The ACU Wildcats saw their season come to an end over the weekend, getting kicked from the playoffs by Central Missouri, 55-41, at Shotwell Stadium.
“We were disappointed in the outcome, but Central Missouri played a great game,” said ACU head coach Chris Thomsen.
The Wildcats could not overcome an early hole, falling behind 21-0 before managing to put points on the board.
The Mules used just three minutes and 21 seconds on their first three scoring drives to put the Wildcats down early.
ACU would get on the board capping a 10 play, 63-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell Gale to Ben Gibbs. With 33 rushing yards on the drive, the Wildcats were able to exploit the Mules defense early in the second quarter. A bad snap on the extra-point attempt left the Wildcats with just six points after the touchdown.
Central Missouri did not let up and scored two more times to dig ACU a 35-6 hole with just 1:35 remaining in the second quarter.
That’s when the Wildcats woke up from their flat start. Just one play into their next drive, Gale found an open Kendrick Johnson who bounced off a defender and rumbled 58 yards to the end zone, pulling the Wildcats within 21. Johnson caught four passes for 88 yards and a score in his final game for ACU.
With two timeouts remaining, the defense stepped up and held Central Missouri to a three-and-out, forcing the Mules to punt. The punt traveled just eight yards after ACU hurried the punt with pressure.
And again in efficient fashion, Gale took just one play to find Raymond Radway on a 20-yard strike for the ACU score. A two-point conversion pulled the Wildcats within 14 heading into the half. Gale finished his record-setting season, completing 27 of 51 passes for 358 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
ACU pulled within four points of Central Missouri when Eric Czerniewski overthrew his intended receiver, and Drew Cuffee came up with the interception.
But ACU would manage just a field goal, pulling them within one after being down as many as 29 late in the second quarter.
The Mules would only allow ACU to come that far. Early in the third quarter Czerniewski found a wide-open Jamorris Warren for the 61-yard score, putting Central Missouri back in front by seven.
“They made enough plays to win the game and we didn’t,” said Gale. “We fell behind early, but just didn’t have enough at the end.”
The Wildcats did manage one more touchdown when Gale found Edmund Gates for the 32-yard score, but it was too little too late. Gates would finish his storied ACU career with a six-catch 177-yard performance and a touchdown.
The Wildcats finished 11-1 on the season, tying the team record for wins in a season and completing the first 11-0 regular season in team history.
After earning a bye week, the Wildcats came out flat and not very sharp allowing the Mules to jump to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
ACU might have had their toughest challenge of the season defensively, trying to contain one of the best one two three offensive punches in the country – Czerniewski, Warren, and running back Anthony Stewart.
Gale was also unusually inaccurate, throwing behind a wide-open Raymond Radway who failed to make the adjustment on the ball. His 27 completions against 51 attempts managed just a 52 percent completion percentage, well below his season average of 64 percent.
Ultimately, the Wildcats fell behind too much too early, and the energy expended in the comeback did not leave enough in the tank to finish out the game.
ACU finished the season as one of the nations top-ranked offensive units, showing vast improvement over a 2009 squad that struggled with offensive consistency. Mitchell Gale established himself as a potential all-American putting up numbers that rival ACU greats such as Billy Malone and Rex Lamberti.
With an 11-0 perfect regular season, this ACU team will go down as one of the best in Wildcat history.
