ACU fell to the Lamar Cardinals Saturday night, 27-24, as they drop to 1-3 in conference play. The Wildcats are now 0-4 this season on the road.
Senior quarterback Jordan Hoy finished the day 26-32 passing for 338 yards and three total touchdowns. Hoy also dominated on the ground, leading the Cardinals with 21 carries and 103 yards.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Adam Dorrel was impressed with his teams’ effort and performance throughout the game Saturday night.
“I was really proud of our players,” Dorrel said. “They played extremely hard tonight. They played with a lot of focus and energy. We did not turn the ball over one time. For the most part, I think we also did a lot of good things defensively.”
Sophomore quarterback Sema’J Davis completed 18-of-26 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in his first career Div. I start. He also carried the ball 10 times for 61 yards.
Davis started at quarterback in the absence of junior Luke Anthony, who is suffering from an undisclosed injury. It is unknown when Anthony will return this season.
“I’m proud of Sema’J,” Dorrel said. “The kid made his first collegiate start on the road, and I think he played really well. I’m really proud of him.”
The Wildcats struggled early on offense for the third-consecutive week, only converting a single first down in the first quarter.
However following a sluggish start, the Wildcats were able to get back on track. After trailing 10-0 entering the second quarter, Davis led the team on an 11-play, 75-yard drive for a touchdown to sophomore receiver Kobe Clark to make it a 10-6 game after missing the PAT.
Clark shined on the road for the Wildcats. He finished the day with nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, his first of his career. He also tied his record for the most receptions in game and the most receiving yards in game.
Senior running back Tracy James gave the Wildcats the lead with a 30-yard run into the end zone with just over a minute before halftime, making in a 13-10 score favoring ACU.
James continued to show consistent numbers Saturday, rushing for 76 yards on 12 carries and two total touchdowns. he continues to lead the FCS with 12 total touchdowns on the season.
After a back-and-fourth third quarter, the Wildcats led 24-17 entering the final quarter. After kicking a 41-yard field goal, Lamar recovered an onside-kick and marched down 45 yards to make it a 27-24 Cardinal lead with 6:20 remaining.
ACU got the ball back, but failed to capitalize on offense and were forced to punt. The Cardinals were able to get enough first downs on offense to simply run out the clock and grab their first conference win of the season.
Up next, ACU heads back home for the first time in three weeks to take on Houston Baptist. They lead the FCS in points per game (49.5), total offense (567.2) and passing offense (385.7). That game will start at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
Meanwhile, Lamar heads to Huntsville to battle with Sam Houston State at 2 p.m.
