ABILENE – ACU head coach
Keith Patterson and his team have been looking for a signature win in his third season leading the program. They almost had it in the season-opener at Texas Tech but lost by one point in overtime.
Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Stadium, however, the 16th-ranked Wildcats finally picked up the kind of win that Patterson and his team have been missing during his tenure: a complete, 60-minute effort at home against a quality opponent. Their play resulted in a 41-34 win over fifth-ranked Central Arkansas in front of 7,853 fans.
For the first time this season, the Wildcats got off to a quick start offensively, and the early momentum of touchdowns on their first two drives carried them throughout four quarters. ACU scored on its first five drives with back-to-back touchdowns to start, followed by a field goal and two more touchdowns to take a 31-17 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats built as much as a 41-24 lead before the Bears scored 10 straight points and got the ball back with a little more than one minute to play and a chance to tie the game. But ACU linebacker
Will Shaffer intercepted a Will McElvain pass with 58 seconds to play, securing the Wildcats' first win over the Bears since 2014 and their first win over UCA in Abilene.
But behind 350 yards and five touchdowns passing by
Maverick McIvor, 202 receiving yards and three touchdowns by Nehemiah Martinz, and 156 rushing yards from four ballcarriers, the Wildcats were able to grab the program's signature win and improve to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the United Athletic Conference.
"This was a big win for our team," Patterson said. "Every game is big, no matter rankings or records. So, what we talked about with our team all week was 'deserving to win.' We wanted them to do what it would take in film preparation, our walkthroughs, and our practices to feel like we deserved to win.
"I think we're at a point in our program where we expect to win," he said. "In my first year, we hoped to win, and things would go well. (Saturday night's game) could be a signature win if we continue to improve as a football team. You win a game like this, and suddenly, confidence can go through the roof. The difference with this team – and I mean no disrespect to Central Arkansas – is our kids expected to win (Saturday)."
They played with that kind of confidence throughout the game, even when watching UCA's electric running back ShunDerrick Powell hit them for runs of 62 and 51 yards, the former going for a touchdown. He scored a touchdown in the third quarter on a pass from Will McElvain as the Bears refused to go away.
And when they scored with 1:38 to play and then forced a quick three-and-out, the Bears – who had been outplayed from the outset – had a chance to tie the game. But Shaffer saved the game with his interception, handing Patterson and the Wildcats their most significant win in his three seasons.
The Wildcats played confidently throughout, starting with their first offensive play of the day. After the defense forced a Central Arkansas punt, the offense took over on its 30. On ACU's first play of the day, McIvor threw a bubble screen to Martinez in the right flat, and a horde of UCA defenders immediately surrounded him.
Martinez slipped through at least five defenders, found an open field ahead, and completed the 70-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown just 3:33 into the game. UCA's electric running back, ShunDerrick Powell, answered with a 62-yard touchdown run before ACU scored on a 13-yard pass from McIvor to
Blayne Taylor and again on a short
Ritse Vaes field goal.
Powell scored on a 51-yard run before
Hut Graham caught a 9-yard scoring pass from McIvor for a 24-14 lead. Martinez scored on a 26-yard pass from McIvor, and UCA closed the first half with a short field goal by Jake Gaster to cut ACU's halftime lead to 31-17.
GAME SUMMARY
How They Scored
1Q (11:27) – The ACU defense forced a punt on the Bears' first drive, and the offense took advantage of a short pooch punt and good field position at the ACU 30-yard line. On the first play,
Maverick McIvor hit Nemehiah Martinez with a bubble screen on the right side of the field. At least eight UCA defenders immediately surrounded Martinez, but he bounced off five would-be tacklers, broke out of jail, and outran the defense for a 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the Wildcats' first play from scrimmage.
Scoring Play: Nehemiah Martinez 70 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:16
ACU 7, Central Arkansas 0
1Q (10:40) – The Bears wasted no time scoring an answering touchdown, using one of the league's top backs, ShunDerrick Powell, to get the job done. He carried for 13 yards on the drive's first play, then burst up the middle, cut to the left, and outran the ACU defense for a 62-yard scoring run.
Scoring Play: ShunDerrick Powell 2 run (Jake Gaster kick)
Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:47
ACU 7, Central Arkansas 7
1Q (4:20) – The Wildcats put together the game's first sustained scoring drive, moving 66 yards on 14 plays for a 14-7 lead. Quarterback
Maverick McIvor got the Wildcats down to the UCA 23-yard line but threw incomplete on third-and-6, bringing on the field goal unit.
Ritse Vaes hit the 40-yard field goal, but UCA was flagged for offsides, setting up fourth-and-1. ACU took the points off the board to try and keep the drive alive, and when McIvor kept up the middle for a 2-yard gain, the Wildcats' drive was still alive. Two plays later, McIvor threw a fade to the front left corner of the end zone, which
Blayne Taylor snagged for a touchdown and a 14-7 ACU lead.
Scoring Play: Blayne Taylor 13 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 6:11
ACU 14, Central Arkansas 7
2Q (14:09) – ACU extended its lead to 10 points with a nine-play, 67-yard drive keyed by a 31-yard pass from
Maverick McIvor to
Hut Graham that moved the ball to the UCA 32-yard line. ACU's drive sailed at the 10-yard line, but
Ritse Vaes still generated points with a 27-yard field goal.
Scoring Play: Ritse Vaes 27 field goal
Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 3:02
ACU 17, Central Arkansas 7
2Q (13:04) – UCA running back ShunDerrick Powell once again answered for the Bears, and once again, it didn't take long. After a short run and a 24-yard pass from Will McElvain to Jordan Owens, Powell finished the drive with a 51-yard touchdown run.
Scoring Play: ShunDerrick Powell 51 run (Jake Gaster kick)
Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:00
ACU 17, Central Arkansas 14
2Q (8:54) – The Wildcats answered another short UCA touchdown with another long drive to regain a 10-point lead.
Isaiah Johnson started the drive with a 12-yard run, followed by a 20-yard pass from
Maverick McIvor to Nehemiah Martinez. Three plays later, ACU faced a fourth-and-1 at the UCA 13 when Johnson bulled his way for two yards and a first down. Three plays later, McIvor hit
Hut Graham in the right flat, and he turned upfield and dove into the end zone for a touchdown.
Scoring Play: Hut Graham 9 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 4:02
ACU 24, Central Arkansas 14
2Q (4:54) – ACU's defense got a big takeaway when ShunDerrick Powell dropped a backward pass.
Elijah Moffett fell on the loose ball, and ACU took over possession on its 41-yard line. ACU got some help on the drive with a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on UCA's David Walker, moving the ball to the UCA 41-yard line. Five plays later,
Maverick McIvor found Nehemiah Martinez on a middle screen, and he went untouched into the end zone for a 26-yard scoring play and a 17-point ACU lead.
Scoring Play: Nehemiah Martinez 26 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
Drive: 8 plays 59 yards, 2:40
ACU 31, Central Arkansas 14
2Q (0:00) – Central Arkansas got a fourth-down stop against ACU with 1:40 left in the first half and turned the ensuing drive into points just before halftime. Quarterback Will McElvain completed four passes for 39 yards on the drive, and ACU helped the Bears' cause with a targeting penalty that resulted in the ejection of ACU defensive back
Jameer Dudley. On first-and-and-goal from the ACU 9-yard line with six seconds left, McElvain escaped a sack and threw the ball out of bounds beyond the end zone. The ball hit the ground with one second left in the half, giving the Bears a chance at points before the teams went to halftime. Jake Gaster drilled a 26-yard field goal on the first half's final play to cut ACU's advantage to 31-17.
Scoring Play: Jake Gaster 26 field goal
Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 1:40
ACU 31, Central Arkansas 17
3Q (5:52) –
Kaghen Roach blocked a short field goal attempt by UCA kicker Jake Gaster on UCA's first drive of the second half, and the Wildcats immediately turned that play into points. On the first play of the ensuing drive,
Maverick McIvor hit Nehemiah Martinez on a go route down the far sideline. Martinez caught the call at the UCA 49 and carried the ball down to the UCA 5 for a 75-yard gain, his second 70-yard-plus gain in the game. But the UCA defense stiffened and held the Wildcats to a 20-yard field goal by
Ritse Vaes and a 34-17 lead.
Scoring Play: Ritse Vaes 20 field goal
Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:21
ACU 34, Central Arkansas 17
3Q (0:36) – The Bears got right back in the game, largely thanks to the ACU defense, which collected two 15-yard personal foul penalties and an offside penalty for 35 of the 87 yards the Bears picked up on the drive. UCA got to the ACU 36-yard line and had a fourth-and-1, but Darius Hale picked up two yards to keep the drive alive. At the end of the play, ACU's
Harold West was flagged for a personal foul, moving the ball to the ACU 19. Two plays later, Will McElvain shoveled the ball to ShunDerrck Powell for an 11-yard scoring pass, cutting ACU's lead to 10 points.
Scoring Play: ShunDerrick Powell 11 pass from Will McElvain (Jake Gaster kick)
Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 5:08
ACU 34, Central Arkansas 24
4Q (12:52) – On the second play of the fourth quarter – with his team facing third-and-1 on its 34-yard line –
Isaiah Johnson broke through the UCA defensive front and found nothing but open field in front of him. He went 56 yards to the UCA 10 before he was dragged down by a horse collar tackle by James Jordan, moving the ball to the 5-yard line. Three plays later,
Maverick McIvor hit Nehemiah Martinez in the middle, and he stepped into the end zone for his third touchdown catch of the day, putting him over 200 receiving yards in the game.
Scoring Play: Nehemiah Martinez 3 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:44
ACU 41, Central Arkansas 24
4Q (7:49) – The Bears cut into the ACU lead by only three points, settling for a 21-yard field goal after driving to a first-and-goal on the ACU 9-yard line. Will McElvain completed 5 of 7 passes on the drive for 51 yards and scrambled three times for 17 yards. On third-and-goal from the ACU 4, McElvain's pass to Tyion Berry was incomplete, and the Bears settled for a field goal.
Scoring Play: Jake Gaster 21 field goal
Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 5:03
ACU 41, Central Arkansas 27
4Q (1:38) – After the UCA defense forced a punt, the offense took over at its 10-yard line and moved smartly down the field to the touchdown that brought the Bears to within seven points. Quarterback Will McElvain was 3 of 7 passing on the drive for 64 yards and scrambled twice for 19 more, moving his team to the ACU 11, where he hit Trejan Bridges with an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Scoring Play: Trejan Bridges 11 yards from Will McElvain (Jake Gaster kick)
Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 2:51
ACU 41, Central Arkansas 34
POST-GAME NOTES
• ACU wide receiver Nehemiah Martinez finished with seven catches for 202 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Wildcat receiver since Darian Hogg went for 10 catches, 208 yards, and two touchdowns against Concordia on Aug. 13, 2013, to post 200 receiving yards in a game. The win over Concordia was ACU's first game at the NCAA Division I level. Marinez finished the game with 151 yards after the catch.
• ACU quarterback
Maverick McIvor threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, leading ACU to a 31-17 halftime lead. The 260 yards through the air is more than he's thrown for in 18 of his previous 25 games and more than he threw for in 10 of 11 games during the 2023 season.
• McIvor moved into sole possession of fifth place in career touchdowns with his first touchdown pass of the game, breaking a tie he had with John Mayes and Loyal Proffitt, giving him 45 at the time. He finished the first half with 48 career touchdown passes, and after his fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Martinez, he has 49 career TD passes.
• McIvor finished the game with 6,140 career passing yards, moving up two spots on the program's all-time passing yardage chart. He's now eighth all-time after passing Clint Longley (6,037 yards) and Jim Reese (5,946 yards). Next up in McIvor's sights is Luke Anthony (seventh with 6,320 career passing yards).
• UCA running back ShunDerrick Powell carried the ball 23 times for 256 yards and one score – a 95-yard touchdown run – in last year's win over ACU. Saturday, he had 10 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, but the Wildcat defense limited him to 28 yards on 10 carries in the second half as he finished with 155 yards and two scores on 20 carries. Two of Powell's 20 carries went for 62 and 51 yards, meaning he had 18 other carries for just 42 yards.
• ACU rang up 506 yards against Central Arkansas, which is the most the Bears have allowed this season. The previous high was 457 yards by Arkansas State in the season-opener.
• ACU quarterback
Maverick McIvor and receiver Nehemiah Martinz hooked up on a 70-yard touchdown pass and a 75-yard pass play Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats now have six pass plays of at least 70 yards this season, which is a program record.
QUOTING ACU HEAD COACH KEITH PATTERSON
On the win over Central Arkansas: "That win feels good, but we're not there yet. Our goal this year wasn't to beat Central Arkansas. We started the season with a goal to go 5-0 at home. After we lost to Idaho, we said we wanted to finish 4-1 at home. And if we'll do that, we'll put ourselves in a position to play meaningful football in November."
On the ACU defense's effort against ShunDerrick Powell: "I told our guys at halftime that if we swarm him, we can slow him down. If it were going to be a bunch of one-on-one tackles, it would be a long day. We were much better with that in the second half. We knew he was quick, but, boy, you get out there on the field, and he's just got another gear."
UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back on the road next Saturday (Oct. 12), taking on North Alabama in a United Athletic Conference game in Florence, Alabama. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. ACU won last year's game, 30-13, in Abilene to tie the series, 1-1.
