After their first matchup 106 years ago in 1920, and 41 matchups later, the rivalry between the Wildcats and the Tarleton State Texans is still strong. This year, it had a new name: “The Hundred-Mile Showdown.”

In this year’s matchup, the No. 1 Texans took down the No. 23 Wildcats 40-27 to continue its perfect season at 10-0 while dropping ACU’s record to 5-5.

The Wildcats came in as the underdog, as they have in the last two matchups with the Texans, but this time was different. Tarleton was the No. 1 team in the nation, and the Wildcats had just barely made it back into the Top 25 after being out for a couple of weeks.

It didn’t take long for the Texans to show why they’re the top team in the nation. They punched the Wildcats in the mouth on the first play of the game with a 75-yard touchdown run by Tylan Hines.

As Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

That’s exactly what happened to the Wildcats, and their plan didn’t seem to include stopping the Texans. On the very next drive, the Texans scored in one play again. This time, it was Texan quarterback Kaden Anderson finding wide receiver Marquis Willis for a 75-yard touchdown.

In just two plays from the Tarleton offense, the Texans had 150 yards and two touchdowns.

“You can’t get caught up in it being a big game, and then the very first play you don’t execute the call,” head coach Keith Patterson said. “We had a guy go the wrong direction, opened up the hole, and then had a guy give up a vertical shot, the second touchdown of the game, and you just can’t do that when you’re in a game like this.”

Despite the errors on defense, the ACU offense responded and kept the Wildcats in the game by scoring on its first three drives to keep it a one-possession game at 21-13.

At halftime, the game still seemed to be within reach for the Wildcats, with the score at 28-13. Patterson always says, “A two-score lead is the most dangerous lead in football.” On top of that, the Wildcats were receiving the kickoff and had the opportunity to set the tone for the second half.

Parks and the offense went down the field and scored on a 14-play, 75-yard drive, finished off with a seven-yard touchdown by senior wide receiver Dallas Dudley.

The Wildcats had some momentum, and the defense fed off it and forced two punts in the Texans’ first two drives.

ACU got the ball back, but both times, the Wildcats beat themselves by picking up penalties. First, an unnecessary roughness penalty of 15 yards put ACU behind the chains and stalled a drive. After that, they got a holding call in the red zone, which put the Wildcats behind the chains and forced a field goal attempt that was blocked.

Patterson said his team shot itself in the foot with the penalties and by getting caught up in the emotions of the game.

Seven penalties for 65 yards proved costly to ACU, as many of the penalties came at crucial points in the game. The penalties knocked potential points off the board by stalling drives, gave Tarleton extra yards and wiped away an interception.

After the blocked field goal, things went downhill fast for the Wildcats. Tarleton scored a touchdown on its next drive. Then, ACU muffed the kickoff but recovered the ball before fumbling it away on the very next play, allowing Tarleton to score another touchdown.

All the momentum the Wildcats had built up was wiped away in the blink of an eye. What looked like it could be another upset brewing, another close ACU-Tarleton game, was gone in just a couple of minutes.

It wasn’t all bad for the Wildcats, though. Tucker Parks, redshirt sophomore quarterback, was one of the few bright spots for the Wildcats in the loss. He finished 25-of-30 passing for 215 yards and one touchdown. He also added 44 rushing yards and a touchdown.

It’s safe to say that Parks did everything he could to keep ACU in the game. He regularly converted third downs by scrambling with his legs or finding the open receiver, and he didn’t turn the ball over. He spread the ball out to 10 different targets throughout the night.

If the Wildcats want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they’re going to need Parks to keep up his play and avoid beating themselves with penalties that put them behind the chains.

To keep its playoff chances alive, ACU will need to win the two remaining games on its schedule. The Wildcats will start with No. 7 Austin Peay on the road this Saturday and then come back home to play Eastern Kentucky next week.

The Wildcats aren’t out of the race yet, but they need to be near-perfect to keep their playoff streak alive.