ACU rolls past Bearkats; showdown for WAC title up next

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – ACU capitalized on several Sam Houston State mistakes in the first half Saturday afternoon to take a commanding halftime lead on its way to a 45-28 win over the Bearkats in a non-conference game at Bowers Stadium.

 

The Wildcats are now 7-3 on the season, the most wins by an ACU football squad since the athletics department moved to NCAA Division I affiliation before the 2013 season. 

 

ACU is 3-0 in the Western Athletic Conference, one game ahead of Stephen F. Austin (2-1 in the league). Those teams will meet next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. An ACU win gives the Wildcats the WAC title and a likely berth in the FCS national playoffs. 

 

The Bearkats made numerous mistakes in the first half, throwing an interception, fumbling the ball two times (losing both), and giving up a punt block. ACU scored touchdowns after each of those miscues, with none of the drives covering more than 43 yards. The Wildcats jumped out to a 21-0 lead with touchdowns on each of their first three drives, including a pair of 16-yard drives on their first two possessions that came about after a Sam Houston fumble on the first play of the game and a blocked punt after the Bearkats' second drive.

 

After ACU jumped to a 21-0 lead, Sam Houston cut the lead to 21-14. ACU then rattled off the final 17 points of the half, taking advantage of a fumble and interception on Sam Houston State's last two drives of the half to take a 38-14 lead into the locker room.

 

Sam Houston got to within 38-28 midway through the fourth quarter, but the ACU defense stepped on the final two drives, forcing a turnover on downs that the offense turned into a touchdown and then sealing it with an Elijah Moffett interception of a Keegan Shoemaker pass with less than one minute to play.

 

ACU backup quarterback Ethan Long got his second start of the season, playing in place of injured starter Maverick McIvor. Long was terrific, completing 30 of 48 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns, throwing a pair to Tristan Golightly, one to Kobe Clark, and one to running back Rovaughn Banks.

 

Anthony Smith led the Wildcats in rushing, carrying the ball 11 times for 59 yards, and Banks had 14 carries for 56 yards and the nail-in-the-coffin touchdown run from seven yards away with 2:02 to play in the game.

 

The Bearkats (5-3 on the season) entered the game riding a five-game winning streak, allowing just 17.9 points per game, and averaging 170.9 yards per game on the ground. But the Wildcats halted the winning streak, put 21 points on the board before the game was 10 minutes old, and limited the Bearkats to a paltry 43 yards on the ground.

 

Shoemaker was the leading rusher for Sam Houston State with 29 yards. He had touchdown runs of 42 yards and 4 yards but was also sacked three times by an ACU defense with 20 sacks going into the game. Tyrin Bradley, Alex Duke, and Jordan Paup had sacks for the Wildcats, while Moffett and Patrick Jolly had interceptions for ACU.

 

GAME SUMMARY

How They Scored

1Q (14:16) – The Bearkats received the opening kickoff, but quarterback Keegan Shoemakerfumbled at the end of a run on the first offensive snap of the game, and ACU's JaDarius Thursby at the Sam Houston 16-yard line. After a first-play seven-yard pass from Ethan Long to Colt Cooper picked up seven yards, Cooper found Kobe Clark in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown to give ACU an early lead.

  Scoring Play: Kobe Clark 9 pass from Ethan Long (Blair Zepeda kick)

  Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:32   

ACU 7, Sam Houston State 0

 

1Q (12:57) – After the ACU defense forced a three-and-out, Shelby Washington blocked Jadon Cardell's punt. Taelyn Williams recovered it at the Sam Houston State 16-yard line, setting the offense up with excellent field position. After an 8-yard pass from Long to Jermiah Dobbins on the first play, Long hit Tristan Golightly from 8 yards out, giving ACU a 14-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

  Scoring Play: Tristan Golightly 8 pass from Ethan Long (Blair Zepeda kick)

  Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:44   

ACU 14, Sam Houston State 0

 

1Q (5:54) – The ACU defense forced another three-and-out, setting the offense up 50 yards from the end zone after a 23-yard punt. The Wildcats ran the ball on six of the first seven plays of the drive, moving the ball to the Sam Houston 25. Long's arm got them the final 25 yards as he completed a 10-yard pass to Clark, a 4-yard pass to Rovaughn Banks, and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Golightly, pushing ACU's lead to 21-0.

  Scoring Play: Tristan Golightly 11 pass from Ethan Long (Blair Zepeda kick)

  Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 4:48   

ACU 21, Sam Houston State 0

 

1Q (4:17) – Sam Houston State finally got on the board, thanks in part to a 60-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker to Chody Chrest that got the ball down to ACU's 3-yard line. Two plays later, Shoemaker hit Shane Johnson from 13 yards out for a touchdown.

  Scoring Play: Shane Johnson 13 pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Seth Morgan kick)

  Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:37   

ACU 21, Sam Houston State 7

 

2Q (7:48) – After Sam Houston State's defense forced a three-and-out early in the second quarter, its offense put together another scoring drive to get to within seven points. Quarterback Keegan Shoemaker put the finishing touches on the drive with a 42-yard touchdown run to make it a one-score game.

  Scoring Play: Keegan Shoemaker 42 run (Seth Morgan kick)

  Drive: 4 plays, 58 yards, 1:15   

ACU 21, Sam Houston State 14

 

2Q (3:11) – ACU took the ensuing kickoff and moved a field goal that pushed its lead back to a three-score game. The biggest play of the drive was a 36-yard pass from Ethan Long to Kendall Catalon that got the ball down to the Sam Houston 18-yard line. Three plays later, Blair Zepeda hit a 35-yard field goal into the win to give ACU a 17-point lead.

  Scoring Play: Blair Zepeda 35 field goal

  Drive: 12, 56 yards, 4:32   

ACU 24, Sam Houston State 14

 

2Q (3:11) – The final three minutes of the half were a complete disaster for the Bearkats, and it started with the kickoff after Zepeda's kickoff. The Bearkats failed to catch or cover the kickoff, which got caught up in the wind. Instead, ACU's Kendall Catalon recovered the ball, giving the Wildcats the ball at the Sam Houston 27. After a 10-yard pass from Ethan Long to Tristan Golightly on the first play got the ball to the 17, Long threw incomplete on each of the next two plays. But on third-and-goal from the 10, Anthony Smith barreled in from 10 yards to make it a 31-14 game.

  Scoring Play: Anthony Smith 10 run (Blair Zepeda kick)

  Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 0:44   

ACU 31, Sam Houston State 14

 

2Q (0:23) – Sam Houston State's end-of-half nightmare continued as, on its ensuing drive, Keegan Shoemaker was intercepted by Patrick Jolly, giving the ball back to ACU at the Sam Houston 43. On the drive's first play, Ethan Long hit Colt Cooper for 25 yards down to the 18-yard line. After a pass interference penalty in the end zone moved the ball to the Sam Houston 2-yard line, Long hit Rovaughn Banks from 2 yards out, his third touchdown pass of the first half.

  Scoring Play: Rovaughn Banks 2 pass from Ethan Long (Blair Zepeda kick)

  Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 1:47   

ACU 38, Sam Houston State 14

 

3Q (1:47) – Sam Houston State's offense put together its best drive of the day late in the third quarter, moving smartly to another Keegan Shoemaker touchdown run to cut ACU's lead back to a two-score game after the 2-point conversion was good. The drive's biggest play was an 11-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker to Cody Chrest on third-and-8 early in the march. Shoemaker then hit KeSean Raven for 25 yards down the ACU 16-yard line. Three plays later, Shoemaker scored on a 4-yard run. Shoemaker then connected with Dalton Meyer on a shovel pass for a 2-point conversion pass to cut ACU's lead to 38-22.

  Scoring Play: Keegan Shoemaker 4 run (Dalton Meyer 2-point pass from Keegan Shoemaker)

  Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 4:27   

ACU 38, Sam Houston State 22

 

4Q (7:10) – Sam Houston State's defense forced a punt by ACU midway through the fourth quarter, giving the ball back to its offense at its 35-yard line. On the drive's third play, Keegan Shoemaker hit Cody Chrest for a 35-yard pass to the ACU 30-yard line. After a 13-yard pass to Dalton Meyer put the ball on the 17, Shoemaker threw two straight incompletions. On third-and-10, Shoemaker hit Al'von Woodard from 17 yards to cut ACU's lead to 10 points. However, the 2-point conversion pass was incomplete, and the Wildcats' lead stood at 38-28.

  Scoring Play: Al'von Woodard 17 pass from Keegan Shoemaker (2-point pass failed)

  Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 1:11   

ACU 38, Sam Houston State 28

 

4Q (2:02) – The Wildcats put the game away with a late touchdown, but it all started with a great play from backup safety/quarterback/punt Peyton Mansell at the end of a drive by ACU's offense. After Sam Houston's touchdown, ACU moved the ball to the Sam Houston State 38-yard line before its drive stalled. On fourth-and-4, Mansell – who had a 46-yard on a fake punt in the Homecoming win over Southern Utah on Oct. 14 – lined up to punt and ran to the right as if to run for the first down. But just before he hit the line of scrimmage, he punted the ball and watched it roll dead at the 2-yard line. Sam Houston did nothing with the ball, turning it over to ACU at its 10-yard line after failing to convert on fourth-and-2. After two runs by Rovaugn Banks netted just three yards, ACU faced third-and-goal from the Sam Houston 7-yard line. On third down, Banks bulled his way into the end zone to cap the win for the Wildcats.

  Scoring Play: Rovaughn Banks 7 run (Blair Zepeda kick)

  Drive: 3 plays, 10 yards, 0:15   

ACU 45, Sam Houston State 28

 

KEY STAT

Saturday's win marked just the fourth time in 28 all-time games against the Bearkats that the Wildcats have scored at least 40 points. The 45 points are the most since a 41-18 win over the Bearkats in Huntsville in 1977 when ACU won the NAIA Division I national championship. Saturday's win is only ACU's second over the Bearkats since the Wildcats moved up to NCAA Division I affiliation before the 2013 season, with the 17-10 win Huntsville in 2018 being the other.

 

TURNING POINT

ACU essentially put the game out of reach on its first three possessions, taking advantage of a Sam Houston fumble on the first play of the game to score a touchdown, and then scoring touchdowns after a block of a Sam Houston punt, and then after a short drive following a shanked punt by the Bearkats. Then, after the Bearkats got to within 21-14 with 7:48 left in the second quarter, the Wildcats scored the final 17 points of the half to take a commanding 38-14 halftime lead. After kicking a field goal, ACU recovered the ensuing kickoff when it got held up in the win, and the Bearkats failed to catch it. The Wildcats scored four plays later to make it 31-14. After an interception, the Wildcats took over at their 43-yard line and scored again with 23 seconds left to make it 38-14.

 

POST-GAME NOTES

• Senior wide receiver Kobe Clark caught a first-quarter touchdown pass from Ethan Long, scoring in his fifth straight game. He had two touchdown catches last week in ACU's road win over Tarleton State.

• Clark now has 23 career touchdown catches, which is sixth in ACU history. He is one TD catch away from tying former NCAA Division II All-American wide receiver Angel Alvarez (1993-95) for fifth in touchdown receptions in ACU history.

• The 38 points the Wildcats scored in the first half are the most they've put up since outsourcing Louisiana College, 41-7, in the first half on Sept. 11, 2021. The 38 points are the most ACU scored against an NCAA Division I opponent since outscoring Incarnate Word 38-7 on October 22, 2016. 

• ACU senior placekicker Blair Zepeda scored nine points for ACU in Saturday's win (six PATs and one field goal) to give him 70 points on the season. He has 247 career points, good for sixth in ACU football history. His field goal gives him 39 for his career, which is fifth.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats can win the title outright next Saturday when they host Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. The regular-season finale for both teams will see one of the teams walk away with the outright conference championship. ACU enters the game unbeaten in WAC play (the Wildcats' game against SFA earlier this season was a non-conference contest), while the Lumberjacks enter the game with one league loss. An ACU win would give the Wildcats a 4-0 league record, the conference title, and, possibly, a berth in the FCS playoffs. The NCAA will announce the entire FCS playoff field at 11:30 a.m.  (CT) on Sunday, Nov. 20.

#GoWildcats