HOUSTON – ACU ran for 335 yards on the strength of 100-yard rushing nights from
Tracy James and
Tyrese White and a smothering defense forced three turnovers and came up with four sacks Saturday night as the Wildcats opened Southland Conference play with a 38-13 blowout win against Houston Baptist at Husky Stadium.
The victory pushes the Wildcats to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the league, while HBU falls to 1-2 and 0-2. ACU is now 5-1 all-time against the Huskies, including 3-1 in Houston.
HBU scored on an 80-yard pass from Bailey Zappe to David Racine on the second play of the game, but that was about all the offense the Huskies could muster as ACU's defense held HBU to just 353 yards of total offense, more than 125 yards below its per-game average of 481.5 ypg entering the contest. HBU had the league's highest-scoring offense (41.5 points per game), leading rusher (Dre Minniweather) and third-leading passer (Zappe) entering the contest, and they were all shut down by the Wildcats' defense.
The Wildcats limited the Huskies to a pair of touchdowns – one early in the first quarter and the second near the end of the contest – and held Minniweather (averaging 126 yards per game on the ground entering the contest) to just 44 yards on 10 carries. And Zappe threw for just 237 yards, was picked off once and was continuously harassed by the Wildcats, and threw for almost 40 yards less than his per-game average of 276.0 ypg entering the contest.
Linebackers
Jeremiah Chambers and
Jack Gibbens were the defensive ringleaders as they each had eight tackles. Chambers had one sacks, two tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. Gibbens had one-half tackle for loss and one forced fumble, while
Ben Norman,
Kameron Hill and
Dante Hibbert recorded the team's other three sacks. Safety
Bolu Onifade had an interception in the third quarter to thwart a potential HBU scoring drive in the fourth quarer.
While the ACU defense was smothering the Huskies' offense, the Wildcat offense was having its way with the HBU defense. The Wildcats ran for 335 yards, its most since rushing for 333 yards in a Sept. 7, 2013, win over McMurry, and with James and White each topping 100 yards, it marked the first time since Nov. 1, 2014, against Central Arkansas that ACU had two players rush for at least 100 yards in a game.
James was punishing Saturday night as he reeled off runs to the outside and punishing runs on the inside to soften up the HBU defense. He didn't score, but it was his tough runs that kept several drives alive for the Wildcats. White saw action throughout the game, but took over as the feature back in the fourth quarter and on back-to-back plays scored on a nifty 55-yard run and then went 54 yards on ACU's next offensive play to put him over the century mark on just two carries.
Not to be out-done,
Billy McCrary flashed his speed, rushing for 68 yards and one score on 10 carries, and catching two passes for three yards and one touchdown. After the early touchdown by HBU, the Huskies missed the PAT to leave them leading 6-0. ACU answered with a seven-play, 72-yard drive that was capped when
Luke Anthony threw one of his three touchdown passes, a 5-yarder to McCrary on a swing pass that gave ACU a 7-6 lead after
Oscar Hernandez banged home the extra point.
ACU took a 13-6 lead into halftime after McCrary scored on a 5-yard run midway through the second quarter, and then the third quarter belong solely to ACU. The Wildcats scored on the second play of the half on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Anthony to
Chase Cokley, added a 49-yard field goal from long-distance specialist
Taylor Williamson to make it 24-6, and pretty well sealed it on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Anthony to
Kalin Sadler with 44 seconds left in the quarter, pushing the ACU lead to 31-6 at the end of 45 minutes of play.
Anthony completed 25 of 37 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, giving him at least two touchdowns in all five of his career starts dating back to last season. Cokley led all receivers with six catches for 97 yards. ACU finished with 594 yards of total offense and failed to top 600 yards of offense only because of two kneel-downs at the end of the game that cost the Wildcats six yards apiece.
PLAYS THAT MATTERED
• 1Q – On the second play of the game, HBU quarterback Bailey Zappe threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to David Racine to give the Huskies a 6-0 lead. The PAT was no good.
• 1Q – On ACU's ensuing drive, the Wildcats moved 72 yards on seven plays, including a 25-yard run by
Tracy James and a 21-yard pass from
Luke Anthony to
Cody Ennis.
• 1Q – On third-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Anthony completed a swing pass to
Billy McCrary for a touchdown with 11:24 left in the opening quarter. The PAT from
Oscar Hernandez was good and the Wildcats carried a 7-6 lead to the end of the first quarter.
•
2Q – On third-and-4 from the from the HBU 16-yard line, Anthony found
Liam Flowers in the left flat and he picked up 12 yards to give the Wildcats first-and-and-goal from the 4-yard line.
•
2Q – On second-and-goal from the 4-yard line, McCrary capped an 88-yard touchdown drive with a 4-yard run as the Wildcats pulled out the old Packers sweep. The PAT from Hernandez was good, giving ACU a 14-6 lead with 8:53 left in the first half.
•
2Q – HBU put together a nice drive into ACU territory, but on third-and-long, quarterback Bailey Zappe slid one yard short of a first down at the ACU 29-yard line. On the next play, LaDarius Dickens was dropped for a 1-yard loss by
Dante Hibbert to give the ball back to the Wildcats.
•
2Q – After forcing a punt by HBU with less than two minutes left in the first half, ACU moved smartly into HBU territory before deciding to try a 45-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the first half. But the field goal by Hernandez – which was good – was waved off by a delay of game penalty against ACU. The ACU offense then came back onto the field, and although Anthony completed a pass, the play took up the rest of the first half and ACU settled for a 14-6 lead at the break.
•
3Q – ACU matched HBU's touchdown on the second play of the first half with a touchdown of its own on the second play of the second half, a 67-yard strike from Anthony to
Chase Cokley, giving ACU a 21-6 lead just 30 seconds into the second half.
•
3Q – On third-and-long, Anthony completed a 4-yard pass to
Cody Ennis, who was tackled immediately. However, HBU safety Patrick Wolfe was whistled for targeting and ejected. The 15 yards kept ACU's second drive of the second half alive, moving the ball to the HBU 48-yard line.
•
3Q – After ACU took a 24-6 lead, HBU answered with an impressive drive, moving the ball inside the ACU 20-yard line before
Jack Gibbens stripped Merriweather of the ball and Chambers recovered it, giving ACU the ball back at its own 11-yard line.
•
3Q – On its ensuing drive, ACU faced third-and-1 from its 20 when James broke loose for eight yards to give ACU a first down. McCrary followed it with a 27-yard up the left sideline to get ACU into HBU territory.
•
3Q – On the same drive, ACU faced third-and-11 from the HBU 36 when James took a handoff, went around left end and picked up 22 yards, finishing the drive with a punishing shoulder into the chest of HBU safety Ethan Beek.
•
3Q – Once again on third down the Wildcats made a big play as Anthony hit
Kalin Sadler on an inside screen, and he did the rest, carrying it in from 14 yards out to give ACU a 31-6 lead near the end of the third quarter.
•
4Q – After ACU went up 31-6, HBU responded with a solid drive, moving to the ACU 32-yard line before Zappe was intercepted by Onifade, who took the ball up the far sideline and could have scored from 89 yards away had his right foot not hit the out of bounds mark at the ACU 32-yard line.
•
4Q – Four plays after the interception, White took a handoff from Anthony, broke out of a gang tackle attempt, stiff-armed a linebacker and sprinted 55 yards for his second career touchdown, giving ACU A 38-6 lead with 11:06 left in the game.
NOTABLE
• In its first three games of the season, ACU has rushed for 702 yards – 220 vs. Baylor, 147 vs. Angelo State and 335 vs. Houston Baptist – after rushing for just 955 yards in 11 games in 2017.
• ACU did not allow a sack in the game, and has given up just one sack through the first three games of the season.
• The Wildcats led the league in total first downs (47) and first downs per game (23.5) going into the game, and had 29 more against the Huskies, who were second in the league in both categories (44 and 22.0). HBU had just 17 first downs against the Wildcats.
• The Wildcats still have not missed either a field goal or PAT as
Oscar Hernandez and
Taylor Williamson are a combined 18 for 18. Hernandez is 13 for 13 on PATs and 4 for 4 on field goals, while Williamson buried his first collegiate field goal attempt Saturday night, a 49-yarder that is ACU's longest of the Division I era and the longest by an ACU kicker since
Morgan Lineberry hit from 54 yards against Incarnate Word on Nov. 12, 2011.
QUOTABLE
"We played with a ton of heart and passion, even though we didn't always play very smart. But to come out with a win and still have some teachable things is great."
--- ACU head coach Adam Dorrel
"We're exponentially better on the offensive line, at tight end and at running back. We've got three running backs who are doing a great job. They're sharing carries and they've been extremely unselfish. When you have that, you have a chance to have to something special."
--- ACU head coach Adam Dorrel on his team's running game
"I was very proud of the defense and the effort they gave (Saturday night). They didn't panic after giving up the early touchdown; they just kept playing. And to be able to continue to play hard against that up-tempo offense is a great sign. Our pass rush was really good all night and really started to get home in the second half."
--- ACU head coach Adam Dorrel on his team's defensive effort
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will be back on the road next Saturday (Sept. 22) as they continue Southland Conference play against Stephen F. Austin. The game is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff from Homer Bryce Stadium where the Wildcats last won in the final game of the 2014 season.
