15:00 -- Another WT third down and ACU needs a stop. Third-and-6 at the ACU 41. Again, WT gets a big conversion. At the end of this thing, if the Buffs hold on, what will have won it for them will be third-down conversions, both for and against.

12:59 -- WT down to the ACU 2. They score a touchdown here, and I'm not sure if it isn't going to be too much for the Cats to come back from.

6:09 -- Sorry, guys -- somehow I nuked the last six minutes. In short, WT scored again but ACU responded with a score of its own. WT just went for a fourth-and-1 field goal from the ACU 20, with the wind, but it was off the mark, giving the ball to the Cats.

4:58 -- Again, a failed third-down conversion for ACU. Looks like they'll go for it here, two yards shot on their own 39. Gotta go with Scott. The pass has just been too hit-or-miss today for ACU.

4:54 -- They throw it. Tipped and no good. That might do it.

3:34 -- The crowd here is pretty much silent ... ACU's D stopped West Texas three times from the 1, but Jon Roberts came on and hit an 18-yarder to make the WT lead 10 with 3:34 to play ... even an ACU score quick is probably going to be too little. Then again, Notre Dame won earlier this season, so miracles can happen.

3:27 -- Should that miracle happen ... I'll be back. But otherwise I'm headed down to the field to talk to some upset young men. I'll check back with you all later on with a wrapup.

Posted by · October 20, 2007 4:55 PM · Comments (0)

13:48 -- A nice return, a personal foul and a solid run by Scott and ACU's in field goal range here to start the second half.

12:26 -- Knox spins out of a tackle and loses about half a yard, fourth and less than one on the 14. Scott gets the conversion.

10:23 -- Following another WT penalty (offsides) Scott punches it in from two out to make it a one-score game.

(Like I said ... run the ball. That drive went eight plays. Scott carried the ball on six of them.)

9:10 -- WT loses 16 on a bad snap fumble, back to its own 14. Looking at third-and-22 and the pass to a wide open Flemming dropped. WT's punting into the wind, so looks like good position coming up for the Cats with an opportunity to tie.

8:07 -- ACU takes over on the WT 38.

7:59 -- Again ... ACU goes to the air? Three straight incomplete passes. Matt Adams has a 50-yard leg, but the Cats instead decide to punt. Again, WT is offsides on the punt. Matt Adams comes in for a 50-yard field goal attempt. His kick had the distance but was just off the mark. WT's ball on the 33.

6:51 -- ACU gets a pick if the pass isn't just behind the defender. Instead WT gets another third-down conversion on the next play.

5:57 -- WT false start. WT sideline warning (their second). WT false start.

5:24 -- WT's got a third-and-nine on its own 45. Null forced to get it away with the defense barreling down on him. ACU holds, will get the ball back in decent position.

4:59 -- Well, they got it back, anyway. Knox decided to watch it roll, and ACU will start on its own 15.

4:39 -- Scrambling away from a little pressure, Malone hits Knox on the far sideline for 39 yards! ACU ball at the WT 39 after a false start.

3:50 -- WT just can't stop itself. Malone's send-and-13 pass goes off the mark, but the Buffs give the Cats life with a 15-yard roughing the passer. (That's 106 yards in penalties so far compared to 30 for ACU.)

2:40 -- Malone pass to Holloway good, but he's ruled out of bounds in the end zone on a third-and-2 from the 14. They'll go for it, but they couldn't get the ball off in time and there was an illegal shift call at the snap. Turnover on downs -- that one could wind up being a big play when this is all done.

1:55 -- Third-and-8 for WT ... ACU D is playing great in the second half so far ... and WT is helping them out. False start. Now it's third-and-13 at the 11. Once again, though, pass complete to Kolo (just before Null got leveled). First down.

Posted by · October 20, 2007 4:11 PM · Comments (0)

WT grabbed some momentum there in the second quarter and has ridden it to a 14-point lead at the break.

So far the difference has really been the defense. WT's D has forced a pair of punts, and both times turned them into scores. ACU, meanwhile, had forced the Buffs into a third-down situation six times and allowed the visitors to convert on four of them. The Cats, meanwhile, are 1-of-6 on third-down conversions.

Flemming is leading WT with 100 rushing yards at the break. Kolo's got 58 yards through the air. ACU's top receiver is Johnny Knox with 73 and the leading rusher at the break is Bernard Scott. He's only got 54 yards, though, as for some reason ACU decided in the second quarter to get away from the ground game that was so effective in the first quarter. If they hope to turn this one around, they'll have to get it back to Scott in the second half and turn in more of those long, sustained drives.

The ACU crowd has been quieted a bit here by the WT push and that's a big part of the WT push as well. The crowd was causing problems early for the Buff offense, and that would certainly help out in any second-half push.

Posted by · October 20, 2007 3:48 PM · Comments (0)

14:42 -- Billy Malone throws a pass to ... well, no one. No one in purple, that is. WT pick by Cashmin Thomas at the WT 43, returned to the ACU 43.

13:48 -- AGAIN. Back-to-back false starts on WT. They go from first-and-10 at the 29 to first-and-20 at the 39.

13:34 -- Seriously? Another false start? Yikes. First-and-25. We're approaching midfield.

13:17 -- Great run by Wayne McKnight (including a a jump over a potential tackle) picks up the penalty yards. A 10-yard pass, then, converts. ACU blew a great chance to hold on that one.

12:01 -- Null nearly sacked but steps out of it, hits Dale Davis from 12 out for a score. PAT's good, WT leads 14-10.

10:01 -- WT's grabbing some momentum here. They've forced a three-and-out punt that got caught in the wind and took a bad bounce, starting the drive on the ACU 36. Looks like ACU may be down a few scores here pretty quick -- the D has been on the field here for a little too long in this last stretch.

8:24 -- Fingertip catch by Kolo on a low pass and he rumbles in from 17 on a third-and-2. WT 22, ACU 10.

7:45 -- Johnny Knox just got the crowd - and ACU - right back into the game. He took a short pass from Malone along the left sideline. He cut back inside to make the initial defender miss and then used his feet and speed to make another four Buffs grab a handful of air before finally going down 60 yards later at the two. Scott punched it in on the next play, and the WT lead was cut back to five, 22-17.

5:23 -- WT's looking at third-and-2 on the ACU 31 and got just enough to covert. Other than that holding call that pretty much everyone in the place saw. (WT fans didn't even boo that one.) But again, ACU can't stop the conversion. Kolo's wide open (how can you not see that guy slipping into open space?) WT gets another penalty, though this one happened after the play, so they get the new set of downs.

3:45 -- When things are going your was .... Vickers makes a catch that wasn't even intended for him and went through the intended receiver's hands. WT to the 3.

2:50 -- Two nice defensive stops leaves WT looking at third-and-goal at the 2. (McKnight injured on the second stop ... helped off the field without touching his right leg to the turf. That will hurt if he can't come back.)

2:35 -- Pass in the end zone batted down, ACU holds the Buffs to three.

2:01 -- Pass is behind a wide open Johnny Knox running across the middle. Would have been a 20-plus yard gain, instead Cats punt again. (Looked as if there was holding on the play ... Buffs were offsides on the punt, too, but no flags flew.)

1:42 -- ACU defense looks to be tiring a bit being on the field for so long. Flemming breaks out with a 37-yard run. It's his longest of the day and he's been pretty much bottled up other than that one. His total on the ground so far is 89.

1:19 -- Make that an even 100. Touchdown Buffs. The only good news for ACU there: Despite only a slight block attempt, the PAT is off the mark. 31-17 WT.

:32 -- ACU's pushing to score before the half, but a screen didn't develop fast enough, third-and-8 at the ACU 37.

:25 -- ACU gets seven on the pass play. Fourth-and-1 on the 43 with two timeouts. ACU, though, elects to punt it away rather than risk it.

:13 -- WT's ball at their own 26. Null takes a knee.

Posted by · October 20, 2007 2:49 PM · Comments (0)

12:16 -- WT's driving. With the help of a pass interference call and a nice 27-yard run by Flemming, the Buffs are down to the ACU 24 and have called a timeout. Null is chased out of the pocket and throws incomplete and Flemming is tackled for a loss of one. Third-and-11 at the ACU 14, false start. Now third-and-16.

12:06 -- Remember how WT gets a lot of penalties? Another false start. Third-and-21. And Flemming is tripped up by Cody Stutts after one yard. Fourth-and-20 at the 23.

11:16 -- WT's going for it? Pick, Tony Harp at the 5! (He returns it to the 12 ... probably should have just let it go. Null was flushed out on that one, too, and threw a little high. Pass was tipped up by intended receiver, but he never really had a shot at it.)

9:40 -- Bernard Scott is showing the WT crowd that he's a pretty good running back, too. A nice 12-yard run, breaking several tackles along the way, moved the ball to just past midfield. ACU can't seem to get the play in and calls a timeout, second-and-8 on the WT 45.

8:32 -- Scott shows patience, waits for the play to develop and picks his way through the pack, gains 17 yards for another first down.

7:32 -- Billy Malone pass (tipped) and reception! He winds up gaining a tough yard on the play, then rifles a 6-yard pass in to Jerale Badon.

6:22 -- Fourth-and-1, ball on the 19. ACU's going for it. WT was out of position there -- Johnny Knox ran out wide and set, with the WT coverage realizing late and rushing over. Buff coaches wisely call a timeout and avoid a sure touchdown.

6:00 -- Scott gains two, BIG first down. Followed by a 13-yard strike to Holloway despite tight coverage, firswt-and-goal at the four. Bernard Scott straight down the gut for six. 88 yards, 19 plays. Scott had seven carries for 48 yards on the drive.

4:58 -- Null sacked and fumbles! ACU recovers the lose ball and returns it to the 2.

4:04 -- A Scott run and two shots to the end zone didn’t give the Cats any points, but Matt Adams nailed the chip shot for three, giving ACU a 10-0 lead.

(Anyone remember reading my difference-makers in this one? Penalties and turnovers.)

2:16 -- WT O-lineman with a blatant hold (not called) and Keith Null fired one in to Carl Johnson. Pass would have been complete for a first down, but Corey Jordan leveled him, popping the ball out. Johnson came back with an 18-yard pass reception, though, to convert.

:29 -- Kelvin Thompson seems top be doing better than Flemming, honestly. His speed is helping him burst through the line a bit and get to the outside.

:05 -- ACU's down to the ACU 9 on a 21-yard dump to Flemming.

:00 -- Charly Martin wide open in the end zone (had to jump a bit to get the pass) for a touchdown. Two-point conversion -- just like they did last year against ACU on a direct snap to Kolo. (You'd think the Cats would've remembered that.)

Posted by · October 20, 2007 2:07 PM · Comments (0)

There’s about 40 minutes before kickoff here, and the fans are starting to filter in. ACU’s got a pretty late-arriving crowd, so with maybe 3,000 here already on the home side it looks like it oughta be a big crowd today.

West Texas, I hope, travels well. I expect that they should with as well as the team is doing this season and as big a game as this is. So far they’ve got maybe a hundred folks over there.

As far as my thoughts on the game …. I still think ACU’s my favorite here.

You can talk all you want about the offense and the defense and which one is better. But when it comes down to it, the defenses are probably fairly even. The offenses, too, are even, I think - except that I think the Wildcats may have a bit of an edge there just because they are much more balanced and have shown the ability to strike with multiple players. WT just depends so much on Keithon Flemming. I know he’s a great player and I’m looking forward to seeing him live, but if the Cats can key on him and, somehow, shut him down, they’re taking a huge step toward a win.

Let’s call the punt and punt return teams equal. Kickoff groups, too.

One thing that may count in this one, as tight as it may be, are field goals. WT’s got an average of 70 percent there. ACU is at just under 89 percent. Edge, ACU.

Where else is ACU at an advantage? Turnover margin (+13 to +4), penalties (roughly 60 ypg to 120) and sacks allowed (5 to 12). The differences there may not be huge, and sacks allowed may not seem like that big a deal. But a little difference here and there in this one may be the deciding factor. And the sacks allowed is actually pretty significant, because it means the o-line has had some struggles for WT, at least in pass protection. That mean’s Keith Null may be running around with Travis Carpenter and Cody Stutts on his tail a bit today. Edge, ACU.

Throw in what is sure to be a rowdy homecoming crowd, and every little edge seems to go to ACU. All told, I figure those little things adding up to four points.

ACU 42, WT 38

Posted by · October 20, 2007 1:12 PM · Comments (0)

This one's over -- it has been for quite some time ... so I'm going to sign off now and head down to the field.

Thanks for stopping by.

Posted by · October 6, 2007 8:30 PM · Comments (1)

I'm expecting a few backups here this quarter.

And, for what it's worth: The ACU record for most points scored in a game is 81, set in the second year of football back in 1920. The modern record is 61, in a 61-7 win over Eastern New Mexico back in 1970.

8:01 remaining -- The ACU offense is struggling to move the ball with Nick Bird at QB, so no scoring this half just yet. Northeastern actually finally got the ball in the end zone on a nice catch from 48, but a holding penalty erased the six.

5:30 remaining -- Refs rule roughing on the kicker to keep a Northeastern drive alive and the RiverHawks avoid the shutout with a 7-yard run by J. Lewis.

1:28 remaining -- ACU blocks a 52-yard field goal attempt, takes over at the 42.

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

14:49 remaining -- Bernard Scott 45-yard catch down to the Northeastern 21. Looks like this one's gonna look just about as expected.

13:39 remaining -- Malone to Rodney Freeman from 21, ACU 24-0.

12:09 remaining -- One play after Travis Carpenter got through the line so quickly he nearly took the handoff himself, ACU picks up another INT.

10:37 remaining -- I think I know why Northeastern's pass defense is No. 12 in the conference. They've seemingly adopted the New Orleans Saints pass coverage plan - watch the catch, then chase. Malone is having so much time to scan his receivers (pretty much backups from the start, honestly) he's just picking his way down the field. Northeastern just has no pass rush at all.

9:16 remaining -- Malone almost got one to a former six-man player for a score, but Bernard Scott punched it in from two out, 31-0.

8:27 remaining -- ACU forces and recovers a fumble, Cats' ball at the NSU 18.

8:22 remaining -- That scoring drive: One play, 18 yards, five seconds. (to Johnny Knox) 37-0.

5:09 remaining -- Johnny Knox 45-yard catch down to the one (he was probably in) and Kebron Lampkin scores his second of the day. 44-0. ugh.

4:51 remaining -- LSC refs strike again. Would-be fumble called an incomplete pass (even though QB's arm never even started to move forward). Theat play followed by a PI call on a pass about 5 yards high and out of bounds. Not that it matters any. But still ...

3:45 remaining -- Northeastern putting a few plays together and having a bit of success -- until the ball goes back to ACU on another pick on its own 23.

2:15 remaining -- You might remember me mentioning Kebron Lampkin during the spring. I've said he's going to be a special player. Well, he's got his third score of the game, turning a little five-yard dump pass into a 75-yard touchdown. Cats 51-0.

(End of half. Thankfully.)

Posted by · October 6, 2007 6:37 PM · Comments (0)

OK, got a bit of a late start as I got here just as the anthem was playing. Been that kind of day.

But ACU's already forced a three-and-out and, on its first play from scrimmage Billy Malone just overthrew an open receiver on what would have been a 46-yard touchdown.

It's the sort of thing I expect to see today. Northeastern is giving up around 300 a game through the air and scoring just over 11 offensively. ACU, meanwhile, is scoring a bit over 45 per game, so I've picked ACU by 37. I actually expect it to be up into the 40s. It's gonna be really, reallly, really ugly.

The good thing, though, is that the backups will certainly get some work in today - always an important thing in a long season. The most important of the guys needing in-game experience is QB Nick Bird. If Malone gets hurt -- like he did last year in the playoffs against WT -- ACU will need to be able to have the option to still go to the air, even with a ground game that has thus far proven to be pretty potent.

10:55 remaining -- The Cats are just methodically working down the field, taking up 5 and 10 yard chunks at a time both on the ground and through their air. They're down to the 13, though, facing a third-and-2 and the RiverHawks made a nice stop on the sideline to force a field goal.

9:31 remaining -- Matt Adams knocked in a 29-yarder, giving ACU the first points of the night.

7:55 remaining -- A Wildcat pick at the ACU 40 gives the ball back to Malone and the Cats deep in RiverHawk territory. They start the drive at the 29.

7:09 remaining -- Edmund Gates scores from 29 out on an end around, breaking a few tackles and running a tightrope along the sideline. 10-0 ACU.

5:35 remaining -- Note to Northeastern: I'm pretty sure ACU proved last week it can defend the option. Another punt and another short field for the Cats.

3:39 remaining -- Gotta love LSC penalties. ACU on the RiverHawk 27, offsides. Where does the ball go? Well, yeah, it should have been the 32. But you forget ... LSC penalty. Ref spots it at the 33. (ACU still gets 12 on the pass play, so no biggie ... but still .... )

2:44 remaining -- Kebron Lampkin is going to get some time here, and that's good. The redshirt freshman is a speedy utility back and just ran in a screen from 15 out, ACU's up 17-nill.

Posted by · October 6, 2007 6:03 PM · Comments (0)