GREELEY, Colo. – The NCAA Transfer Portal took away one of the greatest kickers in ACU football history when
Kyle Ramsey packed up and went to Arkansas after a record-setting 2023 season. The portal, however, gave the Wildcats
Ritse Vaes from Midwestern State, and he paid dividends Saturday afternoon by saving his new team on a hot and sunny afternoon in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Vaes drilled a 54-yard field goal on the game's final play to give the Wildcats a 24-22 win over Northern Colorado. The field goal was pushed back an additional 15 yards on the play before the kick because of a dubious personal foul call on ACU offensive lineman
Dylan Kinney. But the Vaes field goal never wavered, going through the posts inside the right upright with plenty of distance to spare, setting a wild celebration in the middle of the field for the Wildcats, who improved to 2-1 with the win.
The loss was a gut-punch for Northern Colorado, which is now 0-3 on the season and the owner of a 15-game losing streak dating back to the final game of the 2022 season. The Bears – who led 10-0 and then trailed 21-10 – scored twice in the fourth quarter to regain a 22-21 lead. But UNC missed on both 2-point conversions, and those missing four points kept ACU within a field goal of the win.
After UNC scored with 1:10 to play on a 3-yard run by quarterback Hank Gibbs, the Bears had a 22-21 lead and just needed a stop to get its first win since Nov. 12, 2022. ACU started on its 25-yard line, and after a 3-yard loss on the first play, it didn't look like this one would come down to heroics from a transfer placekicker.
But ACU quarterback
Maverick McIvor hit
Javon Gipson for 12 yards,
Jacoby Boykins for another 12, and Nehemiah Martinez for 14, moving the ball to the UNC 22-yard line. After a pass out of bounds killed the clock with five seconds left, the umpire threw the flag on Kinney, who was bull-rushed, fell backward, and rolled over. The official called a personal foul for a leg whip, pushing the ball back to the 37-yard line.
ACU head coach
Keith Patterson said he thought about a Hail Mary but eventually sent the kicking team onto the field. The snap from
Devan Daugherty was accurate, the hold by
Hugo Nash was good, and the kick by Vaes sailed through the uprights on the south end of Nottingham Field to give the Wildcats a most improbable win.
"I've been doing this a long time, and it's never over until it's over," Patterson said. "It became more challenging when we tried to get a few more yards and got a personal foul penalty. I decided to go with my gut because the odds of making that field goal were higher than chunking one into the end zone and taking our chances with a Hail Mary. We decided to give Ritse a shot, and he came through."
The Wildcats didn't find a rhythm on offense in the first half until their final drive, when they moved 66 yards in four plays for a score to trim UNC's lead to 10-7 at halftime. Until then, ACU had gone three-and-out on its first seven drives and had just 17 yards of offense.
The Wildcats scored twice in the third quarter to take a 21-10 lead and looked like they would end up coasting to a win over the Bears. But UNC scored on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives that cumulatively took up 30 plays, covered 144 yards, and took 12:47 off the clock. The Gibbs touchdown run left the Wildcats 70 seconds on the clock, and they used every bit of it to get the win.
McIvor finished the day 20 of 34 for 229 yards and one touchdown, with Gipson catching seven passes for 102 yards. Running back
Sam Hicks carried the ball nine times for 76 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown run near the end of the first half that got ACU on the board. He also scored on a 17-yard pass from McIvor that gave ACU a 14-10 lead early in the third quarter.
The Wildcats finished with 325 yards of offense to just 266 for the Bears, who were just 6 of 13 throwing the ball for 25 yards.
GAME SUMMARY
How They Scored
1Q (3:57) – After each team punted on its first three possessions, the Bears finally broke the scoring drought by moving 48 yards to a field goal. UNC got into scoring position on a 39-yard run by Darius Stewart to the ACU 21-yard line. ACU's defense held, forcing a 35-yard field goal by Hunter Green and a 3-0 UNC lead.
Scoring Play: Hunter Green 35 field goal
Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:42
Northern Colorado 3, ACU 0
2Q (13:52) – The Bears scored on back-to-back drives to take a two-score lead as the defense forced another three-and-out, getting the offense the ball back at the Bears' 38-yard line. Northern Colorado took advantage of two 15-yard pass interference penalties on ACU on the drive, moving to the ACU 3-yard line. On second-and-goal from the 2, Caden Meis burst through on a hole on the left side for a touchdown and a 10-0 UNC lead.
Scoring Play: Caden Meis 2 run (Green PAT)
Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 4:42
Northern Colorado 10, ACU 0
2Q (1:09) – The Wildcats didn't have a first down on their first seven possessions but finally caught a break when UNC kicker Hunter Green missed a 51-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the first half. The Wildcats took advantage of the break, needing just four plays to maneuver 66 yards to a touchdown pass from
Maverick McIvor to
Sam Hicks. On second-and-4 from the ACU 40, McIvor found
Javon Gipson for 28 yards to the UNC 32 and the team's initial first down (1:27 left in the half). Another pass from McIvor to Gipson picked up 15 yards to the 17, and then McIvor hit Hicks on a wheel route down the right sideline for the touchdown that brought ACU to within three points at halftime.
Scoring Play: Sam Hicks 17 pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes PAT)
Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 0:46
Northern Colorado 10, ACU 7
3Q (9:32) – The Wildcats started the second half exactly as they wanted: a three-and-out defensive stop on the opening drive by UNC and a touchdown drive by the offense to take the lead. After the defense shut down UNC to start the second half, ACU got the ball at its 20-yard line and wasted no time taking its first lead. On second-and-9 from the 21,
Maverick McIvor hit
Javon Gipson for 14 yards to the 35-yard line. On the next play,
Sam Hicks – who scored the Wildcats' only touchdown of the first half on a 17-yard scoring pass – broke through a hole on the right side, slipped through a couple of attempted ankle tackles, and scored from 65 yards away to give ACU a 14-10 lead.
Scoring Play: Sam Hicks 65 run (Vaes PAT)
Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:05
ACU 14, Northern Colorado 10
3Q (1:00) – The Wildcats moved out to a two-score lead after the defense forced another three-and-out, giving the offense the ball. ACU moved meticulously down the field, covering 84 yards in nine plays and taking 3:50 off the clock.
Maverick McIvor and receiver
Blayne Taylor hooked up three times for 50 yards on the drive, including a 32-yard pass down the left sideline that pushed the Wildcats into UNC territory at the 35. On second-and-5 from the 14,
Sam Hicks carried nine yards for a first down, and
Isaiah Johnson finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Scoring Play: Isaiah Johnson 5 run (Vaes PAT)
Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 3:50
ACU 21, Northern Colorado 10
4Q (8:42) – The Bears got back in the game with a long touchdown drive, and the entire march was on the ground. ACU's
Elijah Moffett was whistled for a personal foul for a horse collar tackle on the drive's first play, moving the ball out to the UNC.40-yard line. From there, all the yards on the drive were gained on the ground, led by Darius Stewart, who carried four times for 25 yards on the march. Caden Meis finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run on fourth down, his second scoring run of the day.
Scoring Play: Caden Meis 2 run (pass failed)
Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:18
ACU 21, Northern Colorado 16
4Q (1:10) – The Bears forced a three-and-out, took possession, and went on another long touchdown drive to regain the lead. This drive was 14 plays, covering 69 yards and taking 5:29 off the clock. Backup quarterback Hank Gibbs – all 6-7, 240 pounds of him – carried the ball seven times for 39 yards on the drive and completed 1 of 2 passes for seven yards. He scored the go-ahead touchdown from three yards out with 70 seconds left in the game.
Scoring Play: Hank Gibbs 3 run (pass failed)
Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 5:29
Northern Colorado 22, ACU 21
4Q (0:00) – After losing three yards on the drive's first play,
Maverick McIvor hit
Javon Gipson for 12 yards,
Jacoby Boykins for another 12, and Nehemiah Martinez for 14, moving the ball to the UNC 22-yard line. After a pass out of bounds killed the clock with five seconds left, the umpire threw the flag on Kinney, who was bull-rushed, fell backward, and rolled over. The official called a personal foul for a leg whip, pushing the ball back to the 37-yard line.
Scoring Play: Vaes 54 field goal
Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 1:10
ACU 24, Northern Colorado 22
KEY STAT
ACU went three-and-out on its first seven drives, accumulating just 17 yards of offense on those 21 plays. On their final seven drives, the Wildcats scored three touchdowns and the game-winning field goal, racking up 308 yards on just 33 plays.
POST-GAME NOTES
• Before Saturday, the last time the Wildcats won a game on the final play was Oct. 31, 2020, when Blair Zepeda hit a 38-yard field goal to beat Mercer, 20-17.
• Vaes is the 15th kicker in ACU football history to kick a field goal of at least 50 yards. His 54-yard game-winner is tied for the fifth-longest field goal in program history. He is only the sixth kicker in program history to kick a field goal of at least 54 yards, joining Ove Johansson (world-record 69-yard field goal in 1976), Bob Bearden (58 yards in 1969), Morgan Lineberry (56 yards in 2009 and 54 yards in 2011),
Kyle Ramsey (55, 54, and 54 yards in 2023), and Dennis Brown (54 yards in 1987).
• The 54-yard field goal to beat Northern Colorado is the longest final-play, game-winning field goal in program history.
• Vaes had a 54-yard game-winning field goal against Eastern New Mexico last year, but it wasn't on the game's final play.
QUOTING ACU HEAD COACH KEITH PATTERSON
On the finish to the game: "I've been doing this a long time, and it's never over until it's over. It became more challenging when we tried to get a few more yards and got a personal foul penalty. I decided to go with my gut because the odds of making that field goal were higher than chunking one into the end zone and taking our chances with a Hail Mary. We decided to give Ritse a shot, and he came through."
On ACU's performance: "We've talked about taking the next step as a program, and we took another step (Saturday night). In the two previous years, we wouldn't have won that game. We did (Saturday). I was proud of our kids and thought they fought hard for four quarters. They were big and physical up front and had a great game plan. That was a good win for us on the road."
On the game-winning field goal by Ritse Vaes: "He has a big leg, and when he hits the ball, there's a different sound. I knew when he kicked it we had a chance as long as it stayed on course. What a great way to win."
QUOTING ACU PLACEKICKER RITSE VAES
On the game-winning field goal: "When I go out there, I don't look to see how long it is. I was thinking about hitting the ball as well as I could, keeping my eyes down, chest up, and getting through the ball. I still don't know if I made it because I never saw the ball go through the uprights. I kicked it and saw it moving right to left, and then I started running away so I wouldn't get trampled by my teammates. It was a lot of fun."
UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back at Wildcat Stadium next Saturday for a Family Weekend contest against the nationally ranked Idaho Vandals. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Idaho (#4 FCS STATS Perform Top 25 / #5 AFCA Top 25) is the fifth Top 25 program to play in Abilene since ACU moved to NCAA Division I FCS football in 2013, joining Incarnate Word in 2023, Sam Houston State in 2015, 2017, and 2021, McNeese State in 2017, and Nicholls in 2018. ACU is 1-5 in home games against nationally ranked opponents since becoming an NCAA Division I FCS affiliate, including 1-3 at Wildcat Stadium. The only win in home games against nationally ranked FCS teams is a 28-12 win over then-No. 11 Nicholls on Oct. 13, 2018. Sam Houston State is the highest-ranked FCS team to ever play in Abilene as the No. 1-ranked Bearkats beat ACU, 35-9, on Nov. 20, 2021. Sam Houston won the FCS national championship in May 2021 during the COVID-delayed FCS championship season.
