Final: ACU 24, UIW 12

With 11:16 to play, UIW’s Saul Meza kicked his fourth field goal of the game, this one a 26-yarder to pull the Cardinals to within 5 points, 17-12.

Charcandrick West puts ACU further ahead with a 5-yard TD run, capping an eight-play, 62-yard drive. Ryan Owens’ PAT kick was good, giving the Wildcats a 24-12 lead with 8:17 left.

FINAL STATISTICS

First downs: UIW 20, ACU 18

Rushing: UIW 46 for 181 yards, ACU 18 for 76 yards

Passing: ACU 25 of 36 for 408 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT, UIW 16 of 25 for 104 yards

Total yards: ACU 484, UIW 285

Penalties: ACU 8 for 89 yards, UIW 4 for 27 yards

Time of possession: UIW 36:06, ACU 23:54

Third-down conversions: ACU 2 of 8, UIW 5 of 16

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, 25 of 36 for 408 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT

ACU rushing: Charcandrick West, 11 for 72 yards, Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 1 for 0 yards; John David Baker, 2 for 11 yards; and Mitchell Gale, 2 for -3 yards

ACU receiving: Charcandrick West, 4 for 109 yards and 1 TD; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 9 for 102 yards; Darian Hogg, 3 for 92 yards and 1 TD; Demarcus Thompson, 5 for 70 yards; Jonathan Parker, 2 for 19 yards; Temi Ogunleye, 1 for 13 yards; and Taylor Gabriel, 1 for 3 yards

ACU tackles: Justin Stephens, 12.5 and 1 sack; Mike Wallace, 9; Angel Lopez, 4.5 and 1 sack; Nick Richardson, 4.5 and 1 sack

End of Q3: ACU 17, UIW 9

UIW's Saul Meza kicked a 37-yard field goal with 7:20 left in the quarter, cutting ACU's lead to 17-9. The drive was set up by a Kielyn Lewis interception of ACU's Mitchell Gale.

Halfway through the quarter, on a 28-yard pass completion to Demarcus Thompson on second down and 8 from the Wildcat 40-yard line, Gale became the ACU and Lone Star Conference career passing leader.

End of Q2: ACU 17, UIW 6

On ACU's first drive of the quarter, Mitchell Gale completed a short shovel pass to Charcandrick West and the speedy back went 87 yards – the longest TD pass play in Gale's four-year career – at the 14:42 mark. Ryan Owens’ PAT was successful, giving the Wildcats a 10-6 lead.

With 2:58 left in the quarter, Gale dialed another long-distance TD strike, this one for 80 yards to wide receiver Darian Hogg. Owens’ PAT kick put the Wildcats up 17-6. 

FIRST-HALF STATISTICS

First downs: UIW 13, ACU 7

Rushing: UIW 28 for 120 yards, ACU 5 for 14 yards

Passing: ACU 9 of 17 for 237 yards and 2 TDs, UIW 11 of 17 for 79 yards

Total yards: ACU 251, UIW 199

Penalties: ACU 3 for 24 yards, UIW 1 for 2 yards

Time of possession: UIW 22:02, ACU 7:58

Third-down conversions: ACU 1 of 4, UIW 2 of 9

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 9 of 17 for 237 yards and 2 TDs

ACU rushing: Charcandrick West, 3 for 16 yards, Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 1 for 0 yards; and Mitchell Gale, 1 for -2 yards

ACU receiving: Charcandrick West, 3 for 106 yards and 1 TD, Darian Hogg, 1 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 4 for 48 yards; and Taylor Gabriel, 1 for 3 yards

ACU tackles: Justin Stephens, 8.5; Mike Wallace, 7; Angel Lopez, 2.5 and 1 sack; Nick Richardson, 1.5 and 1 sack

End of Q1: UIW 6, ACU 3

Incarnate Word did not get off to a great start. Marcus Wright fumbled the opening kickoff, giving ACU the ball at the UIW 12-yard line.

The Wildcats could not convert on a touchdown try, so they settled for a 27-yard field goal by Ryan Owens at the 14:30 mark, and a 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals went on a 17-play drive that concluded with a 43-yard field goal by Saul Meza with 6:25 left, pulling UIW even at 3-3.

Following an ACU punt, UIW went on top 6-3 with a 28-yard field goal by Meza with 42 seconds on the clock.

Final: ACU 22, West Alabama 16 OT

West Alabama got on the scoreboard when backup quarterback Kyle Caldwell threw a 10-yard TD pass to wide receiver Malik Lofton with 12:34 left, cutting ACUs lead to 13-7.

ACU added another 3 points on Ryan Owens’ third field goal of the game, a 24-yarder with

Caldwell threw his second TD pass of the quarter a 34-yarder to Chad Toocheck with 6:06 remaining. However, linebacker Thor Woerner blocked the extra point attempt, leaving the new score 16-13.

UWA cashed in on its third scoring drive of the quarter when placekicker Ryne Smith booted a 30-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 16.

ACU's Darrell Cantu-Harkless returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the Tigers’ 46-yard line, and Morgan Lineberry's 63-yard field goal attempt as time expired fell short.

ACU got the ball in the first overtime and scored when Cantu-Harkless caught a pass in the left flat and scored a 14-yard TD. The Wildcats held the Tigers on their possession, with defensive back Steven Ford breaking up a fourth-down pass to give the Wildcats the wild win.

FINAL STATISTICS
First downs: ACU 22, UWA 16

Rushing: ACU 34 for 87 yards, UWA 41 for 155 yards

Passing: ACU 24 of 42 for 284 yards and 1 TD, UWA 21 of 30 for 240 yards

Total yards: ACU 371, UWA 395

Penalties: ACU 6 for 45 yards, UWA 4 for 28 yards

Time of possession: UWA 29:36, ACU 30:24

Third-down conversions: ACU 9 of 18, UWA 4 of 14

Fourth-down conversions: ACU 2 of 3, UWA 4 of 6

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 24 of 42 for 284 yards and 1 TD

ACU rushing: Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 13 for 58 yards; Charcandrick West, 12 for 55 yards, Taylor Gabriel, 2 for 7 yards; and Eldon Crochran, 1 for 2 yards

ACU receiving: Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 9 for 113 yards and 1 TD; Taylor Gabriel, 5 for 71 yards; Darian Hogg, 5 for 46 yards; Demarcus Thompson, 2 for 31 yards; Drew Peters, 1 for 16 yards; Charcandrick West, 1 for 5; and Eldon Crochran, 1 for 2 yards

ACU tackles: Angel Lopez, 12 and 1 forced fumble; Mike Wallace, 11; L.B. Suggs, 9; Justin Stevens, 8 and 1 fumble recovery; and Thor Woerner, 7 and 1 blocked PAT

End of Q3: ACU 13, West Alabama 0

Ryan Owens kicked his second field goal of the game with 3:23 left in the third quarter, a 24-yarder that put ACU further ahead, 13-0.

The quarter ended with West Alabama driving into Wildcat territory.

End of Q2: ACU 10, West Alabama 0

ACU drove to the UWA 19 but a sack, a bad snap from center and a delay of game penalty pushed the Wildcats back to the 35, where they were forced to punt.

On their next drive, ACU advanced to the Tigers 10-yard line, but fell 1 yard short of a first down on fourth down and 4, turning the ball over to UWA on downs at the 7-yard-line with 4:41 left in the half.

UWA’s George Rowe ran 10 yards for a first down but Wildcat defensive back Angel Lopez forced a fumble that Justin Stewart recovered on the ACU 30-yard line with 1:47 remaining.

FIRST-HALF STATISTICS

First downs: ACU 10, UWA 6

Rushing: ACU 17 for 49 yards, UWA 17 for 38 yards

Passing: ACU 14 of 23 for 176 yards, UWA 7 of 9 for 91 yards

Total yards: ACU 225, UWA 129

Penalties: ACU 6 for 45 yards, UWA 3 for 23 yards

Time of possession: UWA 13:29, ACU 16:31

Third-down conversions: ACU 2 of 8, UWA 1 of 5

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 14 of 23 for 176 yards

ACU rushing: Charcandrick West, 7 for 33 yards and 1 TD, Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 4 for 28 yards; Taylor Gabriel, 2 for 7 yards; and Mitchell Gale, 3 for -4 yards

ACU receiving: Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 5 for 70 yards; Taylor Gabriel, 3 for 46 yards; Demarcus Thompson, 2 for 31 yards; Darian Hogg, 2 or 11 yards; Drew Peters, 1 or 16 yards; and Eldon Crochran, 1 for 2 yards

ACU tackles: Mike Wallace, 5; Justin Stewart, 3 and 1 fumble recovery; L.B. Suggs, 3; Thor Woerner, 3; Angel Lopez, 3 and 1 forced fumble; Travis Tarver, 3; and Melvin Shead, 3

End of Q1: ACU 10, West Alabama 0

ACU opened the game with a 33-yard pass from quarterback Mitchell Gale, playing in the final home game of his career, to wide receiver Taylor Gabriel. The Wildcats successfully gambled on a fourth-down-and-1 from the West Alabama 22 yard line. Three plays later, Ryan Owens kicked a 34-yard field goal to put his team on top, 3-0 with 9:58 left in the first quarter.

West Alabama's first drive was stopped by the Wildcat defense, and Darrell Cantu-Harkless returned the Tiger punt 71 yards to the UWA 9-yard line. Three plays later, Charcandrick West barreled up the middle for a 1-yard TD. Owens’ successful PAT gave ACU a 10-0 lead with 5:50 remaining.

The quarter ended with ACU beginning its third drive of the game.

Final: MSU 35, ACU 31

Tight end Jamie Walker caught a 5-yard pass from Mitchell Gale with 5:43 left in the game. Ryan Owens’ successful PAT put ACU back on top, 31-28.

But the Mustangs answered right back on their next drive, with Brandon Kelsey wrapping up a 12-play, 75-yard drive by rushing for his fourth TD of the game, an 11-yarder with 1:27 remaining that put MSU back in the lead, 35-31.

A last-gasp drive by ACU started at the Wildcat 35-yard-line but ended six plays later when a pass from Gale, intended for Darian Hogg, landed out of bounds with 49 seconds on the clock.

MSU ran out the clock and the Wildcat upset bid ended.

FINAL STATISTICS

First downs: MSU 30, ACU 25

Rushing: MSU 53 for 389 yards, ACU 32 for 92 yards

Passing: ACU 26 of 38 for 335 yards and 3 TDs, MSU 12 of 16 for 121 yards and 1 INT

Total yards: MSU 510, ACU 427

Penalties: MSU 8 for 90 yards, ACU 5 for 43 yards

Time of possession: ACU 30:26, MSU 29:34

Third-down conversions: ACU 5 of 12, MSU 4 of 6

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 26 of 38 for 335 yards and 3 TD

ACU rushing: Charcandrick West, 18 for 63 yards; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 7 of 12; Marcel Threat, 2 for 9 yards; and Mitchell Gale, 5 for 8 yards

ACU receiving: Taylor Gabriel, 9 for 116 yards and 2 TDs; Darrell Cantu-Harless, 7 for 94 yards; Darian Hogg, 4 for 66 yards; Demarcus Thompson, 3 for 33 yards; Charcandrick West, 1 for 16 yards; Elton Crochran, 1 for 5 yards; Jamie Walker, 1 for 5 yards

ACU tackles: L.B. Suggs, 13; Angel Lopez, 12; Steven Ford, 10 and 1 INT, Justin Stephens, 9; and Mike Wallace, 8; 

End of Q3: MSU 28, ACU 24

MSU went back on top, 21-17, when Kelsey ran for his third TD of the game at the 9:23 mark, a 6-yard rush up the middle.

ACU responded with an 8-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Mitchell Gale's 20-yard TD pass to Taylor Gabriel with 5:24 left, putting the Wildcats back on top, 24-21.

MSU kept the ball on the ground for its next drive, moving 82 yards in eight plays. Lone Star Conference rushing leader Keidrick Jackson ran the final 8 yards for a TD to put his team back in the lead, 28-24, with 1:48 left.

End of Q2: ACU 17, Midwestern 14

Morgan Lineberry missed a 49-yard field goal at the 12:23 mark.

MSU looked to be driving for another score when Keivan Swanson fumbled the ball following a catch, and ACU linebacker Mike Wallace recovered at the Wildcat 19-yard line with 10:59 left.

ACU's Ryan Owens kicked a 32-yard field goal with 4:04 left.

On MSU's next drive, defensive back Steven Ford intercepted Brandon Kelsey's pass on the Wildcat 45-yard line with 2:40 left.

ACU's drive stalled and Owens' 49-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 53 seconds left.

FIRST-HALF STATISTICS
First downs: ACU 16, MSU 13

Rushing: MSU 16 for 145 yards, ACU 25 for 80 yards

Passing: ACU 13 of 17 for 187 yards and 1 TD, MSU 8 of 10 for 81 yards and 1 INT

Total yards: ACU 267, MSU 226

Penalties: MSU 4 for 50 yards, ACU 3 for 27 yards

Time of possession: MSU 09:55, ACU 20:05

Third-down conversions: ACU 3 of 7, MSU 1 of 1

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 13 of 17 for 187 yards and 1 TD

ACU rushing: Charcandrick West, 18 for 63 yards; Marcel Threat, 2 for 9 yards; and Mitchell Gale, 5 for 8 yards

ACU receiving: Taylor Gabriel, 5 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Darrell Cantu-Harless, 4 for 46 yards; Darian Hogg, 2 for 45 yards; Charcandrick West, 1 for 16 yards; and Elton Crochran, 1 for 5 yards

ACU tackles: L.B. Suggs, 7; Angel Lopez, 5; Mike Wallace, 5; Jesse Harper, 6; and Steven Ford, 2 and 1 INT

End of Q1: ACU 14, Midwestern 14

ACU kept the ball on the ground for much of its opening drive, and opened the scoring when Mitchell Gale hit Taylor Gabriel with a 10-yard TD pass at the 10:08 mark. Morgan Linebery's successful PAT put ACU on top, 7-0.

Midwestern answered with a touchdown on its first drive. Quarterback Brandon Kelsey kept the ball and ran 2 yards for the score, pulling the Mustangs even at 7-7 with 6:10 left.

A third-down, 46-yard pass from Gale to Gabriel keyed the Wildcats' second drive. Charcandrick West ran 3 yards for a TD on the next play, and Lineberry's PAT made the new score 14-7 with 2:49 remaining.

It only took the Mustangs five plays to move 75 yards, with Kelsey knotting the score at 14-14 when he scampered 30 yards for a TD with 33 seconds left in the quarter.

FInal: ACU 59, ENMU 17

ENMU scored when quarterback Wesley Wood ran 5 yards for a TD with 8:40 left, cutting the ACU lead to 52-17.

Using a new quarterback combination of John David Baker and Caleb Stone, ACU drove to another score with 4:46 left. Marcel Threat ran 5 yards for the TD, and Lineberry's successful PAT made the new, and final, score 59-17.

FINAL STATISTICS

First downs: ACU 24, ENMU 20

Rushing: ENMU 55 for 244 yards, ACU 33 for 136 yards

Passing: ACU 19 of 29 for 261 yards and 4 TDs, ENMU 9 of 19 for 68 yards and 3 INTs

Total yards: ACU 397, ENMU 312

Penalties: ENMU 8 for 64 yards, ACU 9 for 70 yards

Time of possession: ENMU 34:56, ACU 24:04

Third-down conversions: ACU 5 of 10, ENMU 5 of 15

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 18 of 28 for 252 yards and 4 TDs; John David Baker, 1 of 1 for 9 yards

ACU rushing: Marcel Threat, 12 for 70 yards; Charcandrick West, 8 for 32 yards; Cade Stone, 2 for 19; Travis Tarver, 3 for 14 yards; and Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 1 for 10

ACU receiving: Taylor Gabriel, 8 for 112 yards; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 4 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Darian Hogg, 2 for 26 yards and 2 TDs; Charcandrick West, 1 for 17 yards; Elton Crochran, 1 for 11 yards; Drew Peters, 1 for 9 yards; and DeMarcus Thompson, 1 for 6 yards

ACU tackles: Thor Woerner, 12; Mike Wallace, 11 and 1 INT; and Jesse Harper, 11

End of Q3: ACU 52, ENMU 10

Charcandrick West scored on a 17-yard pass from Mitchell Gale on ACU's opening drive of the second half, upping ACU's lead to 38-10 with 11:23 left. Morgan Lineberry's PAT was good.

Wildcat defensive lineman Melvin Shead intercepted a Wesley Wood pass at the ENMU 7-yard line and returned it for a TD with 4:15 remaining. Lineberry's PAT made the new score 45-10.

ACU scored for the third time this quarter, Darian Hogg catching an 8-yard pass from Gale in the right corner of he end zone with 14 seconds left. Lineberry's PAT upped the Wildcat lead to 52-10.

End of Q2: ACU 31, ENMU 10

The Wildcats increased their lead to 21-7, completing a 12-play, 99-yard drive spanning the end of the first and beginning of the second. Mitchell Gale's 12-yard pass to Darian Hogg padded ACU's lead at the 12:30 mark.

Freshman cornerback Tyler Chapman intercepted a Wesley Wood pass on ENMU's next drive, giving the ball back to ACU. The Wildcats converted the turnover into more points when Morgan Lineberry kicked a 29-yard field goal with 6:14 left.

Linebacker Mike Wallace intercepted a pass from Wesley Wood and raced 49 yards for a Wildcat TD with 3:59 left. Lineberry's PAT was good, and ACU's lead grew to 31-7.

ENMU placekicker Dylan Baca booted a 30-yard field goal with three seconds left to cut the ACU margin to 31-10.

FIRST-HALF STATISTICS

First downs: ACU 15, ENMU 13

Rushing: ENMU 28 for 167 yards, ACU 17 for 66 yards

Passing: ACU 13 of 21 for 176 yards and 2 TDs, ENMU 5 of 13 for 53 yards and 2 INTs

Total yards: ACU 242, ENMU 220

Penalties: ENMU 6 for 53 yards, ACU 5 for 40 yards

Time of possession: ENMU 16:00, ACU 14:00

Third-down conversions: ACU 4 of 7, ENMU 3 of 8

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, ACU 13 of 21 for 176 yards and 2 TDs

ACU rushing: Marcel Threat, 6 for 33 yards; Charcandrick West, 5 for 23 yards; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 1 for 10; and Mitchell Gale, 4 for 1 yard

ACU receiving: Taylor Gabriel, 6 or 79 yards; Darrell Cantu-Harless, 3 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Darian Hogg, 2 for 18 yards and 1 TD; and Elton Crochran, 1 for 11 yards

ACU tackles: L.B. Suggs, 6; Mike Wallace, 6; Jesse Harper, 6; and Thor Woerner, 6

End of Q1: ACU 14, ENMU 7

Cade Stone returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, and Morgan Lineberry's successful PAT gave the Wildcats about as early a 7-0 lead as possible. Consumed time: 12 seconds.

DeMarcus Johnson fumbled the Greyhoundss' opening-drive punt and ENMU took over at the Wildcat 6-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Wesley Wood ran 4 yards for a TD at the 11:13 mark. A PAT by Dylan Baca was good, tying the score at 7-7.

Mitchell Gale threw a 39-yard TD pass to Darrell Cantu-Harkless with 3:51 left in the quarter. The speedy back broke out of an attempted tackle at the Greyhound 20-yard line and scampered into the end zone. Lineberry's PAT was good, making the new score 14-7 in favor of ACU.

Final: Angelo State 28, ACU 21

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Gale threw a 33-yard TD pass to Elton Crochran, pulling ACU to 21-6 with 14:48 left.

Angelo State's next possession was successful, with Hamblin tossing a 13-yard scoring pass to Joey Knight with 9:11 remaining.

ACU answered back when Gale found a wide open Taylor Gabriel in the end zone for a 13-yard TD at the 7:55 mark, making the new score 28-23.

FINAL STATISTICS

First downs: Angelo State 28, ACU 23

Rushing: Angelo State 37 for 135 yards, ACU 19 for 9 yards

Passing: Angelo State 33 of 48 for 274 yards, ACU 17 of 43 for 308 yards

Total yards: Angelo State 409, ACU 317

Penalties: Angelo State 14 for 152 yards, ACU 8 for 75 yards

Time of possession: Angelo State 39:52, ACU 20:08

Third-down conversions: Angelo State 8 of 18, ACU 1 of 12

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, 17 of 43 for 308 yards, 1 INT and 1 TD

ACU rushing: Taylor Gabriel, 1 for 22 yards; Travis Tarver, 5 for 11 yards; and Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 3 for -8 yards

ACU receiving: Demarcus Thompson, 5 for 131 yards; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 5 for 69 yards; and Taylor Gabriel, 4 for 63 yards

ACU tackles: Justin Sephens 13; L.B. Suggs, 11; Mike Wallace, 8 and 1 sack; and Thor Woerner, 8

End of Q3: Angelo State 21, ACU 9

Angelo State pushed its lead to 21-9 with 1:50 left in the third quarter when Blake Hamblin rolled around the left end untouched for a TD.

End of Q2: Angelo State 14, ACU 9

An 8-yard run around left end by Donavan Roberts scored Angelo State’s second touchdown of the first half with 4:14 left. Jarred Martin's successful PAT put the Rams on top, 14-9.

Gale was sacked seven times in the first half.

FIRST-HALF STATISTICS

First downs: Angelo State 12, ACU 9

Rushing: Angelo State 16 for 88 yards, ACU 12 for 4 yards

Passing: ACU 9 of 25 for 162 yards, Angelo State 14 of 21 for 120 yards

Total yards: ACU 208, Angelo State 166

Penalties: Angelo State 7 for 69 yards, ACU 4 for 20 yards

Time of possession: Angelo State 17:28, ACU 12:32

Third-down conversions: Angelo State 2 of 7, ACU 1 of 9

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, 9 of 25 for 162 yards

ACU rushing: Taylor Gabriel, 1 for 22 yards; Travis Tarver, 3 for 6 yards

ACU receiving: Demarcus Thompson, 3 for 99 yards; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 3 for 21 yards; Taylor Gabriel, 2 for 42 yards

ACU tackles: Justin Sephens 6; L.B. Suggs, 5; Steven Ford, 5; and Angel Lopez, 4

End of Q1: ACU 9, Angelo State 7

ACU marched 78 yards in 1:44 to open the game, capping the drive when senior quarterback Mitchell Gale threw 33-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Demarcus Thompson. Morgan Lineberry's PAT missed, leaving the Wildcats on top, 6-0, with 13:16 left.

Thompson was right back at it at the end of the Rams' first drive, blocking a punt by Joseph Pickett. Jaime Walker recovered the ball for ACU. Four plays later, Lineberry put the Wildcats further ahead, 9-0, with a 32-yard field goal with 9:21 remaining.

A 36-yard run by ASU's Dakarai Pecikonis put the Rams in Wildcat territory on their next drive, with quarterback Blake Hamblin scoring on 1-yard run with 6:22 left. Jarred Martin's successful PAT narrowed the ACU lead to 9-7.

With 1:52 left, Thompson caught a 57-yard pass from Gale, but fumbled the ball back to the Rams, setting them up at their 29-yard line. The quarter expired with the Rams at midfield.

Final: ACU 34, Tarleton State 31

Morgan Lineberry kicked a 30-yard field goal with 12 minutes left, adding to ACU's lead, 27-20.

TSU answered with another Blake Barnes field goal, this one a 25-yarder at the 9:35 mark, cutting the Wildcat lead to 27-23.

Taylor Gabriel caught a pass from Gale and juked his way 16 yards to the end zone, diving in for his second TD of the game with 3:12 left. Lineberry's kick put ACU up 34-23.

Tarleton bounced back with a 1-yard run by Aaron Doyle with 1:02 remaining, and the two-point conversion (a pass from Doyle to Will McLane) pulled TSU to within three, 34-31.

ACU recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock for the win.

FINAL STATISTICS

First downs: Tarleton 30, ACU 21

Rushing: Tarleton 30 for 179 yards, ACU 28 for 55 yards

Passing: Tarleton 39 of 52 for 377 yards, 1 INT and 2 TDs, ACU 27 of 42 for 279 yards and 2 TDs

Total yards: Tarleton 556, ACU 334

Penalties: Tarleton 11 for 110 yards, ACU 7 for 50 yards

Time of possession: Tarleton 28:09, ACU 31:51

Third-down conversions: Tarleton 9 of 16, ACU 7 of 15

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, 27 of 42 for 279 yards and 2 TDs

ACU rushing: Mitchell Gale, 11 for 18 yards; Charcandrick West 3 for 10 yards; Travis Tarver, 6 for 29 yards, Marcel Threat, 2 for 6 yards

ACU receiving: Darian Hogg, 8 for 67 yards; Taylor Gabriel, 5 or 50 yards; Demarcus Thompson, 4 for 57 yards; Travis Tarver, 4 for 56; Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 3 for 21 yards; Elton Crochran, 2 for 21 yards; and Marcel Threat, 1 for 7 yards

ACU tackles: L.B. Suggs, 11; Angel Lopez 10; Thor Woerner, 10 and 1 INT; Justin Stephens, 10; and Caleb Withrow, 8

End of Q3: ACU 24, Tarleton State 20

ACU freshman Travis Tarver ran untouched around right end for a 7-yard TD and Morgan Lineberry's successful PAT pulled the Wildcats to within three, 20-17 with 8:29 remaining in the third quarter.

The Wildcats regained the lead with 4:03 remaining when Taylor Gabriel dove to catch a 6-yard TD pass from Mitchell Gale. Lineberry's PAT made the new score 24-20 in favor of ACU. The opportunity was set up by Gabriel's 51-yard punt return deep into Texan territory.

End of Q2: Tarleton State 20, ACU 10

Tarleton scored on its third consecutive drive of the game when Blake Barnes booted a 28-yard field goal on its first possession of the second quarter, making the new score 17-7 with 12:17 remaining in the half.

Barnes added a 41-yard field goal on TSU's next possession, upping the Texans' lead to 20-7.

ACU's Morgan Lineberry put ACU back on the board with a 27-yard field goal with 1:53 remaining in the half, cutting the Tarleton lead to 20-10.

FIRST-HALF STATISTICS

First downs: Tarleton 22, ACU 8

Rushing: Tarleton 18 for 103 yards, ACU 10 for 25 yards

Passing: Tarleton 24 of 33 for 224 yards and 2 TDs, ACU 12 of 22 for 122 yards

Total yards: Tarleton 327, ACU 147

Penalties: Tarleton 3 for 30 yards, ACU 5 for 30 yards

Time of possession: Tarleton 16:09, ACU 13:51

Third-down conversions: Tarleton 7 of 10, ACU 2 of 7

ACU passing: Mitchell Gale, 12 of 22 for 122 yards

ACU rushing: Mitchell Gale, 3 for 13 yards; Charcandrick West 3 for 10 yards; Travis Tarver, 1 for 4 yards

ACU receiving: Darian Hogg, 3 for 29 yards; Demarcus Thompson, 3 for 23 yards, ; Taylor Gabriel, 2 or 23 yards; and Darrell Cantu-Harkless, 2 for 13 yards

ACU tackles: Thor Woerner, 6 and 1 INT; Justin Stephens, L.B. Suggs and Angel Lopez, 6 each