ACU (2-3, 0-1) dropped its third straight game of the season, falling to The University of North Texas (2-2, 0-0) in a final score of 45-31 Saturday night in Denton.
The Wildcats got down early and could never recover as the Mean Green would score 31 unanswered points before the teams traded second half scores.
The Wildcats came into Saturday night coming off a blowout loss in their first conference game of the season, losing to Central Arkansas 52-17. UNT came in off a week of rest, following a walkoff win against LA Tech the previous weekend.
For the fourth straight week, the Wildcats started the game off with the ball and quickly went to work. The offense ran three plays before finding the endzone on the fourth on a 28-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Maverick McIvor to junior wide receiver Blayne Taylor.
However, UNT wasted no time evening the score back up at seven off of an 80-yard touchdown from quarterback Chandler Rogers.
Similar to the last two weeks, after a successful first drive, the Wildcat offense would see struggles over their next few drives, accumulating only 37 total yards of offense over their next five drives. The Mean Green would go on to take full advantage.
UNT would score 24 more points in the first half and take a 31-7 lead with around seven minutes remaining in the first half. The shift in momentum would change a bit towards the back half of the second quarter as a missed field goal would give the Wildcats some life.
The ACU offense led a five minute drive down the field that finished in a 6-yard touchdown pass from McIvor to sophomore tight end Jed Castles. A quick three and out forced the Mean Green to give the ball back to the Wildcats with good field position.The offense got themselves into field goal range allowing for sophomore kicker Kyle Ramsey to sink a 54-yard field goal to take the game into the half.
Although things seemed to be turning around, the Wildcats had dug themselves too far into a hole and would not be able to recover.
UNT would lead a near five minute drive to begin the second half, scoring a touchdown to add on to their lead. The Wildcats would then respond with a five minute drive of their own where McIvor found Taylor for his second TD of the night.
The Mean Green would score once more late in the third to make it 45-24 and fortunately for the Wildcat defense, would be the last time the UNT offense would find the endzone.
Unfortunately, ACU did not have enough left in the tank to get back over the hill in the final quarter. McIvor connected with Taylor once again for his third touchdown of the game and that would be the only fourth quarter score as the UNT would win in a final score of 31-45.
McIvor ended the game 19-for-36 and 217 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Taylor finished with 6 receptions for 85 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first ACU player with three TD receptions in a single game in over a decade. Sophomore running back Jay’Veon Sunday finished with 21 carries for 140 yards on the ground.
This marks the third straight loss for the Wildcats, who started the year 2-0, now giving them a below .500 record. The Wildcats have now allowed 97 points over the last two games and still have a lot of questions heading into the heart of conference play.
The Wildcats are off this weekend as they prepare for homecoming weekend where they will take on the University of North Alabama at 3 p.m. on Oct. 14 at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium with the game streaming live on ESPN+
