Box Score DENTON, Texas – Abilene Christian's senior running back duo of
Tracy James and
Billy McCrary combined for 246 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats' 51-31 loss at North Texas Saturday night at Apogee Stadium.
Despite the lopsided margin of defeat, ACU head coach
Adam Dorrel felt proud of his entire program.
"That's a real good football team (North Texas)," he said, "and we're going to build off what we did tonight in the second half (outscoring the Mean Green 21-13). We played some real good football, and did what we set out to do. We had the one turnover, but no real stupid penalties.
"Tonight was exciting. We competed at a high level, didn't quit and kept battling back. Sure, we got punched in the mouth early on but we kept fighting and making adjustments.
McCrary netted 79 yards on eight carries, including a 69-yard touchdown sprint late in the third quarter, while James, a Dallas native, ran for 109 yards on 16 carries (6.6 yards per game) and broke the Mean Green's shutout bid with a 19-yard touchdown run that came with 1:15 before halftime.
Unfortunately, North Texas' big play capabilities extended into the ensuing kickoff as Deion Hair-Griffin returned the ball 96 yards to the end zone, pushing the Mean Green's lead to 38-7.
Hair-Griffin nearly started the game in similar fashion but was tripped up by
Byron Robinson Jr. at the Wildcats' 32-yard line. However, on the Mean Green's first play from scrimmage Heisman Trophy watch list quarterback Mason Fine connected with Jason Pirtle deep in the end zone.
Pirtle caught three touchdown passes tonight on four receptions and 88 yards, while pro prospect Rico Bussey hauled in four catches for 156 yards and a touchdown as Fine finished 28-37 with four TDs and one interception (
Adonis Davis). Fine was intercepted only five times all of last season.
North Texas went into the break up 38-10 and added a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter. The two sides then exchanged punts, and on ACU's next drive that started at its own 14-yard line McCrary broke free for the aforementioned 69-yard run off a 3-and-4 situation.
McCrary also had a memorable season opener in 2018 vs. Baylor, which included a 75-yard dash.
On ACU's next scoring drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters, James started with a 34-yard reception and capped it with a five-yard touchdown dash. James' most recent two-touchdown game prior to tonight was Oct. 20, 2018 at Southeastern La.
James caught three passes from quarterback
Luke Anthony for 47 yards, but it was sophomore
Kobe Clark who led the Wildcats with a single-game career high nine receptions for 60 yards.
Anthony finished the game 24-of-34 for 273 yards and hit senior
Josh Fink for a 64-yard touchdown pass for the game's final points of the night.
Qua'Shawn Washington led ACU's defense with 11 tackles, five of them solo.
Brandon Richmond and
Jeremiah Chambers added 10 tackles each.
UNT outgained ACU in total yards (575-456), passing (383-273), rushing (192-183) and first downs (26-20).
The Wildcats return to action next Saturday, Sept. 7 with a 6 p.m. home opener vs. Arizona Christian.
PLAYS THAT MATTERED
- 1Q – Deion Hair-Griffin returned the opening kickoff 61 yards to set up the Mean Green on ACU's 32-yard line. It took them just one play to reach the end zone when Mason Fine hit Jason Pirtle on a pass down the left sideline. Ethan Mooney's successful PAT put UNT up 7-0 with just 16 seconds expired on the game clock.
- 1Q – UNT's second drive opened with a 57-yard pass from Mason to Rico Bussey Jr. The Fine-Pirtle connection struck again two plays later: a 17-yard TD pass and Mooney PAT upped the score to 14-0 with 12:50 left.
- 1Q – ACU's defense stiffened, holding UNT to a 29-yard field goal by Mooney with 4:51 remaining that made the new score 17-0.
- 2Q – Bussey wrestled a deep pass away from two Wildcat defenders to finish a 49-yard scoring play with 6:37 left, Fine's third TD toss of the game. UNT's lead was extended to 24-0.
- 2Q – ACU's first productive drive of the game ended when Luke Anthony fumbled and UNT recovered at the ACU 37-yard line with 5:27 left.
- 2Q – North Texas converted on 4th-and-11 at the Wildcat 39, with Fine hitting Bussey with a pass over the midle to the ACU 13-yard-line. Two passes later, Pirtle caught his third TD pass of the half, a 12-yarder with 2:45 left, upping the UNT lead to 31-0.
- 2Q – Tracy James put ACU on the scoreboard when Tracy James ran 19 yards over right tackle. Blair Zepeda's successful PAT made the score 31-7 with 1:15 left.
- 2Q – On the next play, Hair-Griffin's second long kickoff return of the game, this time a 96-yarder, gave UNT a 38-7 lead with 1:01 left.
- 2Q – James ran 40 yards on the ensuing play from scrimmage. Six plays later, Zepeda kicked a 43-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to move ACU closer, 38-10.
- 3Q – Billy McCrary ran 69 yards for a TD with 4:59 left. The PAT from Blair Zepeda pulled ACU closer, 41-17.
- 4Q – Tracy James ran 5 yards up the middle to pull ACU to 48-24.
- 4Q – Mooney kicked his third field goal of the night, a 29-yarder, to put UNT ahead, 51-24.
- 4Q – ACU made the final score 51-31 when Anthony hit Academic All-American wide receiver Josh Fink with a 64-yard TD pass.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- UNT ran just four plays in building a 14-0 lead to open the game, and scored the first three times it had the ball.
- At the half, the Mean Green built a 38-10 lead and advantages in total yards (362-200), passing yards (297-141) and first downs (18-11). Heisman Trophy candidate Mason Fine was stellar: 18 of 23 for 297 yards passing and four TDs, three of them to Jason Pirtle. Tracy James was a standout for the Wildcats on the ground with seven rushes for 77 yards and one TD.
- The 31 points by ACU are the most in its series with North Texas since the Wildcats scored 33 in a 1927 shutout of the Mean Green in Denton.
STAT CORNER
- The Wildcats are 8-15-1 in its series of games with UNT that began in 1926. The Mean Green have won the last seven, but the two teams have not played since 1994. ACU has a 3-2 record in home games with North Texas, the last win in Abilene in 1957, when the Wildcats prevailed 28-20.
- North Texas was a founding member in 1931 of the Lone Star Conference, a league in which ACU was a standout from 1973-2013.
NOTABLE
- More than 600 ACU fans attended a pregame party at Apogee Stadium.
