10:53 -- Redshirt RB Kebron Lampkin now getting into the act ... actches a little screen play and goes in from 14 out, makeing it 45-14. This one is over.

7:09 -- Benton's getting some yards on the backups now ... but I'm really not sure why he's still in the game. This thing is over and if he gets hurt, so it the Hounds' season.

5:55 -- Benton scores on backups, but doesn't matter. Onside kick goes straight to the Cats and this is now really, really over.

Posted by · September 29, 2007 9:14 PM · Comments (0)

ACU gets the second half kickoff and Johnny Knox shows his speed, returning it 35 yards. But ACU stalls and then botches the snap on a fake punt, giving the Hounds great field position at the 27.

11:50 remaining -- ACU defense holds, forcing a fourth-and-5 on the 22. The 39-yard field goal attempt into the wind was no good.

10:20 remaining -- Bernard Scott is outgaining Benton right now. He's got 129 on 16 carries (8.1 average) while Benton's got 99 on 22 (4.5).

7:33 remaining -- ACU up 31-14 on a 6-yard pass from Malone to Knox.

5:35 remaining -- Cats D forces and recovers a fumble on the ENMU 25, giving ACU a shot to score again and start to turn this one into a blowout. ACU fails to convert on a fourth-down play, though, and gives it back without any points scored.

2:50 remaining -- Eastern gets off a 54-yard run into Cat territory but fumbles on the next play (actually, Benton was down by contact, but I suppose it was a make-up call for an earlier miss against ACU).

1:02 remaining -- And the rout is on. ACU has been struggling to make the score indicative of its dominance here, but it's finally starting to look the way it should. The Eastern offense has failed to do much of anything aside from a handful of big plays. They came in averaging a D-II best 400 and change a game on the ground ... tonight they've got 194 so far.

Posted by · September 29, 2007 8:33 PM · Comments (0)

ACU should be winning by probably 21 here rather than 10 at the break.

Missing an open receiver in the end zone early wasn't a huge deal - Adams still got a field goal out of the deal - but while trying to make something happen with just over a minute left in the half Malone was hit from behind and fumbled on the Greyhound 14-yard line.

Eastern netted a negative five yards on its next three plays before the half, but it took at least three and probably seven off the board for the Cats.

A short look at some major stats and it's clear, though, that ACU is dominating this one.

ACU offense - 334. Eastern offense - 121.
ACU first downs - 15. Eastern first downs - 6.
ACU punts - 1. Eastern punts - 4.
ACU in the red zone - 4-of-5. Eastern in the red zone - 1-of-2.

In other words ... I fully expect to see this one get out of hand in the second half.

Posted by · September 29, 2007 8:18 PM · Comments (0)

Michael Benton is legit. If he gets to the outside he's got speed and can make people miss. ACU has the fastest defense ENMU has seen this year and has been able to string out multiple plays, but you can't bottle up talent like that for long.

Benton drove his team down the field and made it a three-point game (he's got over a hundred already), but ACU responded with a 74-yard scoring drive of its own to make it 17-7.

5:57 remaining -- And just as I post that, Benton was sacked for the second time in three plays and ACU has forced its third punt of the night.

5:16 remaining -- Just as things seemed to be tilting heavily in ACU’s direction, Brandon Haug picked off a tipped pass and returned it 41 yards for a score, once again cutting the Wildcat lead to three, 17-14.

3:59 remaining -- And, again, ACU responds, this time with a four-play drive eating up 72 yards and just 77 seconds. The drive was two short scrambles by Malone and two runs by Taber Minner. The first was a nice 45-yard rumble that saw him go left and into the arms of a defender, turn around and go back the other way. He drug the last defender almost 15 yards and was knocked out at the 8 and then picked his way in on the next play.

Posted by · September 29, 2007 7:50 PM · Comments (0)

The Cats have too much speed for Eastern to handle, both on offense and on defense.

The Hounds are doing a fair job of containing the run, but there's a reason they are 11th in the 13-team LSC in pass defense. ACU's up 10-0 right now but should have been 14-0 as Billy Malone overthrew a wide open receiver in the end zone prior to a 21-yard field goal.

Michael Benton has 48 yards in the first quarter, but the bulk of those came on a single 35-yard run. So far the top rusher in D-II has been all but bottled up.

Posted by · September 29, 2007 7:30 PM · Comments (0)

ACU is looking pumped up for this one, and that's good to see. After dropping that season-opener at UCO, the Cats really probably need to win out - or at least head into the last four games with just that one loss. Inside those last four - WT for homecoming, at Tarleton and, in the season finale, at Midwestern. Any one of those could go down as a loss for ACU, and any more than two losses will surely knock them out of the postseason.

Eastern this year is clearly not the Eastern of years past. Their 4-0 record says at least that much. But the fact that they are leading the country in rushing yards (just over 400 per game) and their QB is leading the nation in individual rushing (with near 200 per) is incredibly impressive. At the same time, their pass defense is one of the worst in the league, so Billy Malone may just be in for a big night. It's an interesting matchup, so we'll see how it pans out here in just a few minutes.

(By the way ... last year, in Portales, ACU held QB Michael Benton to a minus four rushing yards. He's certainly going to come in with a chip after that one, but with the way ACU's defense has been going in the last three wins, Cody Stutts and Travis Carpenter are certainly licking their chops remembering that one.)

Posted by · September 29, 2007 6:38 PM · Comments (0)

ACU's looking pretty much like a lock right now.

The offense isn't having the explosion that many - including myself - expected, but the Wildcat D is playing very well.

The Cats have extended their advantage to 24-3 after a Bernard Scott touchdown run. He's now broken over 100 yards for the third straight week.

Third's over and no more points for the Cats, but they are driving ...

... and just before I post this update, Scott goes in from 26 out. He's got 150 yards now and two scores. ACU 31-3.

Posted by · September 15, 2007 8:00 PM · Comments (0)

ACU should probably be winning this one by more, but Southeastern is putting on its best defensive showing of the season tonight.

Still, ACU's got a 13-3 advantage on first downs and has held the Storm to a net of 22 rushing yards and 101 total yards in the first half. The Wildcats, meanwhile, have 220 yards at the break.

Knox is leading ACU receivers with five catches for 56 yards and a score while Scott's got 11 carries for 58 yards. Malone has been efficient and is 11-of-23 for 136 yards and the one touchdown.

The jersey number 44 belonging to former ACU all-American Johnny Perkins, who recently died following complications from heart surgery, was retired at the half. A replica of that jersey was presented to members of Perkins’ family to a standing ovation from the Wildcat crowd. It is only the fourth jersey in ACU sports history to have been retired.

Posted by · September 15, 2007 7:27 PM · Comments (0)

After scoring in the first few seconds of the second on Minner's run, the Cats haven't been able to score so far here in the remainder of the frame.

They've been close, though. Billy Malone threw a long bomb to Johnny Knox as he broke away from his defender with nothing but green in front, but the pass was just a touch long and skipped off his hands.

A long punt return put ACU on the SEO 9, but the Wildcats weren't able to punch it in.
(Once again they were close, with Malone throwing a little long on a lob to Knox in the corner.) Matt Adams, though, was perfect on a short field goal, giving the Cats a 17-0 edge.

Southeastern avoided a first-half shutout, though, scoring on a 37-yard field goal as the clock ticked to zeros, making it 17-3 at the break.

Posted by · September 15, 2007 7:02 PM · Comments (0)

The Cats struggled to get things going initially, but the offense seems to be clicking now.

Johnny Knox made a pair of fantastic catches for ACU to help get it on the board first. A fingertip grab for 16 kept the drive going and then he ended the drive with a nice diving catch in the end zone to give ACU a 7-0 lead.

The Cats marched down the field again and scored on Taber Minner's first touchdown of the season from 11 out.

Posted by · September 15, 2007 6:55 PM · Comments (0)

Well, the Big Purple is out there for the first time this season and they sound pretty good.

We're about 5 minutes out and it's a warm one out here at Shotwell today -- and it feels like it's probably warmer up here in the pressbox than anywhere else. (Forgot about the lack of air flow up here ... long sleeves were a bad idea.)

I'm looking for ACU to have a huge day today. Southeastern is out there with one of the worst defenses in the leage and ACU's got some of the best offensive guys out there. I may have to pull out my calculator before halftime to keep up here.

I was on with my call for keeping eyes on Pimpton and Stevenson last night, so let's see if I can repeat ....

My thinking is that Bernard Scott will again have a huge afternoon. Maybe another four-TD performance. Knox, too, should burn the Storm a few times, but I look for Jerale Badon to step up here. I know he was frustrated at being limited to just one catch last week at Texas State, and he'll want to do well here in front of the home crowd today.

Defensively, watch Cody Stutts. A feature on him is coming later in the season, but he is an incredible story and an incredible player. He leads the team with, I believe, 19 tackles already and has every chance to have double-digit stops today. I'll give him a pair of sacks this afternoon as well.

I'll let you know how things are going as we progress here, but it could be a long day for Southeastern.

Posted by · September 15, 2007 5:43 PM · Comments (0)

Cooper's looking good here in the first half ...

As I said, Casey was set for a big night and so far he's had that, throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Stevenson, too, has been big, catching five passes for an even 100 yards.

Temple's actually looked pretty strong and has been on the verge of a few big plays, but the Cougar defense has been playing well, forcing three punts.

If there's been any negatives for Cooper it's been penalties (seven for 40 so far) and turnovers with a pair of fumbles - the final one coming on the Temple 3-yard line in the final minutes of the first half.

Posted by · September 14, 2007 7:38 PM · Comments (0)

Looks like a pretty good crowd is trickling in for the Cougars ... home side is maybe 75 percent full so far, and it normally fills in as the game works toward halftime.

Temple brought a few folks too, it looks like, which is good to see. I've talked with some scouts and they say Temple is much improved this year, which is about what I've been hearing from everywhere else. Ought to be an exciting game.

We're about 10 minutes from kickoff here ... keeping up with stats will keep me busy, but any break I get I'll let you know what's going on here.

Posted by · September 14, 2007 7:11 PM · Comments (0)

Well, I'm back in town this weekend and am looking forward to seeing how Cooper stacks up against a tough Temple team.

These guys didn't win a lot over the last few years, but the program is, in a lot of ways, like Cooper in that it is on the rebound and the school and community seems to be excited about changes going on there. They've got some great athletes on this squad, and they may just make a run at the playoffs this year.

The biggest challenge for Cooper will be handling the Wing-T that Temple has switched to this season. It will probably be the only time the Coogs see this offense, so it is tougher to prepare for than most. They did do well against the wishbone/flexbone stuff Weatherford showed two weeks back, though, and had an extra week to prepare, so I expect to see more of the same.

What they will have to watch out for are big plays -- something that's been a problem for the Cougars in the recent past. Those problems seem to be ironed out now, but Temple's scored six times this year on 50-plus yard runs so Cooper needs to make sure the defense that played at Weatherford is present at Shotwell tonight.

Offensively look for A'mon Pimpton to again shoulder a lot of the load, but watch Will Casey. He looked strong in his debut, and playing for the first time in front of the home crowd will certainly get him and the rest of the team amped up.

An aggressive defense can leave wideouts open - or at the least looking at man coverage - so seeing a big play or two from Ricky Stevenson wouldn't surprise me. Also keep an eye on Andrew Squyres running those dump screens or wheel routes for solid gains.

I'll be bringing the tower along with me to Shotwell, so just in case the wireless isn't working out there tonight I'll be able to give you a little inside look as the game goes on.

Posted by · September 14, 2007 3:23 PM · Comments (0)

State muffed its second kick return of the night, and this time ACU recovered.

Bernard Scott quickly scores his fourth of the night, and this one's over but for the final stats. Cats are gonna come out of here with a win over the No. 19 I-AA team in the country.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 9:05 PM · Comments (0)

Bobcats just burned their last timeout with ACU sitting at fourth-and-6 at midfield.

5:42 to play.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:48 PM · Comments (0)

ACU missed a sure pick deep and back-to-back PI calls led to a Bobcat touchdown.

It's now 38-27 with 9:47 to go, ACU on it's own 20 to start.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:46 PM · Comments (0)

This time it comes on a 32-yard strike ... but ACU did stop the 2-point conversion, so it's still a three-score game here.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:25 PM · Comments (0)

ACU up 38-14.

Texas State's moving the ball finally and actually won that quarter, but I think ACU's big start might be enough to hold them off through the final 15.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:20 PM · Comments (0)

And the Wildcats deflate that student section once more ... 38-14.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:13 PM · Comments (0)

Little WR to WR pass fooled the Cats ... State scores on a 52-yard pass, ACU's lead now cut to 31-14. This may get close here very soon.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:06 PM · Comments (0)

First-year coach Brad Wright must've given a nice pep talk at the break, because the Bobcats are looking much more like I expected here in the second half and seem to be getting the fans back in this one a little bit.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:04 PM · Comments (0)

gave ACU another three with 8:57 to go in the third, making it a 31-7 lead for ACU.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 8:00 PM · Comments (0)

Defensive pass interference helps the Bobcats out and Stan Zwinggi runs it in from five out to make it 28-7 with 10:52 to go in the third.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:44 PM · Comments (0)

Not sure what they're filming, but Friday Night Lights is here and shooting something in the pressbox at the half.

Alas, it doesn't seem as if they'll have to get me to sign a waiver - the shot is in the next room.

Though, who knows? Camera was pointed my way ... depends on if the shot's wide enough. Maybe I sneak in on the other side of the window.

(I don't watch the show ... sorry ... I see it all the time in real time. But the guys in there were all wearing maroon polos with TMU Athletics on them - if that helps at all. From the shot, guessing maybe they were shooting an OC in the booth talking to the sidelines or something.)

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:25 PM · Comments (1)

The Texas State cheer squad is smiling, but that's their job. Trust me -- Not many others wearing maroon today have a smile.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:23 PM · Comments (0)

67 ticks to go, State misses on fourth-and-3 try on ACU's 32.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:19 PM · Comments (0)

Cody Stutts just lept over a blocker and caught George by the collar, dragging him down for a loss of seven.

State's looking at third-and-17 with 1:14 to go in the half.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:16 PM · Comments (0)

George is finally moving the Bobcats. They're on the ACU 39 with 1:45 to play in the half. ACU D will have to step up to keep the halftime shutout ...

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:14 PM · Comments (0)

28-0 ACU with 3:16 to go in the half.

Bernard Scott scores on a wide-open 11-yard lob. It's his third of the game.

TSU student section is trying, but it's getting a little forced.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:09 PM · Comments (0)

ACU forces a three-and-out punt ... if it had gone a little higher, the wind might have made it go backwards. Total yardage there - 16 yards.

ACU ball on the 33.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 7:01 PM · Comments (0)

for the first time, one yard short of a third-and-15 conversion.

Six minutes left in the half.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 6:57 PM · Comments (0)

Fake punt goes for 23 yards for Texas State to keep its drive alive. It was the longest play of the game so far for the Bobcats.

A 4-yard completion on fourth-and-10, though, gives it back to ACU on the Wildcat 30 with 8:41 to play in the half.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 6:54 PM · Comments (0)

A few first-quarter stats for you: ACU offensive yards, 127. Texas State offensive yards, 48.

Anyone else think these guys were maybe looking at next week's matchup with Baylor more than they were looking at this week?

Posted by · September 8, 2007 6:52 PM · Comments (0)

I picked ACU to win this one (the only one at the office to do so, in fact) but I didn't think it would start like this.

The ACU defense has again come up huge, forcing a fumble near midfield. Four plays later, Bernard Scott in from 33 yards ... This could get ugly quick -- not at all what anyone expected out of the Bobcats today.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 6:43 PM · Comments (0)

11 play, 71-yard drive capped by a Bernard Scott run from 4 out, and ACU is up 14-0 ... and the Texas State student section seems a bit stunned here with 30 seconds left in the first quarter ...

Posted by · September 8, 2007 6:34 PM · Comments (0)

The Wildcats let Texas State move the ball to their own 29, but on third-and-10 sacked George for a loss of one. The ensuing field goal missed, giving ACU the ball back with the lead intact.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 6:20 PM · Comments (0)

ACU moved the ball well, going from its 20 to the Texas State 31, but Billy Malone was sacked for a loss of eight on third down, forcing a punt.

Three plays later, a pick by Mike Kern gave ACU another shot, and Malone hit Johnny Knox on the first play from 23 out, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead with 8:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Texas State seemed to be a bit flustered by the pick and score, and muffed the catch on the ensuing kickoff. The Bobcats got the ball back, though, and have driven to the ACU 40, so we'll see if the D can hold again.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 5:59 PM · Comments (0)

The place is really nice. Great field, great setup with the upper deck and great pressbox -- which, really, is the most important thing.

(And the West Texas fans would love it ... the train rolled by not 10 minutes ago and blew his horn for the gathering crowd.)

Got out of Brownwood a little late so wasn't here as soon as I wanted to be, but I made it in and still 20 minutes to go before kickoff.

Like last night's game, this one could go either way. Of course Texas State is the favorite here, but the LSC has been playing the Southland Conference well this season with Tarleton getting a win and Angelo State falling after a fourth-down shot at the endzone failed.

ACU will certainly have to play better for it to have a shot. Last week was full of errors, both mental and physical. But if the Cats get back to where they were in Week four or five last season, this one might be an upset in the making.

Billy Malone is a D-I quarterback (he started at Tulane before medical problems left to him leaving), kicker Matt Adams is easily a D-I player and I believe Jerale Badon is at least a I-AA receiver. There're other, but 13 minutes left to kickoff, so I'll leave it there ... but I'll let you know where we're at as the game wears on.

Posted by · September 8, 2007 5:37 PM · Comments (0)

If Brownwood can shore up the offensive line and give Pachall some pass protection, this is going to be a scary good team come December.

I'm off ... I'll check in with you tomorrow night in San Marcos as the ACU Wildcats take on Division I-AA Texas State.

(Yes, I know, I-AA isn't what it's called anymore, but it's just so much easier.)

Posted by · September 7, 2007 9:44 PM · Comments (0)

This one should probably be worse.

Brownwood's up 27-0 at the half, and Sweetwater doesn't have a first down through the first two quarters. Let me say that once more ... the Mustangs do not have a single first down.

The only bright spot for the visitors, really, is that this isn't worse. The Mustang defense has really acquitted itself pretty well, and kept Brownwood from scoring in the last minute of the half with a couple of big sacks on Pachall, who now has eight carries for a loss of four yards.

So it isn't that great a game, but at least I'm not Marc David. He's sitting there in Lubbock in a deluge still waiting for the game to start. Last I heard, they're hoping for a 9:30 p.m. start there. Ugh. I'm hoping to be out of here before that one hits halftime - if it ever does.

Posted by · September 7, 2007 8:46 PM · Comments (2)

The Mustangs haven't been able to move the ball at all, and Brownwood is taking full advantage.

So far the Lions have two picks and a fumble recovery through the first quarter.

Posted by · September 7, 2007 8:04 PM · Comments (0)

Sweetwater at Brownwood.

On paper it looks like the Lions are going to roll -- and to be honest, that's sort of what I'm expecting. But this seems to be one of those games, you know? Odd things happen.

Doubt me? Just look at last year. The Mustangs jumped out to a huge start and looked ready for a romp of their own, but the Lions balanced out on defense and let the offense catch back up -- only to lose (24-21) in the final seconds on what I believe was a 44-yard field goal. Into the wind.

That distance is tough enough in high school. And into the wind? That doesn't happen. Except in ones like this one.

Either way, I look for Casey Pachall to have another huge night, and I'm thrilled to get to see him play again. I got to see him last year when Brownwood visited Shotwell to take on Cooper. Pachall started the second half of that one and, as a sophomore, very nearly led his team to a comeback win. The team was his from that week on, and he got better with every outing.

From all I hear -- and from what I saw from him in 7-on-7 this summer -- Pachall is bigger, stronger and more confident as a junior. That all may lead to some record-breaking numbers this season in Lion Country.

I'll just go ahead and say it right now -- come back and quote me here -- Casey Pachall will be the next Colt McCoy.

But all of that doesn't mean that Pachall and the Lions are a lock here. Because if Sweetwater is able to get it's eat-up-the-clock ground game going, who knows.

The answers will start to present themselves here in about 25 minutes. And, as I get time during breaks, I'll let you know how it's going.

Posted by · September 7, 2007 6:54 PM · Comments (0)