Saturday, September 5
Lubbock, TX
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
0-2 , 0-0
10
at
33
Texas Tech
1-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Texas Tech | 14 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
Photo by: Jonathan Sargent
Broome Takes Kickoff to the House as No. 20 ACU Battles No. 12 Texas Tech
9/5/2026 10:59:00 PM | Football
LUBBOCK, Texas — No. 20 Abilene Christian football found several bright spots in a 33-10 loss to Texas Tech, the 12th ranked team in the FBS, on Saturday night in front of a sold-out Galaxy Stadium crowd of over 60,000.
Running back Alex Broome provided the highlight of the night with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Boston College transfer broke at least four tackles and sprinted down the left sideline to the end zone with blockers in front of him. It was Broome's second electric return of the season after taking a kickoff 100 yards to the end zone at Lamar last week, but it was negated due to a holding penalty.
The score marked ACU's first kickoff return touchdown since Oct. 12, 2019, when Gage Graham took a Houston Baptist onside kick 43 yards to the end zone. The Wildcats' last traditional kickoff return touchdown was Justin Miller's 93-yard score at Stephen F. Austin in 2016. Broome registered ACU's longest kickoff return touchdown since 2009, when Justin Johnson took a kick 100 yards to the house.
ACU's defense had a bend-but-don't-break game by forcing Texas Tech to kick four field goals. The Wildcats kept the Red Raiders out of the end zone throughout the second and third quarters, keeping one of the nation's most dynamic offenses at bay. ACU induced three drives of six yards or fewer, including two three-and-outs. Head coach Keith Patterson served as Texas Tech's defensive coordinator from 2019-21.
Just shy of 45 minutes of game action separated the Red Raiders' second and third touchdowns.
SPUR Dillon Williams had a night to remember as a constant presence behind the Texas Tech line of scrimmage. He tallied a team-high 10 tackles, a career-best 2.5 of which came for a loss. Williams added a pass breakup.
Safety Javeon Wilcox delivered a spark with a second-quarter interception as the Red Raiders marched in Wildcat territory. It was the first pick of the senior safety's career, who spent the 2024 season at Texas Tech. Wilcox chipped in seven tackles as did linebacker Darius Moore.
Linebacker Gabe Brown and safety DeAngelo Ponder each notched career highs with eight and seven tackles, respectively. Brown had six solo takedowns and a tackle for loss, while Ponder collected five solo tackles, half a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup. Jailyn Gibbs provided a tackle for loss.
Fifth-year wide receiver Cristian Driver put together a career night, reeling in eight catches for 93 yards. Five of his receptions went for 10 yards or more. Fellow fifth-year Broome complemented him on the ground with 52 yards on 10 carries.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback John David Black, making the first start of his career, showed poise in completing 18 of 32 passes for 119 yards. The third-year quarterback from Flower Mound, Texas repeatedly attacked the Red Raiders with short passes. After completing his first 11 passes in last week's season-opener at Lamar, Black connected on his first seven throws against Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders struck first on their opening two drives, turning each of them into rushing touchdowns and eating up over 10 minutes of game time.
Wilcox swung the momentum in the Wildcats' favor with 7:08 to go in the second quarter, jumping a pass and coming away with a sliding interception at ACU's 7-yard line. The pass was initially ruled incomplete, but overturned to an interception following a review. The Wildcats couldn't cash in on the possession deep in their own territory.
Following a 23-yard Texas Tech field goal 1:38 to go before halftime, ACU marched 51 yards downfield on 11 plays. With seven seconds before the break, Brandon Perez put the Wildcats on the board with a 41-yard field goal straight down the pipe. Both teams entered their locker rooms in a 17-3 ballgame.
The Red Raiders added a trio of field goals out of halftime, but the Wildcats' defense stood tall with a pair of red zone stops. Texas Tech scored its first touchdown since the first quarter with 2:45 to play, but Broome and ACU answered with a kickoff return to the house. The Wildcats followed it up by forcing the Red Raiders' second of two fourth-quarter three-and-outs.
Running back Alex Broome provided the highlight of the night with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Boston College transfer broke at least four tackles and sprinted down the left sideline to the end zone with blockers in front of him. It was Broome's second electric return of the season after taking a kickoff 100 yards to the end zone at Lamar last week, but it was negated due to a holding penalty.
The score marked ACU's first kickoff return touchdown since Oct. 12, 2019, when Gage Graham took a Houston Baptist onside kick 43 yards to the end zone. The Wildcats' last traditional kickoff return touchdown was Justin Miller's 93-yard score at Stephen F. Austin in 2016. Broome registered ACU's longest kickoff return touchdown since 2009, when Justin Johnson took a kick 100 yards to the house.
ACU's defense had a bend-but-don't-break game by forcing Texas Tech to kick four field goals. The Wildcats kept the Red Raiders out of the end zone throughout the second and third quarters, keeping one of the nation's most dynamic offenses at bay. ACU induced three drives of six yards or fewer, including two three-and-outs. Head coach Keith Patterson served as Texas Tech's defensive coordinator from 2019-21.
Just shy of 45 minutes of game action separated the Red Raiders' second and third touchdowns.
SPUR Dillon Williams had a night to remember as a constant presence behind the Texas Tech line of scrimmage. He tallied a team-high 10 tackles, a career-best 2.5 of which came for a loss. Williams added a pass breakup.
Safety Javeon Wilcox delivered a spark with a second-quarter interception as the Red Raiders marched in Wildcat territory. It was the first pick of the senior safety's career, who spent the 2024 season at Texas Tech. Wilcox chipped in seven tackles as did linebacker Darius Moore.
Linebacker Gabe Brown and safety DeAngelo Ponder each notched career highs with eight and seven tackles, respectively. Brown had six solo takedowns and a tackle for loss, while Ponder collected five solo tackles, half a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup. Jailyn Gibbs provided a tackle for loss.
Fifth-year wide receiver Cristian Driver put together a career night, reeling in eight catches for 93 yards. Five of his receptions went for 10 yards or more. Fellow fifth-year Broome complemented him on the ground with 52 yards on 10 carries.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback John David Black, making the first start of his career, showed poise in completing 18 of 32 passes for 119 yards. The third-year quarterback from Flower Mound, Texas repeatedly attacked the Red Raiders with short passes. After completing his first 11 passes in last week's season-opener at Lamar, Black connected on his first seven throws against Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders struck first on their opening two drives, turning each of them into rushing touchdowns and eating up over 10 minutes of game time.
Wilcox swung the momentum in the Wildcats' favor with 7:08 to go in the second quarter, jumping a pass and coming away with a sliding interception at ACU's 7-yard line. The pass was initially ruled incomplete, but overturned to an interception following a review. The Wildcats couldn't cash in on the possession deep in their own territory.
Following a 23-yard Texas Tech field goal 1:38 to go before halftime, ACU marched 51 yards downfield on 11 plays. With seven seconds before the break, Brandon Perez put the Wildcats on the board with a 41-yard field goal straight down the pipe. Both teams entered their locker rooms in a 17-3 ballgame.
The Red Raiders added a trio of field goals out of halftime, but the Wildcats' defense stood tall with a pair of red zone stops. Texas Tech scored its first touchdown since the first quarter with 2:45 to play, but Broome and ACU answered with a kickoff return to the house. The Wildcats followed it up by forcing the Red Raiders' second of two fourth-quarter three-and-outs.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
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LB
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K
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ FootballTeam Stats
ACU
TTU
Total Yards
194
471
Pass Yards
119
298
Rushing Yards
75
173
Penalty Yards
17
60
1st Downs
15
26
3rd Downs
6
5
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
27:48
32:12
1st Quarter
ACU 0, TTU 7
TTU - Joyner,Quinten 14 yd run (Harrington,Stone kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:46
ACU 0, TTU 14
TTU - Williams,J'Koby 5 yd run (Harrington,Stone kick), 15 plays, 87 yards, TOP 07:17
2nd Quarter
ACU 0, TTU 17
TTU - Harrington,Stone 23 yd field goal 7 plays, 45 yards, TOP 01:45
ACU 3, TTU 17
ACU - Perez,Brandon 41 yd field goal 11 plays, 51 yards, TOP 01:31
3rd Quarter
ACU 3, TTU 20
TTU - Harrington,Stone 28 yd field goal 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 01:50
ACU 3, TTU 23
TTU - Harrington,Stone 33 yd field goal 10 plays, 52 yards, TOP 03:19
ACU 3, TTU 26
TTU - Harrington,Stone 45 yd field goal 8 plays, 40 yards, TOP 03:22
4th Quarter
ACU 3, TTU 33
TTU - Simmons,Malcolm 64 yd pass from Hammond,Will (Harrington,Stone kick) 9 plays, 91 yards, TOP 03:49
ACU 10, TTU 33
ACU - Broome,Alex 98 yd kickoff return (Perez,Brandon kick)
Game Leaders
CMP
18
TD
0
YDS
119
INT
1
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