#15 Wildcats rally for win; play for UAC title next week

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – And now it's for all the marbles.
 
ACU rallied from a 27-13 halftime deficit Saturday afternoon to beat Austin Peay, 35-34, in a United Athletic Conference game at Fortera Stadium that gets the Wildcats to the game they've had circled on the schedule for at least the last month: next Saturday night at Tarleton State.
 
The 15th-ranked Wildcats (7-3 overall and 6-1 in the UAC) and 14th-ranked Texans (8-2 and 5-1) will meet next Saturday at 6 p.m. in Stephenville with the UAC championship and an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs at stake. In short, it's the biggest football game of ACU's 12 years at the NCAA Division I level (since 2013).
 
ACU's second-largest halftime deficit of the season happened because its defense gave up two more long scoring plays, the offense was forced to punt twice, ran the ball for only 51 yards, and couldn't answer 13 straight points by Austin Peay to end the first half.
 
However, the second half was a completely different game as the defense came to life, forcing four points and allowing just 107 yards and seven points. The Wildcats forced a punt after a Sam Hicks in the fourth quarter with ACU trailing by six points, setting up the game-winning touchdown drive. And on Austin Peay's final drive of the game, defensive tackle David Oke sprinted from midfield to near the sideline to tackle Governors' quarterback Austin Smith one yard short of a first down on fourth-and-5.
 
"I reminded our guys at halftime that we were down by 21 at halftime against Idaho and came roaring back (lost 24-21)," ACU head coach Keith Patterson said. "We just had to play with some intensity. We were sleepwalking in the first half. I told them we needed to get a stop and go down and score. Then, we needed to do it again. It was a two-score lead, the worst lead in football."
 
That's precisely what the Wildcats did, getting back-to-back stops from its defense to start the third quarter and touchdowns from the offense on the first two drives of the third quarter to take a 28-27 lead. Austin Peay regained the lead with 11:54 to play, and then the Hicks fumble gave the ball back to Austin Peay with 8:23 left and ACU driving for the go-ahead score.
 
But the defense rose up, forcing a punt and giving the ball back to ACU on its 26 with 6:19 to play.  Maverick McIvor completed four passes for 73 yards on the drive, including a 24-yard pass to Blayne Taylor to get the ball to the Austin Peay 16. The Wildcats gained one yard on their next three plays before McIvor hit Jed Castles with a perfect throw for a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-9.
 
ACU's defense then forced the turnover on downs, thanks in part to Oke's hustle play. The Wildcats ran out the final 1:57 to earn their seventh win of the season. 
 
McIvor finished the game 25 of 42 for 355 yards and three touchdowns, with J.J. Henry catching three passes for 125 yards and two scores and Taylor adding nine catches for 107 yards. Hicks carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards and two scores, and Isaiah Johnson had 75 yards on 11 carries.

GAME SUMMARY
How They Scored
1Q (12:35) – The Governors wasted no time getting on the board. After their defense forced a three-and-out on ACU's first possession, the Governors needed just three plays to get into the end zone. On first-and-10 from the Austin Peay 42, quarterback Austin Smith – who completed his first 19 passes last week – found Jaden Barnes near midfield. He split two ACU defenders and cruised the rest of the way into the end zone.
              Scoring Play: Jaden Barnes 58 pass from Austin Smith (Carson Smith kick)
            Drive: 3 plays, 69 yards, 0:55
             Austin Peay 7, ACU 0
 
1Q (9:58) – The Wildcats wasted no time answering Austin Peay's touchdown with one of their own, scoring in less than three minutes to tie the game, 7-7. On second-and-7 from the ACU 34, quarterback Maverick McIvor dropped back and floated the ball down the middle of the field to a wide-open J.J. Henry, who caught the ball just past midfield and coasted into the end zone, completing the 66-yard touchdown pass.
              Scoring Play: J.J. Henry 66 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
            Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:31
             ACU 7, Austin Peay 7
 
1Q (6:39) – Austin Peay moved smartly down the field, aided by a 38-yard pass play from Austin Smith to Jaden Barnes that got the Governors to the ACU 15-yard line. Two plays later, La'Vell Wright took a direct snap and scored from the 2-yard line to put the Governors back in front.
              Scoring Play: La'Vell Wright 2 run (Smith kick)
            Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:13
             Austin Peay 14, ACU 7
 
1Q (3:52) – Maverick McIvor and J.J. Henry hooked up for another easy touchdown pass, drawing the Wildcats even with the Governors at 14-14. On third-and-11 from the Austin Peay 44, McIvor stepped up in the pocket and found Henry again all alone over the middle of the field. He caught the ball at the 7-yard line and stepped into the end zone for his second touchdown.
              Scoring Play: Henry 44 pass from McIvor (Vaes kick)
            Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 2:42
             ACU 14, Austin Peay 14
 
2Q (10:38) – The Governors moved back down the field, getting inside the ACU 10-yard line with a first-and-goal from the 8 before the Wildcats' defensive stiffened. On second-and-goal from the 3, a direct snap to La'Vell Wright was high, and defensive end Christ Wright was there to swallow him up for a four-yard loss. Then, on third-and-goal from the 7, Jerry Lawson dropped Austin Smith for a sack and loss of five yards. The Governors were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal and a 17-14 lead.
              Scoring Play: Carson Smith 29 field goal
            Drive: 14 plays, 57 yards, 8:06
             Austin Peay 17, ACU 14
 
2Q (8:24) – Austin Peay's defense forced an ACU three-and-out after the field goal and wasted little time pushing its lead to two scores. On the drive's first play, Governors' quarterback Austin Smith connected with Jaden Barnes at the ACU 30, and he went the rest of the way to complete the 73-yard touchdown play.
              Scoring Play: Jaden Barnes 73 pass from Austin Smith (C. Smith kick)
            Drive: 1 play, 73 yards, 0:11
             Austin Peay 24, ACU 14
 
2Q (0:00) – ACU answered Austin Peay's one-play touchdown drive with a solid drive, moving from its 34 to the Austin Peay 29, thanks to two pass plays from McIvor to Blayne Taylor that totaled 29 yards and an 11-yard run by Sam Hicks. But Ritse Vaes missed a 46-yard field goal, giving the Governors the ball at the 29. The Governors drove to their own field goal to end the half, this one a 33-yarder from Carson Smith to give them a 27-14 halftime lead.
              Scoring Play: Carson Smith 33 field goal
            Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 4:59
             Austin Peay 27, ACU 14
 
3Q (6:23) – The Wildcats got right back in the game thanks to their best drive of the day. After the defense forced a second three-and-out by the Austin Peay offense, the Wildcats went to work from their 44-yard line. Sam Hicks ran three times for 13 yards, and Maverick McIvor completed 4 of 5 passes for 34 yards to get ACU to the Austin Peay 14-yard line. The biggest play in the drive was a 15-yard strike from McIvor to J.J. Henry, who dove to make a 15-yard catch on fourth-and-5 from the Austin Peay 29-yard line. Hicks scored from 14 yards out on the next play, a zig-zagging run that saw Hicks power through three arm tackle attempts to get into the end zone.
              Scoring Play: Sam Hicks 14 run (Vaes kick)
            Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 5:12
             Austin Peay 27, ACU 21
 
3Q (0:55) – After the defense forced the third Austin Peay punt of the third quarter, ACU returned to work and moved 72 yards to the touchdown that gave the Wildcats their first lead. Isaiah Johnson had a 22-yard run on second-and-9 early in the drive and an 18-yard run that got ACU to the Austin 25-yard line. After Maverick McIvor completed a pass for 10 yards to Sam Hicks to the 15, Hicks took the handoff and scored untouched from 15 yards out to knot the game at 27-27. The Ritse Vaes PAT gave ACU its first lead, 28-27.
              Scoring Play: Sam Hicks 15 run (Vaes kick)
            Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:25
             ACU 28, Austin Peay 27
 
4Q (11:54) – Austin Peay put together its best drive of the second half, moving 68 yards in seven plays to regain the lead over the Wildcats. Austin Smith completed passes of 16 and 42 yards to get his team to the ACU 9-yard line. It took four plays from the 9, but Smith powered in from one foot out on fourth-and-goal to put his team back in front.
              Scoring Play: Austin Smith 1 run (Cameron Smith kick)
            Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:53
             Austin Peay 34, ACU 28
 
4Q (3:07) – The Wildcats were moving midway through the fourth quarter before a Sam Hicks fumble gave the ball back to Austin Peay. ACU's defense, however, forced a three-and-out, turning the ball back over to the Wildcats at their 26-yard line. Maverick McIvor completed four passes for 73 yards on the drive, including a 24-yard pass from McIvor to Blayne Taylor to get the ball to the Austin Peay 16. The Wildcats gained one yard on their next three plays before McIvor hit Jed Castles for a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-9.
              Scoring Play: Jed Castles 15 pass from Maverick McIvor (Vaes kick)
            Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 3:12
             ACU 35, Austin Peay 34

POST-GAME NOTES
• Saturday's 27-14 halftime deficit marked the fourth time the Wildcats had trailed at halftime this season and was their second-largest deficit. In the season-opener in Lubbock, they trailed Texas Tech 32-21, fell behind Northern Colorado 10-7 in Week 3, and trailed Idaho at home 20-3.
• ACU running back Sam Hicks had two touchdown runs against Austin Peay, giving him 10 for the season, the third-highest total by an ACU running back in the program's Division I era (since 2013). Tracy James set the DI-era record with 14 in 2019, breaking the record of 12 set by Charcandrick West in the program's first season at the DI level (2013).
• After giving up 318 yards and 27 points in the first half, ACU's defense buckled down in the second half, limiting the Governors to 107 yards and seven points, forcing them to punt four times, and forcing a turnover on downs to seal the game. Austin Peay had the ball five times in the first half, scored all five times, and had two 14-play drives. Their longest drive in the second half was seven plays when they gained most of their second-half yardage (68 yards) and scored their only second-half points.
• With his 355-yard, three-touchdown performance against Austin Peay, ACU quarterback Maverick McIvor continued to climb the career passing charts. He is fifth in ACU history with 58 touchdowns, three from tying Jim Lindsey for fourth. He has 590 completions, leaving him five away from tying Rex Lamberti (595) for fifth on the all-time list.
 
QUOTING ACU HEAD COACH KEITH PATTERSON
 
On the Wildcats' lackluster first-half performance: "We came out flat, which is hard to understand. At this time of the season, you can't do that. I tried to tell our players all week long that I don't care what Austin Peay's record was (3-4 and 2-2 going into the game); they're the defending conference champions, they still have good players, and they had won three of their last four games. We have to learn to bring it every week from the kickoff to the final whistle. But I'm so proud of the fight our players showed in the second half to come back and win the game."
 
On the game-winning touchdown pass to Jed Castles: "That was four-down territory, and we were prepared for it. If we hadn't scored there, it would have been up to our defense to get a quick stop and get the ball back to our offense. But it was a great call by (offensive coordinator) Rick Bowie, a great throw by Mavericks, and a great catch by Jed. Great execution by the offense on that play."
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats play the most crucial game of the program's NCAA Division I era next Saturday at Tarleton State. If the Wildcats beat the Texans, they will win the United Athletic Conference championship and earn the league's automatic berth into the FCS national playoffs. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville.