Long goes the distance as Wildcats beat WNMU, 34-7

ABILENE, Texas – Backup quarterback Ethan Long threw for more than 200 yards and one touchdown Saturday night to lead the ACU Wildcats to a 34-7 non-conference win over Western New Mexico in front of 7,703 fans at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.

The win pushes the Wildcats to 3-1 on the season before they begin Western Athletic Conference play next week at Utah Tech. ACU won't be back at home until it hosts Southern Utah in the Wildcats' 92nd homecoming contest.

Long – who transferred to ACU after three years at Arizona State – entered the game late in the first quarter with the offense sputtering and ACU trailing the NCAA Division II Mustangs 7-3, and he immediately led the Wildcats to a drive that resulted in a touchdown and a lead ACU wouldn't relinquish. Long completed 4 of 6 passes on a nine-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Rovaughn Banks Jr., giving the Wildcats a 10-7 lead.

After entering the game trailing 7-3, Long led the Wildcats to 31 unanswered points to end the game and push them to a victory. Banks scored two touchdowns on the ground and Long threw two in the 31-0 run to end the game. 

Long – in his most extensive action as a collegiate player – completed 22 of 34 passes for 251 yards and those two touchdowns, a 20-yarder to Kobe Clark and a 3-yarder to Rece Stafford. Banks had 21 carries for 143 yards and the two touchdowns, and Jermiah Dobbins had 105 yards on 18 carries. 

The last time ACU had two players rush for more than 100 yards in a game was Oct. 12, 2019, when ACU beat Houston Baptist at Wildcat Stadium behind 148 yards from quarterback Sema'J Davis and 118 yards from running back Tracy James.

Clark finished his night with seven catches for 92 yards and one score, giving him 223 career catches for 2,423 career yards. He is 12 catches away from tying Jerale Badon (235 catches from 2004-07) for the all-time lead, and eight yards from tying Ronnie Vinson (2,431 yards from 1969-71) for sixth on the all-time yards receiving list.

Senior quarterback-turned-safety Peyton Mansell had his first career interception with 1:25 left in the game, picking off a Devin Larsen pass and returning it 24 yards to the WNMU 20-yard line. Mansell is believed to be the first player in the 101-year history of ACU football to record a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and an interception in his career.

GAME SUMMARY

How They Scored

1Q (8:26) – Western New Mexico opened the scoring when Devin Larsen threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Charles Byers. The Mustangs kept their drive alive when Larsen hit Jamon Chambers for 27 yards down to the ACU 20 on third-and-5 from the ACU 47. The Mustangs scored three plays later.

  Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:07. Adrian Zamudio PAT. ACU 0, WNMU 7

1Q (3:56) – The Wildcats got on the board, thanks to their running game as they pounded away with running back Jermiah Dobbins, who carried the ball six times on a 10-play drive for 27 yards. The drive ended with a 44-yard field goal from Blair Zepeda.

  Drive: 10 plays, 28 yards, 4:24. Blair Zepeda 44-yard field goal. ACU 3, WNMU 7

2Q (3:56) – The Wildcats took the lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Rovaughn Banks Jr., giving ACU a 10-7 lead. Ethan Long was 4 for 6 for 56 yards on the drive.

  Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 4:34. Blair Zepeda PAT. ACU 10, WNMU 7

2Q (1:58) – Rovaughn Banks Jr. scored his second touchdown of the night, this time from two yards out as the Wildcats extended their lead to 10 points late in the first half. ACU overcame a third-and-15 situation from the ACU 38-yard line when Ethan Long scrambled for 18 yards and a first down to the Western New Mexico 44-yard line. Two plays later, Banks carried the ball 28 yards to the WNMU 2-yard line and then scored on the next play. 

  Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 3:44. Blair Zepeda PAT. ACU 17, WNMU 7

3Q (4:19) – Blair Zepeda hit his second field goal of the night, a 25-yarder that pushed ACU's lead to 20-7 late in the third quarter. Jeremiah Dobbins carried three times for 31 yards on the drive. 

  Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 1:58. ACU 20, WNMU 7

4Q (9:13) – Ethan Long threw the first touchdown pass of his career to give ACU a 27-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Long finished off a 59-yard scoring drive with a 20-yard pass to Sweetwater native Kobe Clark, his second touchdown catch of the season. 

  Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:49. Blair Zepeda PAT. ACU 27, WNMU 7

4Q (2:52) – The Wildcats put a bow on this one as Long threw his second touchdown pass of the night, a 3-yarder to Rece Stafford to cap their longest drive of the nigh. ACU faced just one third-down play on the drive, and Long scrambled for seven yards on third-and-5 from the WNMU 18-yard line. 

  Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 5:58. Blair Zepeda PAT. ACU 34, WNMU 7

KEY STAT

Ethan Long's 20-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Clark in the fourth quarter was the first TD pass of his collegiate career. He and Maverick McIvor – who has started each of the Wildcats' first four games at quarterback – have each thrown their first collegiate touchdown passes this year for the Wildcats after transferring from Arizona State (Long) and Texas Tech (McIvor).

QUOTING COACH PATTERSON

On ACU's overall performance: "This is probably the most anxious I've been going for a game for various reasons. You have to eliminate distractions and learn to re-focus. You gotta learn to hit the reset button on Sunday and look forward to the upcoming opponent and then do everything throughout the course of the week to win, and that's something we're still learning how to do."

On Ethan Long's Performance: "We had planned to bring him into the game on the third series because we wanted him to get some snaps with the game still on the line, and he came in and was tremendous. At that point, we went with the hot hand. He's a tremendous player and I'm very proud of him."

QUOTING ETHAN LONG

On first chance to play: "Being able to be out there and getting the chance to string some drives together was really fun. I can't thank the offensive line and defense enough. Our receivers really did a good job, too. It's fun to play football at any level, and winning is even more fun."

WHAT IT MEANS

The Wildcats are 3-1 on the season for the second straight season (they finished 5-6 in 2021). The 3-1 start this year is tied for the second-best start to a season in ACU's NCAA Division I era behind the 3-0 start for the 2013 squad. ACU's first team at the NCAA Division I level started 3-0 before finishing 6-5.

POST-GAME NOTES

• ACU backup quarterback Ethan Long entered the game in the first quarter and led the Wildcats to a field goal on his first drive in his first game action. The junior transfer from Arizona State completed his first collegiate pass when he hit senior wide receiver Kobe Clark for 19 yards on first-and-14 with three minutes left in the opening quarter.

• Western New Mexico had 52 yards on its first-quarter touchdown drive – its second possession of the game – but a meager 21 combined yards on its final five drives of the first half to finish the opening 30 minutes with 75 total yards, including just 10 rushing yards. The second half wasn't much better for the Mustangs as they finished with just 167 total yards (92 in the second half), including just two total yards rushing (minus-8 rushing yards in the second half).

• The Wildcats dominated time of possession in the opening half, holding onto the ball for 20 minutes, 36 seconds compared to just 9:24 for the Mustangs. ACU held onto the ball for 19 minutes, 17 seconds of the second half for a total time of possession of 39 minutes, 53 seconds.

• The Wildcats are 3-0 at home for the second time in the last four seasons. The 2019 team started 4-0 at Anthony Field at Wildcat Saturday before finishing 4-2 at home.

• Junior tight end Rece Stafford caught the first touchdown of his career late in the fourth quarter, giving ACU a 34-7 lead. Stafford – who played at Frisco Wakeland – walked on as a fullback in 2019 before being put on scholarship last year. He made the switch to tight end in the spring.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats will open Western Athletic Conference action next Saturday when they travel to St. George, Utah, to take on Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) at Greater Zion Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. Abilene time.