The Wildcats’ rolled over Fort Lewis College 58-10 Saturday night. The offense put on a show on their way to a huge victory.
The Wildcats started off early when Zach Stewart hooked up with Terrell Woodall for a 45-yard touchdown pass. Fort Lewis fought back getting a field goal to make it 7-3. The rest of the first half was all ACU as the Wildcats put up 31 more points before halftime. Running backs Reggie Brown and Daryl Richardson got a touchdown in the first half; along with a touchdown by the full back Justin Andrews.
One of the more impressive plays of the game came when Kendrick Johnson returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. Kendrick had another return later in the game that went for a touchdown, but was called back on a penalty.
ACU continued to dominate in the second half when Richardson got his second touchdown of the night on an eight-yard carry. Raymond Radway played a great game scoring two touchdowns in the second half. The second touchdown was a 56 yard pass from third string quarterback Mitchell Gale. Gale looked very good running the ball and threw a perfect pass to Radway for the Wildcats final touchdown of the night.
Overall the offense, which struggled last week, looked very good. Stewart was 9-15 with 165 yards and two touchdowns. Harrell was 8-15 with 83 yards and one touchdown. Richardson led the running backs with 84 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 8.4 yards per carry against the Skyhawks.
The defense remained solid even without defensive leader Tony Harp, who sat out due to an ankle injury.
“I should be back next week. We are playing Commerce at Dallas in the Cotton Bowl,” Harp said. “I am just trying to rest it, to make sure not to reinjure it.”
Harp was impressed with the defense as they only gave up 10 points the entire game.
“We are still flying around out there, having fun, being fast, violent, and physical. That is our philosophy for defense,” Harp said.
The Wildcats are looking to ride the momentum from their first two wins into their first conference game against Texas A&M-Commerce next week. Coach Thomsen was pleased with the win and was looking forward to next week.
“It just gives you some confidence. Also, just playing another game, getting out here having to go through all the situations and seeing the guys improve,” Coach Thomsen said. ” Improvement is crucial at this time of year, especially with new players. Hopefully, all of this will help us next week.”
The Wildcats play at the Cotton Bowl next week for the first time in ACU history. The Wildcats and Texas A&M Commerce Lions are set to kick off in Dallas at 5:00 p.m.
