The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday night against Houston Baptist, 45-20, in junior quarterback Luke Anthony’s return.
After two straight road losses, the Wildcats returned home on Saturday to face the Houston Baptist Huskies and looked to get back to their winning ways. For ACU, this meant the return of Anthony, and his presence proved critical in the blowout win.
The Huskies received the ball to begin the game, but were quickly forced to punt after an ACU defense put pressure on HBU junior quarterback Bailey Zappe. For Head Coach Adam Dorrel and the Wildcats, scoring early and often was key to their success.
With 11:22 left on the clock, Senior wideout Josh Fink got ACU on the board with a 12-yard reception from Anthony, 7-0. On the Wildcats second drive, Senior running back Tracy James broke off a 30-yard run touchdown untouched, his Southland Conference leading 13th touchdown of the season.
That drive was set-up by a 41-yard reception by Sophomore receiver Kobe Clark, who has steadily become a primary target for quarterback Luke Anthony. Clark finished the night with nine receptions for 107 yards, while Josh Fink led the team with 12 receptions for 112 yards.
“Luke has increased his trust in me after losing a few guys this year,” Clark said. “He has seen what I can do, and that trust has allowed us to make plays freely.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats continued an aggressive approach against a good Houston Baptist offense. The early pressure plays called by ACU limited a Huskies team to only 20 points, in a season where they have averaged roughly 50 points coming into the game.
The Wildcats were led by senior linebacker Jeremiah Chambers and sophomore cornerback Ryan Stapp with seven tackles apiece. Senior cornerback Adonis Davis put the nail in the coffin with his second interception of the season.
“Tonight’s success all started with our defense,” head coach Adam Dorrel said. “We held a team that’s been averaging over 60 points per game to under 30. That’s huge.”
The Wildcats will celebrate their homecoming this Saturday against Stephen F. Austin. Kickoff will be at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
