By Daniel Johnson, Sports Editor
The nationally ranked ACU football team rolled through Weatherford, Okla., on Saturday, amassing 601 total offense yards and six touchdowns in the 50-14 rout of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
ACU blew out the Bulldogs – the Lone Star Conference North Division’s best defense before the loss – for its second straight win on the road to put the No. 17 Wildcats at 3-1 on the season.
“It’s crazy,” said junior quarterback Billy Malone. “We’ve got the full package. I’d hate to be the defensive coordinator against us.”
Senior wide receiver Jerale Badon was the star of the blowout after his 98-yard, twotouchdown performance was enough to make him ACU’s alltime leader in receiving yards.
Badon’s performance upped his career total to 180 catches for 2,554 yards and 15 touchdowns, as the Abilene native passed the late Johnny Perkins on a 33-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter against the Bulldogs. The alltime receiving yards record is the second Badon has broken this season, Badon broke the alltime receptions record in ACU’s 27-17 loss to the University of Central Oklahoma on September 2. Badon is also one catch away from breaking the LSC career catches record, which is held by former East Texas State receiver Gary Compton.
“It just felt good to get it off my back, so I can continue to play football and stop thinking about it,” Badon said. “I’ve never been the person to just think about records playingwise, but it felt good to know that I’m part of history.”
The win was ACU’s third straight in which the Wildcats have scored more than 40 points and their secondstraight over an LSC opponent. It also propelled them up one spot from No. 18 to No. 17 in the American Football Coaches’ Association Division II Poll.
“Our offense really stepped up and set the tone,” said head coach Chris Thomsen.
Junior running back Bernard Scott recorded his third straight game in which he has run for more than 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown. Scott’s 132-yard performance in Weatherford, Okla., puts his three-week total at 432 yards and seven touchdowns. Scott is ranked No. 13 in the nation for rushing yards per game and total rushing yards.
Scott and the rest of ACU’s ground attack tallied 281 yards and three touchdowns against the Bulldogs.
“The running game is something we really wanted to improve on, and so far we have been able to perform on that,” Thomsen said.
Malone threw one of his best outings of the season. Malone was 22 of 27 for 302 yards and threw four touchdowns in the rout.
Four games into the season, ACU’s offense is No. 13 in the NCAA Division II football, with the Wildcats’ passing and rushing offense in the top 30 of the nation.
“I just hope we can keep scoring like this,” Malone said. ACU’s next game will be at home against an undefeated Eastern New Mexico squad in Portales, N.M.
