games with ACU.
ACU scored first when Gale hit
Taylor Gabriel with a 17-yard touchdown pass at 13:54 of the first quarter. MSU then scored 35 unanswered points to take a 35-7 halftime lead.
Jackson ran for 129 yards and three Mustang players averaged more than 10 yards per carry, including Kelsey, who also completed 16 of 24 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Vernon Johnson had 109 yards in receptions, one of them a 99-yard scoring pass to conclude the night's fireworks.
ACU's Gale completed 32 of 55 passes for 413 yards and three touchdowns, and was intercepted once. Gabriel caught 10 passes for 138 yards, and
Charcandrick West had 253 all-purpose yards (132 on kick returns, 40 yards passing and 81 yards receiving).
The Wildcats host Texas A&M-Commerce next Saturday at 2 p.m. in Shotwell Stadium.
