STEPHENVILLE -- In a game they probably had no business winning, the fourth-ranked ACU Wildcats dug deep, found a way and walked out of Memorial Stadium with a stunning 27-24 win over Tarleton State.
The win is the Wildcats' fourth-straight season-opening win and helps the defending Lone Star Conference champion start 1-0 in league play. ACU will be off until Saturday, Sept. 17, when it takes on North Alabama in the Lone Star Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
There were heroes all around for the Wildcats, from defensive lineman
Ryan Smith (12 tackles, three sacks) to linebacker
Derek Drummond (two sacks, one goal-line interception) to cornerback
Nate Bailey (interception in end zone on the game's final play). But for most of the game, the unheralded Texans, smarting from a 65-3 loss to the Wildcats last year, outplayed heavily favored ACU. Sophomore TSU running back Brandon Lowery scored three touchdowns and quarterback Nick Stephens threw for 339 yards and one touchdown, but the more experienced Wildcats prevailed in the season and LSC opener for both teams.
ACU survived a frantic final drive by the Texans when Bailey picked off Stephens on the 3-yard line as time expired to preserve the win.
Wildcat junior quarterback Mitchell Gale, who threw just three interceptions in 2010, was picked off twice by an opportunistic Texan defense. But with the game on the line, the 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy finalist rose to the challenge and directed his team down the field for the winning score.
ACU
Derek Drummond and
Aston Whiteside sacked Stephens on consecutive plays with three minutes left in the game, forcing the Texans to punt and setting up the Wildcats' scintillating final drive. After a penalty on first down, Gale hit
Darian Hogg for 37 yards to the Tarleton 39-yard line. After two incompletions, Gale found
Taylor Gabriel for 16 yards to the ACU 23-yard line.
With 79 seconds left in the game, Gale stepped up in the pocket, found
Daryl Richardson in the middle of the field and hit him with a checkdown pass. Richardson cut to the left, found some space, got a block and crossed the goalline with 1:09 left in the game.
Morgan Lineberry's all-important PAT gave ACU a 27-24 lead.
But Tarleton wouldn't quit, overcoming two sacks and two incompletions to move the ball to the ACU 5-yard line with eight seconds left. But on the game's final play, Stephens rolled out to the right and tried to throw back across his body for a touchdown. But
Nate Bailey -- reading the quarterback's eyes -- stepped in front of the intended receiver for the interception and hit the ground as time expired, setting off a wild celebration behind the end zone.
Gale completed 26 of 49 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns.
Reggie Brown rushed 17 times for 43 yards and
Darian Hogg caught seven passes for 99 yards to lead ACU receivers.
ACU opened the first quarter scoring when Gale tossed a 1-yard pass to fullback
Daniel Talavera. TSU countered with a 5-yard run by Lowery to even the score at 7-7.
Morgan Lineberry's 27-yard field with 4:49 left in the first half put ACU back on top, 10-7, but the Texans struck again when Lowery caught a 14-yard pass from Stephens, giving Tarleton a 14-10 halftime lead.
Charcandrick West caught a swing pass from Gale with 10:40 left in the third quarter and ran untouched for 41 yards and a Wildcat touchdown. Tarleton would not be denied, however, adding 10 straight points on a 2-yard run by Lowery and Jose Serrano's 27-yard field goal to take the lead once more, 24-17.
Lineberry cut the lead to 24-20 with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for the decisive rally and winning TD by Richardson.
Wildcat defenders were on their heels most of the night, but Smith's 12 tackles and three sacks, and interceptions by Bailey and
Darien Williams, snuffed potentially game-changing Texan drives.
