NATCHITOCHES, La. – Northwestern State outscored Abilene Christian University 33-0 in the second and third quarters combined Saturday night as the Demons rolled to a 39-22 win over the Wildcats, stretching ACU's losing streak to six games.
The Wildcats led the game 7-6 at the end of the first quarter before the Demons ripped off 33 straight points to take a dominating 39-7 lead into the fourth quarter. ACU added two scores in the fourth quarter to cut the final deficit to 17 points, but the game was effectively over before the fourth quarter even began.
ACU's loss is its sixth straight, the program's longest single-season losing streak since the 2000 season ended with six straight losses. The Wildcats are now 2-7 on the season and 2-6 in the Southland Conference, while the Demons improve to 3-6 and 3-4. ACU will close out the home portion of its schedule next Saturday at 2 p.m. when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana at Shotwell Stadium.
ACU took a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter on an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback
Dallas Sealey, the first time the Wildcats have led at the end of the first quarter since they led Stephen F. Austin 13-6 on Sept. 26, which is also the last time the Wildcats won a game.
The good feelings came to an end pretty quickly, however, as the Demons outscored the Wildcats 17-0 in the second quarter to take a 23-7 halftime lead. NSU quarterback Stephen Rivers directed three scoring drives in the quarter, one that ended in a short touchdown run by De'Mard Llorens, another that ended with a 52-yard field goal from Chris Moore, and the final one that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to Shakeir Ryan with 23 seconds left in the first half to give the Demons a 23-7 lead at the break.
The Demons' run continued in the third quarter as Moore finished their first drive of the quarter' with a 31-yard field goal before a three-and-out by the ACU offense gave NSU the ball at its own 35-yard line. On the first play, Rivers hit a wide open Ed Eagan with a 65-yard touchdown catch-and-run to push the NSU lead to 33-7 with 5:42 left in the quarter. With 56 seconds left in the third quarter, Chris Jones added a 37-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left in the quarter to make it 39-7.
ACU tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter as
Herschel Sims scored on a 68-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the NSU lead to 39-14. It was the longest run of Sims' ACU career, and the second-longest of his collegiate career, behind the 81-yard TD run he had as a freshman at Oklahoma State against Baylor.
The Wildcats' final score of the game came on a 2-yard pass from Sealey to
Cody Ennis to cut the lead to 39-22 with 7:21 to play in the game.
Sealey finished the night 16 of 30 for 160 yards and one score, while freshman
Kalin Sadler had four catches for 50 yards. Sims carried the ball eight times for 92 yards as the Wildcats managed just 333 yards of offense against an NSU defense that entered the game allowing more than 500 yards of offense entering the game.
