A No. 1 ranking and a Homecoming weekend were spoiled as the West Texas A&M Buffaloes upset the Wildcats 32-21.
The Wildcats struggled in the second half and let a close game get away. The Buffaloes forced ACU to commit some costly turnovers, on which they capitalized. West Texas scored 32 points against a defense that had been giving up only 15 points per contest entering the day.
Drew Cuffee, defensive back, prevents the buffalos from completing a pass that would result in a touchdown. JOZIE SANDS Chief Photographer
The Wildcats started off poorly when Mitchell Gale threw an interception on ACU’s first drive, although the defense was able to hold the Buffaloes to a 28-yard field goal. Defense continued to be the story of the first quarter; the Wildcats did not get on the board until late in the first quarter, when Reggie Brown scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The
Wildcats closed out the first quarter with a 7-3 lead.
The Wildcats found themselves in a tough spot in the second quarter when a Buffalo punt was downed on the Wildcat’s 1-yard line. Darryl Richardson could not get out of the end zone, and West Texas recorded a safety on the first play. The Buffaloes got the ball back with good field position after the free kick. West Texas running back Keithon Flemming scored on a 1-yard run to regain the lead for the Buffaloes, 12-7.
The Wildcats offense finally came alive in the last drive of the half as Gale led them down the field. Richardson scored on a 1-yard run with 14 seconds left in the half to make the score 14-12 Wildcats.
The Buffaloes regained the lead in the third quarter on an 8-yard touchdown reception by Flemming. The Wildcats answered early in the fourth quarter when Richardson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run. This brought the score to 21-18 Wildcats with 14:26 left in the game.
The Wildcats got the ball back, but Gale was hit on a throw, forcing a bad pass that was picked off by the Buffaloes. The Buffaloes went 29 yards for a touchdown to regain the lead 25-18. The next Wildcat drive stalled, and the defense had to come back out to make a stop. The game came down to a third and fourth play from the Wildcat nine. ACU forced an incompletion, but a pass interference call gave the Buffaloes another first down. West Texas scored to seal the victory 32 -21.
“They played better than we did; they did not turn the ball over and we did,” said Head Coach Chris Thomsen. “Give them credit. I think they outplayed us.”
The Wildcats fell to 7-1 on the season, while the Buffaloes improved to 3-5. But the Wildcats will not have time tobrood, as they travel to Stephenville to take on Tarleton State next weekend.
“You recover from a loss just like you recover from a win; you go back to work,” Thomsen said.
