LUBBOCK – For the last several months, ACU head coach
Keith Patterson has insisted the 2024 season will be a special one in his third year at the helm. In their first chance to prove their coach right, the Wildcats almost pulled off the biggest win in program history.
The Wildcats went into Jones AT&T Stadium as considerable underdogs against Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference but gave the Red Raiders all they wanted in a 52-51 overtime loss. ACU – which tied the game with seven seconds left in regulation on a 21-yard field goal by
Ritse Vaes – fell behind 52-45 on the opening drive of overtime but came right back and scored on a 1-yard run by
Isaiah Johnson to cut the Tech lead to 52-51.
Patterson went for the win instead of the tie, but Jayden Cofield tripped up ACU quarterback
Maverick McIvor as he tried to scramble out of the pocket on the 2-point conversion play. McIvor was terrific in his return to Tech, where he originally signed out of San Angelo Central High School. He completed 36 of 51 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns, leading an ACU offense that 615 yards on 86 plays.
McIvor is just the third quarterback in ACU history to throw for more than 500 yards in a game, joining Jim Reese (564 yards vs. Angelo State in 1976) and Mitchell Gale (506 yards in a 2011 overtime playoff loss at Washburn, Mo.) in that exclusive club. He is the first quarterback to throw for more than 500 yards against an NCAA Division I opponent.
ACU fell behind 15-0 early and trailed 32-14 with three minutes left in the first half before a touchdown pass of 71 yards from McIvor to
Blayne Taylor cut the Tech lead to 32-21 at halftime. The Wildcat defense – which limited Tech to 13 points in the third and fourth quarters – had two fourth-down stops in the third quarter, including on the first drive of the second half to give the ball back to the offense.
The Wildcats went 96 yards for a score on their opening drive of the half to cut Tech's lead to 32-28. The Red Raiders, however, responded with a one-play touchdown drive to re-establish a two-score lead. But McIvor and the Wildcats answered with a four-play drive that ended when McIvor hit Tech transfer Nehemiah Martinez with a 30-yard touchdown pass to make it 39-35.
Tech was held to a field goal with 8:32 left in the fourth quarter to make it 42-35, and then ACU responded with a drive that ended with a Johnson 5-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 42-42 with 4:58 to play. Tech kicker Gino Garcia kicked a 31-yard field goal with 2:39 to play, then the Wildcats drove back down the field and had two passes into the end zone to win the game with less than 15 seconds to play, but both fell incomplete. ACU settled for the short field goal from Vaes to send the game to overtime.
Tech opened overtime with the ball, and quarterback Behren Morton engineered a five-play drive that ended when he hit Caleb Douglas with a 14-yard scoring pass. The PAT gave the Red Raiders a 52-45 lead. ACU answered with a drive of its own, overcoming a third-and-10 situation to get Johnson into the end zone for the third time in the game, this time from 1 yard out.
But McIvor was tripped up on the two-point play, giving the Red Raiders the win by the narrowest of margins. Taylor caught seven passes for 141 yards and one touchdown for the Wildcats, while Martinez had six catches for 88 yards and one score. Another Tech transfer,
Trey Cleveland, had eight catches for 78 yards for ACU. Johnson carried the ball 13 times for 42 tough yards and scored three times.
ACU (0-1) will return to action next week (Saturday, Sept. 7) when it hosts West Georgia in a United Athletic Conference game at Wildcat Stadium on the ACU campus. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in the first meeting between the teams.
GAME SUMMARY
How They Scored
1Q (10:43) – ACU's offense went three-and-out on the game's opening possession, and Tech took over on its 29-yard line. Tahj Brooks – one of the nation's top returning running backs – carried the ball six times for 42 yards on the march to the game's first score. Tech converted on all three third-down plays on the drive, including a third-and-13 from the 18-yard line that saw Brooks score on a sweep to the right side.
Scoring Play: Tahj Brooks 18 run (Gino Garcia PAT)
Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 3:28
Texas Tech 7, ACU 0
1Q (8:18) – After going three-and-out on their first possession, the ACU offense turned the ball over on the fifth play of its second drive, giving it to the Red Raiders at the ACU 17. The Raiders needed just two plays to score, both on passes from Behren Morton to Coy Eakin, including a 4-yard TD pass.
Scoring Play: Coy Eakin 4 pass from Behren Morton (Jalin Conyers rush)
Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:24
Texas Tech 15, ACU 0
1Q (3:48) – The Wildcats' third drive looked more like the offense head coach
Keith Patterson has been raving about since the spring as they moved 80 yards on nine plays to a touchdown. ACU converted a third-and-8 on a 19-yard pass from
Maverick McIvor to
Hut Graham, moving the ball out to the ACU 41-yard line. McIvor and Graham hooked up for another completion of 12 yards on the drive, and Nehemiah Martinez had an 11-yard run on a reverse. McIvor then found a wide-open
Jed Castles for a 31-yard touchdown pass, giving the Wildcats their first touchdown of the 2024 season.
Scoring Play: Jed Castles 31 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick)
Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:36
Texas Tech 15, ACU 7
1Q (1:34) – The Red Raiders quickly answered ACU's touchdown with another score as Morton and Eakin hooked up again from 35 yards out to regain a two-score lead.
Scoring Play: Eakin 35 pass from Morton (Garcia PAT)
Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:14
Texas Tech 22, ACU 7
2Q (11:53) – McIvor's arm got the Wildcats into the red zone, and transfer running back
Isaiah Johnson finished off the scoring drive as ACU drew to within one score on Johnson's first touchdown of 2024. McIvor completed 5 of 7 passes for 59 yards on the drive, including a big 9-yard completion to Ole Miss transfer
J.J. Henry on third-and-5 to keep the march alive. Johnson finished the drive with three runs from the 18-yard, including a 2-yard scoring run.
Scoring Play: Isaiah Johnson 2 run (Vaes kick)
Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:42
Texas Tech 22, ACU 14
2Q (9:58) – Texas Tech's Drae McCray returned the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to the ACU 26, but the Wildcat defense stiffened and kept the Red Raiders out of the end zone. On third-and-4 from the ACU 20, Brooks took the handoff from Morton but was stuffed by ACU nose guard
David Oke for a loss of one yard, forcing a 39-yard field from Gino Garcia.
Scoring Play: Gino Garcia 39 field goal
Drive: 3 plays, 5 yards, 2:05
Texas Tech 25, ACU 14
2Q (2:55) – After ACU was forced the punt, the Red Raiders took over on the 30 and moved quickly, thanks to a 13-yard pass from Morton to Josh Kelly and a 16-yard run by Brooks. But on second-and-5 from the ACU 28, Morton was sacked for an 8-yard loss by
Luke Gambs, and on third-and-13, Morton's pass for Josh Kelly was incomplete. Tech passed on the long field goal, and instead, Morton fired deep down the right sideline for Jalin Conyers, who made a catch in the end zone, just getting his right foot down in the end zone before falling out of bounds.
Scoring Play: Jalin Conyers 36 pass from Morton (Reese Burkhardt kick)
Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:51
Texas Tech 32, ACU 14
2Q (1:50) – The Wildcats wasted no time getting back on the scoreboard as they cut the Tech lead back to a two-score advantage. On third-and-6 from the ACU 29, McIvor found
Blayne Taylor behind the defense and hit him in stride. Taylor stepped out of a tackle and took it the rest of the way for a 71-yard touchdown.
Scoring Play: Blayne Taylor 71 pass from Morton (Vaes kick)
Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:05
Texas Tech 32, ACU 21
3Q (5:12) – The Wildcats' offense got back on the scoreboard, thanks to a big goal-line stand by the ACU defense that kept the Red Raiders from scoring on their first drive of the second half. Tech moved smartly with the half's opening drive before bogging down inside the ACU 5-yard line. On fourth-and-1, Brooks was stuffed for a loss of 3 by
Devin Dawson and Oke, giving the ball to the Wildcats. ACU got out of trouble on the first play as McIvor hit
Javon Gipson for 23 yards. Tree plays later on third-and-10, McIvor and Taylor hooked up for 36 yards to the Tech 37. Eight plays later, Banks capped the drive with a 1-yard run to make it a one-score game.
Scoring Play: Rovaughn Banks 1 run (Vaes kick)
Drive: 11 plays, 96 yards, 4:27
Texas Tech 32, ACU 28
3Q (4:50) – Texas Tech wasted no time re-establishing a two-score lead as McCray had his second long kickoff return of the night, a 65-yarder to give the Red Raiders the ball at the ACU 35. The Red Raiders scored on the first play on a flea-flicker, with Morton hitting Josh Kelly from 35 yards away to give the Red Raiders an 11-point lead.
Scoring Play: Josh Kelly 35 run from Behren Morton (Garcia kick)
Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:07
Texas Tech 39, ACU 28
4Q (11:45) – Another ACU fourth-down stop led to another touchdown drive as the Wildcats again cut the Red Raiders' lead to one score. With the Red Raiders at the ACU 41, Brooks was stopped for a 1-yard gain. Cameron Brown picked up two yards on third-and-4 before Oke tipped Morton's fourth-down pass to give the ball back to ACU. McIvor hit Banks out of the backfield for 21 yards on first down, and two plays later, the Red Raiders were flagged for a personal foul to move the ball to the Tech 26. Two plays later, McIvor found Nehemiah Martinez for a 30-yard touchdown to cut the lead to four points.
Scoring Play: Nehemiah Martinez 30 pass from McIvor (Vaes kick)
Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:34
Texas Tech 39, ACU 35
4Q (11:45) – Another ACU fourth-down stop led to another touchdown drive as the Wildcats again cut the Red Raiders' lead to one score. With the Red Raiders at the ACU 41, Brooks was stopped for a 1-yard gain. Cameron Brown picked up two yards on third-and-4 before Oke tipped Morton's fourth-down pass to give the ball back to ACU. McIvor hit Banks out of the backfield for 21 yards on first down, and two plays later, the Red Raiders were flagged for a personal foul to move the ball to the Tech 26. Two plays later, McIvor found Nehemiah Martinez for a 30-yard touchdown to cut the lead to four points.
Scoring Play: Nehemiah Martinez 30 pass from McIvor (Vaes kick)
Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:34
Texas Tech 39, ACU 35
4Q (8:32) – ACU's defense once again kept the Red Raiders out of the end zone, forcing Tech to settle for a field goal after a 52-yard drive that kept the Wildcats at a one-score deficit. A holding penalty on Tech pushed the Red Raiders back to the 23-yard line, and after an incomplete pass on third down, Tech settled for a 41-yard field goal from Reese Burkhardt.
Scoring Play: Reese Burkhardt 41 field goal
Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 3:13
Texas Tech 42, ACU 35
4Q (4:58) – ACU's offense took the ensuing kickoff and went down the field to tie the game with less than five minutes to play. McIvor hit
Trey Cleveland for 23 yards on third-and-8 from the ACU 27, and then he hit
Isaiah Johnson out of the backfield for another 27 yards down to the Tech 5-yard line. On the next play, Johnson was walloped at the four but spun off the tackle and bulled his way into the end zone.
Scoring Play: Isaiah Johnson 5 run (Vaes kick)
Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:37
Texas Tech 42, ACU 42
4Q (2:39) – The Red Raiders answered ACU's game-tying touchdown by moving smartly inside the ACU 10-yard line before the Wildcat defense stiffened. Morton threw incomplete on second-and-1 from the 8 before a false start penalty moved Tech back to the 13. Another incomplete pass forced a field goal by Gino Garcia that broke the tie.
Scoring Play: Gino Garcia 31 field goal
Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 2:13
Texas Tech 45, ACU 42
4Q (0:07) – McIvor led the Wildcats back down the field and had ACU in position to win the game in the final seconds, getting the ball to the Tech 4-yard line with 15 seconds to play. Two fade passes were incomplete as ACU stayed away from tipped balls and interceptions in the middle of the field, and
Ritse Vaes punched a 21-yard field goal through to tie the game at 45-45.
Scoring Play: Ritse Vaes 21 field goal
Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 2:34
Texas Tech 45, ACU 45
Overtime– Tech opened overtime with a five-play touchdown drive sparked by Morton, who completed 3 of 3 passes for 16 yards on the drive. However, he overcame a third-and-11 play from the ACU 14 after a pass to Jalin Conyers resulted in a 7-yard loss. But on the third-down play, he hit Caleb Douglas from 14 yards out for the go-ahead score.
Scoring Play: Caleb Douglas 14 pass from Behren Morton (Reese Burkhardt kick)
Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards
Texas Tech 52, ACU 45
Overtime – As they did all night, the Wildcats responded with a clutch touchdown drive. The drive's biggest play before the score was an 11-yard pass from McIvor to
Blayne Taylor on third-and-10 from the 25. McIvor hit
Isaiah Johnson on a wheel route to the 1-yard line, and Johnson scored his third touchdown on the next play. McIvor was tripped and sacked by Jayden Cofield as he scrambled out of the pocket on the two-point conversion play, sealing Tech's one-point win.
Scoring Play: Johnson 1 run (McIvor run failed)
Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards
Texas Tech 52, ACU 51
KEY STAT
The Wildcats piled up 615 yards of total offense against the Red Raiders, the 19th-best total in program history, the third-most against an NCAA Division I opponent, and the most against an FBS opponent. ACU's two best offensive games against NCAA Division I games are a 692-yard output against Prairie View in a 65-45 win on Nov. 16, 2013, and a 633-yard effort against then-Houston Baptist in a 59-14 victory on Sept. 27, 2014. But no ACU team has come close to matching the Wildcats' output against Tech in a game against an FBS foe. ACU's previous best offensive total against an FBS opponent was 498 yards in a 38-37 loss to Georgia State in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 27, 2014, in its first game as a full member of NCAA Division I and its first game against an FBS opponent. The most points the Wildcats had ever scored against an FBS opponent was 38 when the Wildcats beat Troy, 38-35, on Sept. 13, 2014. ACU's 30 first downs against Tech are the most the Wildcats have accumulated against an FBS opponent.
POST-GAME NOTES
• Saturday night's game was the 10th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Red Raiders, and the win pushed Tech's lead in the series to 7-3. Before Saturday's game, the last game in the series was a 20-0 win by Texas Tech on Sept. 10, 1949.
• ACU's 51 points against Tech is the most the Wildcats have scored in the 10-game series against the Red Raiders. The most the Wildcats had ever scored in a game against Tech was seven (four times). In their three wins over Tech (in 1927, 1928, and 1929), the Wildcats won by the scores of 6-3, 7-0, and 7-3, respectively.
• In their previous nine games against Texas Tech, the Wildcats scored a total of 46 points and were shut out in their last two meetings against the Red Raiders: 34-0 on Sept. 20, 1941, and 20-0 on Sept. 10, 1949.
• The Wildcats are scheduled to return to Jones AT&T Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, as they will take on the Red Raiders in the season-opening game for both teams.
• All seven Texas Tech transfers on the ACU roster were in the starting lineup Saturday night: QB
Maverick McIvor, WRs
Hut Graham,
Nehemiah Martinez, and
Trey Cleveland, center
Tay Yanta, tight end
Jed Castles, and punter
Grant Nickel.
• The Big Country was well-represented in Saturday's game, with 11 players from the Abilene area on the two rosters. ACU has six players from the Big Country on its roster: wide receiver
Jeshari Houston (Abilene High, transfer from Tulsa), wide receiver
Brelon Badon (Abilene High), running back
Chad Lara (Abilene High), linebacker
Reese Young (Stephenville), offensive lineman
Cameron Vann (Abilene Wylie), and defensive lineman
Jerry Lawson (Breckenridge). Texas Tech has five players from the Big Country on its roster: defensive back
A.J. McCarty (Brownwood), starting quarterback
Behren Morton (Eastland), wide receiver
Coy Eakin (Stephenville), running back Adam Hill (Albany), and wide receiver
Chandlin Myers (Hawley).
• With his three touchdown passes against the Red Raiders, McIvor has thrown 36 in his career, 10th on ACU's all-time list. He is two TD passes away from passing
Jim Reese (37 from 1973-76) for ninth and three from passing
Parker McKenzie (38 from 2013-16) for eighth all-time.
QUOTING ACU HEAD COACH KEITH PATTERSON
On ACU's performance: "There was something different about this team during the summer and fall camp. There was a competitive spirit and nature in this group that I hadn't witnessed during my first two years at ACU. I didn't know if it would carry over when you flip on the lights against a Big 12 opponent. I didn't know if we would compete with that same mental intensity, but we did. I was proud of the resilience we showed to continue fighting back. They never got down on the sideline and kept saying we would win the game, and that's how we played."
On the two-point play: "After they scored the touchdown to start overtime, I made up my mind and told (offensive coordinator) Rick Bowie that if we scored, we were going for two and the win. We came here to play to win, and that's how we played."
QUOTING TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH JOEY McGUIRE
On ACU's performance: "I talked to their offensive coordinator (Rick Bowie) after the game and thought he called a great game. They've got some really good personnel, and they were able to make a lot of big plays against us. They put a lot of pressure on us. It was hard for us to get pressure on the quarterback because that ball was coming out quick, and we tried everything. They just did some really good things."
