ACU Drive No. 2

ACU takes over at the 20. RB Daryl Richardson tries the left side, gaining 1 . On second down, Richardson is stopped for a loss of 3. Gale scrambles to the left, but slips and falls, down at the ACU 22, creating fourth down. A punt by Mark Sprague is fielded at the 40, where the returner's knee was down at the catch. 5:48 left in Q1.

ASU Drive No. 1

ACU kickoff is fielded and returned to the ASU 32. ASU QB is Josh Neiswander, a junior. His pass to the left sideline is caught for a first down at the ASU 49 for a first down. ANother pass ic ompltee in the left flat to FL V'Keon Lacey  at the ACU 47. RB Michael Simpers scampers around right end for a first down at the ACU 31. Pass to Zach McCormick is complete at the 27. Another pass is complete at the ACU 27. Pass to SL Antwon Williams is good for a first down at the ACU 21. Pass to FB Austin Benson is incomplete in the left flat. ACU is called for offsides, and the ball moves to the 16. Garrett Tidwell runs up the middle, losing 1 yard. On second down, Neiswander passes to Tidwell, who drops it at the line of scrimmage. Neiswander srambles to the right and overthrows his receiver in the middle of the field. A 33-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Smith is wide and low to the right, and ACU's 7-0 lead is preserved with 8:11 left in Q1.

ACU Drive No. 1

Angelo State kickoff is fielded in the end zone for a touchback. Ball on the 20, with Wildcats headed north. RB Daryl Richardson carries up the middle to the 24 on first down. Richardson around left end finds plenty of room, and finds first down yardage at the 32.Gale throws a swing pass to Richardson in the left flat, and he carries for another first down at the 47. Gale passes over the middle to FB Justin Andrews, who tips the pass, and acrobatically catches it while hitting the ground at the Ram's 26. Richardson runs up the middle for another first down at the ASU 10. Richardson plows off right tackle for a gain of 5 to the Ram 5, where it is second down. Richardson runs off right tackle again, to the 3. Richardson follows the same path again, stopped at the 1. Time out for a measurement. Third and 1 from the 1. Richardson follows left tackle, and ends up in the end zone for a Wildcat TD. Morgan Lineberry's PAT is good and the Wildcats finish a nine-play, 80-yard drive, a model of efficiency and effectiveness, and a great way to start this game. 7-0 with 11:06 left in Q1.

Welcome Back to a Rivalry

SAN ANGELO – It's been 12 years since a game between ACU (6-0) and Angelo State (5-1) featured two nationally ranked teams, so it's a good sign to see the No. 2-ranked Wildcats and the No. 23 Rams play a meaningful game against each other.  The weather in San Angelo is sunny, about 70 degrees and with a stiff breeze from the north; a far cry from the cold (58 degrees) and overcast weather back in Abilene.

This is Homecoming for the Rams, which may or may not be an advantage for the home team. If there's anything a football coach dislikes, it's a break in his team's routine, and Homecoming provides all kinds of distractions that can make a team's performance tires go flat in a hurry.  We'll see how this one goes.

This marks the second start for redshirt freshman QB Mitchell Gale of ACU, who enjoyed a 300-yard debut (completing 20 of 28 passes) last week up in Ada, Okla., against East Central University.  He will face the LSC's top sack-producing defense, and likely will be blitzed all night long.  Gale is an agile runner and has a wealth of receiver options, so he's not likely to accept sacks.  Still, the way to rattle a young QB is to put pressure on him, and the Rams will likely be happy to do that.

ACU offers an unusual balance this season; they are the only Lone Star Conference team to rank in the top four in total offense, scoring offense, total defense and scoring defense.  Coach Chris Thomsen's team has the second best rush defense in the nation, ranking second with just 32.3 yards per game.  ACU has the top rushing offense in the LSC averaging a little over 208 yards per game.

Both teams have common opponents.  ACU edged Texas A&M-Commerce in the Cotton Bowl, 20-14, and ASU opened it season with a 21-7 win over the Lions.  Both teams beat East Central; ACU 43-6 and the Rams 29-9.  They also share wins over pass-happy Eastern New Mexico, ACU 44-33 and ASU 47-23.  Angelo State's only loss is to Division I-AA Texas State University, 48-28

October Surprise

After losing three of the best players in school history and arguably the best triumvirate ever to play together on a Division II team, all ACU has done this season is average better than 36 points and 426 yards per game in winning its first six games. Redshirt freshman Mitchell Gale engineered the most recent victory in his first career start, throwing for an even 300 yards and 3 TD in a 43-6 rout of hapless East Central.

We'll find out how hapful this edition of the Wildcats really is over the season's final five games, which are as follows beginning Saturday in San Angelo (overall record/LSC record):

at Angelo St. (5-1/4-0)
vs. West Texas A&M (1-5/1-3)
at Tarleton St. (5-1/3-1)
vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-0/4-0)
at Midwestern St. (5-1/3-1)

Four of those five teams have legitimate playoff aspirations and the other, WT, will make that Oct. 17 tilt against ACU its playoff game. I've called every game on radio this season, and I honestly have no idea what to expect from the ACU offense. If whoever plays QB - for now, Gale - protects the football, the Wildcats will be tough to beat. Problem is, they've only had one game without a turnover all season (the 33-14 win over Southeastern OK St.).

But I'll be surprised if any of those final five score more than 20 or so points offensively. The ACU D has allowed only nine TD, and only five of those were drives that began outside the ACU 35-yard line. (Even one of those five came with many of the starters already out of the game.)

As for those three players ACU lost? Two are playing for 3-1 teams in the NFL, and one of them - Chicago Bears WR/KR Johnny Knox - scored in his third consecutive game Sunday against Detroit. Knox took the second half kickoff back 102 yards for a TD to give the Bears a 28-21 lead they'd never surrender. He would leave the game later with a shin injury that isn't considered to be serious.

(That's to say nothing of former Wildcat Danieal Manning, who tied for a team-leading nine tackles and returned his only kickoff 43 yards to set up the Bears' put-away touchdown.)

In Cincinnati's 23-20 overtime victory over Cleveland, Bengals RB Bernard Scott surpassed his season total in rushes and yards with 6 carries for 41, including consecutive runs of 11 and 16 yards during a 4th quarter, game-tying TD drive. Scott also starred on special teams, returning two kickoffs for 24 and 28 yards and saving a touchdown by tackling the Browns' Josh Cribbs after a long runback.

ACU 6-0 without Billy, Bernard and Johnny. Johnny and Bernard not just playing for but contributing to 3-1 NFL teams. The Cowboys being every bit as dysfunctional even without TO and Jessica Simpson. Okay, so maybe some things aren't so surprising.