By Daniel Johnson, Sports Editor
Travis Carpenter has played football since junior high school, and Saturday could be his last game. If the senior defensive end and the rest of the Wildcats do not win their final regular season game against Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, No. 17 ACU’s chances of making the playoffs may be over.
“That’s eleven years of football, and to think it might be over, you’re going to do everything you can to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Carpenter said.
ACU is ranked fifth in the NCAA Division Southwest Region and must win its final regular season game against the No. 19 Mustangs to secure a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs by remaining in the top six of the regional rankings.
Meanwhile, 8-2 Midwestern is ranked near the bottom of the regional poll at No. 10 and is also seeking to steal a playoff berth from the Wildcats.
The playoff implications aren’t the only thing making ACU’s final game a highprofile one. Saturday’s game will be the meeting of the top two offenses in Division II football.
ACU averages 543.4 yards a game and moved into the No. 1 spot after its 675-yard effort against Texas A&M-Kingsville last Saturday. Midwestern is close behind at No. 2 with a game average of 538.9 yards.
ACU and Midwestern are two of only seven NCAA teams- in any division – to record more than 5,000 yards this season, the two LSC teams are one of six NCAA programs that have scored more than 60 touchdowns this season, and each team averages more than 40 points per game.
As high profile as the game may seem, head coach Chris Thomsen said his team is not focused on the pressure to win.
“That’s the main thing as a coach, not to make this bigger than it is,” Thomsen said. “Just approach it like you normally would.”
The main reason Midwestern’s offense is so potent is quarterback Daniel Polk. Polk leads the Lone Star Conference in total yards with 3,072 and is second in total yards per game with an average of 307.2.
Midwestern prefers the run – Midwestern is ranked No. 4 in the nation in rushing offense – and Thomsen said the Wildcats defensive goal is to slow down the Mustangs.
“You don’t really go in trying to stop anything with an offense like this. You just try to limit their guys,” Thomsen said.
ACU has the most productive offense in the history of the program.
With one game left on the schedule, the Wildcats’ season total of 468 points already set an ACU single season record, ACU’s average of 7.8 yards per play set a new school record and the Wildcats’ total of 5,434 yards is the second-best single-season total in school history.
“We know our offense is gonna score points,” Carpenter said.
ACU running back Bernard Scott, who already broke the single-game and single-season ACU rushing records this season, is the sixth best rusher in the nation with an average of 155.9 yards a game. The transfer is second in Division II and third in the NCAA overall in touchdowns (27) and points scored (162) and has scored at least one touchdown in every ACU game this season.
Scott will face one of his toughest tests on Saturday though, as he takes on a Midwestern rush defense that is No. 1 in the LSC and No. 2 in the nation.
Midwestern successfully held run-happy Eastern New Mexico quarterback Michael Benton to only 50 yards on the ground in a 63-7 win over the Greyhounds on Saturday and allows an average of 85.3 yards a game.
“They have the No. 1 defense in the league and certainly have the potential to slow us down,” Thomsen said.
ACU quarterback Billy Malone is only 22 yards away from breaking the 3,000 passing yard mark this season. If Malone throws for over 3,000 yards this season, he will be the first ACU quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards twice.
Behind one of the most dominant offensive lines in the nation – ACU’s line has only allowed .5 sacks this season- Malone averages 297.8 passing yards per game and has thrown 26 touchdowns this season.
Malone’s two favorite targets, senior wide receiver Jerale Badon and junior wide receiver Johnny Knox, both rank in the nation’s top 50 for receiving yards per game and catches per game.
Badon is just 30 yards away from breaking the LSC record for all-time receiving yards. Knox, who has 51 catches for 12 touchdowns and 965 yards in his first season at ACU, could become the first ACU receiver to go over 1,000 receiving yards since 1977 when Cle Montgomery caught 57 passes for 1,168 yards.
Regardless of the statistics and pressure, Thomsen said ACU should be in top form for its final regular season game.
“It won’t be easy in any shape, way or fashion, but it’s a game number 11, so you should be playing your best,” Thomsen said.
