Abilene Christian University (3-0) and Texas A&M University-Commerce (0-3) may be leagues apart in terms of recent success on the football field, but, for 60 minutes this last Saturday, they were evenly matched.
In a game defined by tough defense and clutch plays, A&M-Commerce fell to ACU 20 -14 in overtime. Both teams struggled offensively during the first half. ACU gained huge chunks of yards, but couldn’t finish drives, while A&M-Commerce’s offensive woes that they’ve had all year continued.
“Overall, we moved the ball well,” said ACU head coach Chris Thomsen, “but we just killed ourselves with turnovers.”
The Lions’ starting quarterback Reid Herchenbach was replaced in the second quarter by Adam Farkes because of his ineffective play. Farkes went 15 for 30 with an interception and the Lions’ only passing touchdown of the season, almost certainly guarenteeing him the starting role in next week’s game.
A&M-Commerce was unable to establish any kind of rhythm in the rushing game. The Lion’s running backs combined for 20 yards on 22 carries, while ACU’s ground game racked up 217 yards and two touchdowns.
A&M-Commerce drove deep into ACU territory late in the second quarter, but a fumble within ACU’s 10 yard line kept the Lions off of the scoreboard. A&M-Commerce started the second half with four consecutive three-and-outs and ACU capitalized on the Lion’s inability to move the football with a four yard touchdown run by Daryl Richardson in the third quarter.
It was the Lions’ defense that put A&M-Commerce on the board first. Junior linebacker Cory Whitfield intercepted a Zach Stewart pass and ran it back for a touchdown.
“Out of eight years of playing football, that was the best play I’ve ever had,” Whitfield said.
ACU retaliated with a long drive of their own, capped off with a six yard touchdown run by Richardson after the Wildcats converted a fourth and nine.
A&M-Commerce couldn’t make any headway against the Wildcats’ defense for most of the fourth quarter.
Farkes led the team on a memorable drive in the last two minutes, converting a pair of key third downs before hitting wide receiver Taylor Fore for a 20 yard touchdown with 32 seconds left on the clock.
Coach Guy Morriss decided to kick the extra point instead of going for two, despite players arguing him to try for the win. In overtime, A&M-Commerce won the toss, but Farkes threw an interception on the first play to ACU cornerback Drew Cuffee, who returned it 81 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
“It’s a tough loss,” Farkes said. “But you have to take a positive approach, and we’re going to battle back.”
Cuffee tipped the football into the air and trapped it against his leg before scoring the touchdown.
“Honestly, it was really a great feeling,” said Cuffee. “I don’t really have the words to describe it.”
Even though the Lions lost, their performance against ACU, the number two Division II team in the nation, should boost the confidence of a team that had been blown out in their first two games.
“We had some opportunities to make some plays, and we didn’t get it done, while they made the plays when they needed to,”Morriss said. “That being said, I think we really grew up tonight. Our best football is still in front of us.”
For those that expected an ACU blowout, the Harvey Martin Classic was certainly a surprise. Hopefully, A&M-Commerce can take some of the momentum from this game into conference play.
“We can match up with most anybody in the conference, and if they don’t believe that now, they’ll never believe it,” Morriss said.
Next Saturday A&M-Commerce will travel to Portales, New Mexico, to play Eastern New Mexico. The Greyhounds are 1-2 overall, and 1-1 in Lone Star Conference play.