ACU won its first game of the year following an 0-3 start to the season, defeating the Mercer Bears 20-17.
Sophomore kicker Blair Zepeda drilled a 38-yard field goal as time expired to life the Wildcats to victory Saturday.
Freshman running back Jermiah Dobbins led the team on the ground with a season-high 12 carries and 89 yards with a touchdown to start the game.
“I’m blessed to be in a position to be playing, and it felt fun to be able to come out here and grab our first win,” Dobbins said. “Our team chemistry is getting better and better.”
Since the beginning of the season, Dobbins has had high praise from the coaching staff.
“I think he did a really good job running the ball hard, and we’ll keep focusing on his fundamentals,” head coach Adam Dorrel said. “He has a really good low center of gravity.”
The Wildcats commit only one turnover compared to its season-high five last game Oct. 24 against Stephen F. Austin.
“I was really proud of our guys today,” Dorrel said. “I thought they were really resilient today. Confidence is a big thing, and to see what happened last week to this week made me really proud of our guys.”
ACU (1-3) held Mercer (0-3) to just 292 total yards of offense on Halloween. Dorrel said the defense played a solid four quarters to help seal the victory.
“Defense was really big,” Dorrel said. “They got a lot of big stops, and I think it really help set the tempo for the second half.”
The Wildcats now return for their first home game of the season Saturday. They’ll face Angelo State Saturday at 3 p.m.
