By Daniel Johnson, Sports Editor
They may have been unranked and in the midst of a coaching scandal, but the University of Central Oklahoma upset the nationally ranked ACU football team in its season opener Saturday.
ACU lost 27-17 to UCO after the Bronchos took advantage of a handful of ACU mistakes and penalties. UCO, whose former head coach Chuck Langston was suspended for breaking NCAA recruiting rules, is now 1-0 while the Wildcats drop to 0-1.
“I was as surprised as everyone else,” said senior linebacker Cody Stutts.
ACU had a 10-0 lead in the second quarter until the momentum shifted when Bronchos’ defensive back Brandon Smith intercepted junior quarterback Billy Malone and returned the ball 42 yards before Malone knocked him out of bounds. UCO capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown, which began a 27-point run that proved to be too much to overcome for ACU.
“The biggest thing was turning the football over,” said head coach Chris Thomsen. “We’ve always prided ourselves on taking care of the ball, and we really didn’t do that well Saturday.”
ACU turned the ball over twice: Malone’s interception and a fumble on a punt return at the end of the first half. Malone was also sacked twice, and UCO held ACU to three third-down conversions in 14 attempts.
ACU attempted a fourthquarter comeback after Malone connected with junior wide receiver Johnny Knox for a fouryard touchdown with 5:18 left in the game. But the score was too little too late, as ACU would not get the ball back, and UCO held on for the 27-17 win.
“We’ve got to make a big improvement this week and come out and play with a passion and intensity,” Thomsen said. Despite the loss, senior receiver Jerale Badon broke the ACU career catches record after catching seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Badon now has 169 total receptions in his career at ACU, which passed former Wildcat Arthur Culpper who had 166 catches from 1983-86.
Malone completed 17 of his 34 pass attempts for two touchdowns and 258 yards, and junior running back Bernard Scott picked up 120 yards.
The upset was a shock to most; ACU was picked to win the Lone Star Conference South Division while UCO was picked to finish fifth in the LSC North.
ACU’s next opponent will be the Division I Football Championship Subdivision team Texas State, an opponent, Thomsen said, won’t be easy to prepare for.
“Our opponent is a great team,” Thomsen said. “The biggest thing though is that we continue to improve.”
The NCAA changed the name of the division Texas State plays in from Division I-AA to the FCS in March 2007.
ACU will play Texas State in San Marcos on Saturday.
