ABILENE– An opportunistic defense and
Tracy James' two touchdowns – the last a 1-yard run with 13 seconds left – powered Abilene Christian University to a 17-10 win over McNeese in a Southland Conference game Saturday night in breezy Wildcat Stadium.
The winning score was set up by recovery of a fumbled punt in Cowboy territory with 53 seconds left in the game.
Three of the two teams' last five games with each another were settled by a total of 11 points, so another defensive struggle was not unexpected. ACU (2-2 overall, 1-1 in the Southland) sacked Cowboy quarterback Cody Orgeron six times and withstood problems in its own punting game in the fourth quarter to win its first league game of the season. McNeese fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
ACU's
Luke Anthony completed 26 of 44 passes for 313 yards and a score, and James scored his FCS-leading eighth and ninth touchdowns of the season.
Josh Fink caught nine passes for 123 yards and James caught three for 80 yards, one a 59-yarder that gave his team a 10-3 lead it enjoyed for most of the game.
The evening was largely devoid of fireworks in and around Wildcat Stadium, offensive and otherwise. A grass fire north of the stadium was snuffed out in the first half by the Abilene Fire Department after embers from Gameday pyrotechnics ignited a rain-parched open field. Fortunately for the AFD brush truck and firefighters, there were no further scoring outbreaks worthy of celebration until the game's final seconds, long after ACU officials were asked to cease their post-TD tradition of lighting up the sky above the stadium.
ACU converted the game's first turnover into points when
Brandon Richmond picked off a Cody Orgeron pass and nine plays later,
Blair Zepeda kicked a 25-yard field goal to put the Wildcats up 3-0 with 4:50 left in the opening quarter. An offensive holding penalty wiped out a potential touchdown pass two plays earlier.
McNeese answered on the following drive when Noah Anderson kicked a 13-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the quarter.
A punt by McNeese backed up the Wildcats on their 10-yard line, but Anthony moved his team downfield, capping the eight-play drive with a pass in the left flat to James, who caught it and raced 59 yards for his FCS-leading eighth touchdown of the season.
Elijah Mack, a junior transfer running back from the University of South Florida, went over the 100-yard mark for the game when he broke loose on a 33-yard run in the third quarter. The Cowboys' promising-looking drive was stymied when Wildcat defensive end
Corey Smith recorded ACU's fifth sack of the night on Orgeron, forcing a punt.
Anderson missed a 36-yard field goal with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, and although the Wildcats moved the ball downfield, ACU couldn't take advantage when tight end
Branden Hohenstein dropped a pass in the open field on 3rd-and-4 from the Wildcat 38-yard line.
ACU tallied its sixth sack (and
Kameron Hill's second) of Orgeron on the next drive to force the Cowboys into their eighth punt of the night. The Wildcats couldn't capitalize; Zepeda's 38-yard field goal attempt was wide and short left with 10:50 left in the game.
Laryea severely misfired on a punt (-1 yards) with 8:27 remaining, giving McNeese the ball on the ACU 30-yard line. The Wildcat defense rose to the occasion, however, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a 23-yard field goal attempt by Anderson that sailed wide left with 6:18 left.
The Wildcats could not capitalize, and fan anxiety increased once more when a Laryea punt of only 9 yards sailed out of bounds to give McNeese the ball on its 38-yard line with 4:31 on the clock.
ACU linebacker
Jeremiah Chambers cut down Mack for no gain on 3rd-and-5 from the Wildcat 28, forcing the Cowboys into a gamble on fourth down. But Orgeron hit Sutton on a sideline route, and the junior wide receiver raced into the end zone for the score. Anderson's successful PAT kick finished off the nine-play, 62-yard drive and tied the game at 10-10 with 1:53 left.
However, Laryea's next punt, a 33-yarder with 53 seconds left, was fumbled by McNeese and recovered by long snapper
David Stone at the Cowboy 37-yard line. After an incomplete pass and a sack,
Javorian Miller catches of 15 and 4 yards, and a pass caught by James for 18 yards, the Wildcats found themselves at the 1-yard line.
ACU faced a potential win last week as well, but Zepeda's 46-yard field goal attempt with 35 seconds left fell short, and Central Arkansas escaped with a wild 31-30 win.
With his short run, James made sure the Wildcats were not to be denied tonight, however.
McNeese was led by Elijah Mack's 125 yards rushing and Cyron Sutton's 109 receiving yards, and 189 yards passing by Orgeron.
The Wildcats travel to San Antonio next Saturday to play University of the Incarnate Word at 6 p.m. in Benson Stadium.
PLAYS THAT MATTERED
- 1Q – On McNeese's second drive of the game, Wildcat defensive back Brandon Richmond intercepted his first pass of the year, stepping in front of a throw along the sideline and returning it five yards to the ACU 42-yard line. Nine plays later, Blair Zepeda kicked a 25-yard field goal with 4:50 left put the home team ahead, 3-0.
- 1Q – Noah Anderson's 13-yard field goal with 16 seconds left tied the score at 3-all.
- 2Q – Tracy James caught a 59-yard TD pass from Anthony with 7:33 left in the first half, upping ACU's lead to 10-3.
- 4Q – Cyron Sutton caught a pass from Orgeron and ran 28 yards for a TD with 1:53 left, and Anderson's kick tied the game, 10-10.
- 4Q – Following the recovery of a fumbled punt, James' 1-yard TD run with 13 seconds left won the game for the Wildcats, and Zepeda's successful PAT made the final margin 17-10.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The hustle play of the night – and perhaps the season – went to long snapper David Stone, who raced downfield after delivering the ball to punter Simon Laryea, and put himself in position to recover it when McNeese fumbled the catch late in the fourth quarter. The play turned around the Wildcats' late-game fortunes, and shortly after, a short TD run by Tracy James sealed the victory.
- Laryea's 10 punts on the night ranged from a 60-yarder in the third quarter to a fourth-quarter pair for just minus-1 yard and another for 9 yards. He recovered to boot a 35-yarder into the south wind that was fumbled by the Cowboys and led to ACU's eventual win.
- ACU's defense was led by a pair of linebackers: 15 tackles (9 solo) by Jeremiah Chambers and 13 (5 solo) by Jack Gibbens. Chambers also broke up two passes.
STAT CORNER
- The Wildcats entered the game averaging three sacks per game, the 10th best mark in FCS. They registered four in the first half tonight against McNeese quarterback Cody Orgeron, and six overall.
- With his TD reception in the second quarter, Tracy James passed Johnny Perkins for 15th place on the Wildcats' career all-purpose yard list. Perkins, an All-America wide receiver who played seven seasons in the NFL, was ACU's highest-ever draft choice, chosen in the second round (32nd overall) by the New York Giants in 1977. He totaled 2,675 yards in three seasons for ACU after transferring from Ranger College.
- Simon Laryea's 60-yard punt in the third quarter was the fifth of that distance or longer in his career. He has hit for 61, 63 and twice for 70 yards.
QUOTABLE
Head Abilene Christian Football Coach Adam Dorrel
On the victory over McNeese …
"We've never beaten McNeese in our program's history and they have a very good football team with a proud history. That's one of the best defenses in the Southland Conference. I thought they had a really good gameplan tonight. They did some stuff they haven't done early in the year, and lined up and challenged us to make throws down the field. They played physical.
"I'm proud of our guys, though. At the end of the night I think it was a plus-two turnover margin, and so we really preach that. We feel like we have to been on the plus side of the turnover margin in order to have a chance to win. We did it last week, and we're right in the game, and we did it again tonight, and we were there too.
"Since we've been here we've been in a lot of games like this in which toward the end things slid on us, and we've never won one of those games like that. To see our guys be resilient, to be confident in themselves and to try to make some plays down the road, it was a good win.
"I'm happy for our team, happy for our seniors. We talked all week about legacy and be able to do something that's never been in program history, and so to see them put that on their resume, I really think that will help us move forward."
On Tracy James' performance …
"He ran a great route out of the backfield (on the 59-yard touchdown pass), and I've always said what I love about Tracy is that he's not a one-trick pony. He can catch the football, he can run it, he can blitz pickup, he's as good as anybody I've been around in 20 years of college football. He's a complete player, and it was great to see him run that great route and find the window."
On the defense …
"They were lights out. They played really good tonight and I'm proud of them. I thought McNeese did a real good job of running the football early, but our guys adjusted and tackled better in the second half."
On recovering the fumbled punt …
"Simon (Laryea) had a couple bad punts toward the end, but to see him regroup and finally get that last punt off, and I'm very proud of
David Stone our long snapper. How many times does a long snapper run down there and never get involved and he finally ran down there and got involved (with the fumble recovery)."
Running back Tracy James
On catching the ball off a deflection for an 18-yard gain …
"That play is always just luck. When you're put in those predicaments, you need the right person to make that play. Luckily I was the one at that time.
"I feel like I blacked out, it's just a natural thing that happens, but once I turned around I knew the ball was out and I believe the defensive end was bobbling it and so I just grabbed it and ran for my life (to the 1-yard line).
On the game-winning score …
"Getting into the endzone, that was probably my favorite (career) touchdown. It meant a lot because of all the hard work we've been working through.
On his 59-yard touchdown reception …
"It was a just a breakdown on the defense's end so we just took advantage of the situation, and took the ball to the house."
Quarterback Luke Anthony
On the victory and what it means to the program …
"It's a huge win. It builds momentum and obviously after the heartbreaker last week it gives our guys a lot of confidence, the reward of optimism. Our defense held us up, and it was great to see those guys play so well, and offensively, we just made some timely plays at the end there. A little bit of luck never hurt too.
On the deflected reception to Tracy James …
"I didn't like anything deep, and I didn't want to take a sack so I was just trying to throw the drag (receiver route) and they dropped the backside defensive end. This is something they hadn't been doing much of the game, which was tricky and caught me off guard. I got hit right as I threw the ball, and I thought it was going to be an interception until I heard the cheers from the crowd when I was on the ground. We'll take wins however we can get them."
On Tracy James …
"He takes our offense where it really needs to go. He's a workhorse, a grinder, and we all know he's a guy who will make big plays in big moments. I'm super proud of him and I think he's a huge part of our team."
NOTABLE
- ACU entered the game ranked second in the nation (FCS) in total offense (534.7 and fourth in the number of first downs (4). In the Southland, the Wildcats were tops in rushing offense (247.3), third-down conversion percentage (.458) and fourth-down conversion percentage (.750), and second in total offense, rushing defense (93.2) and third-down conversion defense (.302). McNeese was tops in the Southland in turnover margin and sixth in FCS.
- McNeese was the last Southland opponent ACU had yet to beat in football. The Cowboys are now 6-1 in a series that began in 1972. McNeese joined the Southland in 1972 and has won more football titles (14) and made more national playoff appearances (16) than any other university in the league.
- ACU had held opponents to under 50 yards rushing in each of the last two games (44 yard per game), and only two TDs on the ground in its three games. McNeese rushed for 92 in the first half of tonight's game, and 194 overall.
