By Daniel Johnson, Sports Editor
Junior running back Bernard Scott broke several records, ACU scored 70 points and the Wildcats are still in the playoff hunt.
No. 19 ACU outlasted undefeated Tarleton State, 70- 63 in a must-win game that kept the Wildcats in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Division II postseason.
ACU jumped up four spots to the coveted No. 6 position in the Southwest Regional Poll because of the miraculous win, and if ACU wants to make its second-straight post-season appearance, they need to win their last two remaining games.
ACU’s loss to West Texas A&M dropped them to No. 10 in the Regional Poll and because of their win over Tarleton, ACU is now back in the playoff picture.
“To come back from that West Texas game shows what we’re about and, playing hard and never quitting,” said head coach Chris Thomsen. “The biggest thing is just the heart to continue to come back and face adversity.”
The Wildcats, now 7-2 overall and 3-1 in divisional play, also climbed back up to the top 20 in the nation while No. 16 Tarleton State, now 8- 1 overall and 3-1 in the LSC South, dropped out of the nation’s top 10.
In a game that was three points away from tying the NCAA Division II record for total points scored, ACU simply outlasted the Tarleton Texans.
“Perseverance – that’s what our team’s about,” Thomsen said. “You can’t get down, can’t get discouraged and can’t get off track. We just got to keep doing what we do.”
In the shootout that saw the two teams combine for 61 first downs, 1,317 total yards and score 133 points, Scott was by far the most amazing performer for the Wildcats.
Scott broke the ACU single-game rushing and single-season rushing records in the Tarleton game and tied the Lone Star Conference and ACU single-game records for touchdowns in a game. The LSC South offensive player of the week rushed for an astounding 283 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 29 carries and also threw a 66-yard pass to finish the day with 349 yards of total offense. Scott’s touchdowns were on runs of 31, 4, 2, 2, 73 and 10 for a LSC season-high 36 points.
“I didn’t plan on going in and scoring six touchdowns,” Scott said. “I just wanted to have a good game.”
Scott’s good game put him past Eric Polk as the school’s single-season rushing leader after Scott’s new total of 1,365 yards shattered Polk’s previous record of 1,211 yards that he set in 2001.
Scott also broke Don Harr’s 37-year-old school record for rushing yards in a game, but the modest running back shares any credit of his record- setting performance with the rest of his team.
“I give all the credit to the O-line and the receivers, it was a total team effort,” Scott said.
Thomsen said that after Scott posted one of the best performances in Division II football history, he gave credit to his offensive line first.
“He turned around quickly after the game and pointed to his O-line,” Thomsen said.
Scott’s performance combined with another 279 passing yards from junior quarterback Billy Malone and 89 rushing yards from the rest of the team add up for 715 yards of total offense, the second-highest single-game total in ACU history. The only other team that recorded more yards was in 1952, when the Wildcats recorded 740 yards in a win over Howard Payne.
Despite giving up 602 yards of offense and nine touchdowns, ACU’s defense sealed the win for the Wildcats. After a 10-yard touchdown from Scott gave ACU a 70-63 lead with 1:00 remaining, Tarleton was driving to tie the game and was stopped after ACU defensive tackle Joe Edwards sacked Tarleton quarterback Scott Grantham on fourth-andnine from ACU’s 23-yard-line as time ran out.
“It was crazy, I’ve never played in a game like that,” Scott said.
ACU’s offense’s next test will be a 2-7 Texas A&M-Kingsville team at home on Saturday. If ACU beats Kingsville and Midwestern State on Nov. 10, the Wildcats should be heading to the playoffs.
“We’re not the greatest team in the world; we still have to work hard,” Thomsen said. “One thing football teaches you is to keep going no matter what, and that’s what they did Saturday, just kept going.”
