College football: Central Arkansas mauls Abilene Christian in conference opener
UNITED ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 52, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 17
Top performers
ACU: Maverick McIvor 12-21-0—125 passing; Jermiah Dobbins 13-60 TD rushing; Hut Graham 3-55 receiving
Central Arkansas: ShunDerrick Powell 23-256 TD rushing, 3-25 TD receiving; Will McElvain 17-29-0—207 2 TDs passing
Highlights: ShunDerrick Powell ran for 256 yards, including a 95-yard TD, while he also caught a 14-yard TD pass from Will McElvain to power Central Arkansas past ACU in the United Athletic Conference debut for both teams Saturday in Conway, Arkansas.
McElvain also threw a 10-yard TD pass to Myles Butler, while Kylin James and Darius Hale each ran for a TD.
Jermiah Dobbins ran 8 yards for a TD, and Kyle Ramsey kicked a 44-yard field goal as the Wildcats led 10-7 going into the second quarter.
Maverick McIvor fumbled the ball in the end zone while being sacked on the first play of the second quarter, and Jake Golday recovered the ball for a TD to give the Bears a 14-10 advantage – a lead they never relinquished.
ACU trailed 45-10 when the Wildcats scored their last TD – a 25-yard pass from Quayde Hawkins to Noah Caldwell.
The Bears outgained ACU 592-232 on offense, including 380-43 rushing, and they didn’t turn over the ball.
The UAC, a football-only league, is a combination of Western Athletic Conference and ASUN Conference teams. ACU plays in the WAC, while Central Arkansas is an ASUN team. This is the league's first year after the two conference's had an alliance the past two years. Neither has enough teams to meet the NCAA requirement for an automatic qualifier to the FCS playoffs, thus the alliance.
Records: ACU 2-2, 0-1; Central Arkansas 2-2, 1-0
Next: ACU at North Texas, 6 p.m. Saturday; Central Arkansas at Southern Utah, 7 p.m. Saturday
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AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR 50, MCMURRY 9
Top performers
McMurry: Tray Walton 6-9-1—86 TD passing; Kristopher Martin 6-84 receiving
UHMB: Isaac Phe 16-27-0—232 2 TDs passing; T.J. Rhone 4-119 TD receiving
Highlights: Isaac Phe threw for 232 yards and two TDs, and Jackson Tingler threw for two more as the reigning league champions beat McMurry in the American Southwest Conference opener for both teams Saturday in Belton.
The Crusaders converted two of four McMurry turnovers into 10 points. Trace Holmes' pick and 36-yard return to the McMurry 19 on the War Hawks’ first drive. Two plays later, Phe threw a TD pass to T.J. Rone for a 10-0 Cru lead.
Jared Mendoza kicked a 43-yard field goal for McMurry, while Tray Walton threw a 12-yard TD pass to Malachi Lecadre-Gray to lead the War Hawks.
It was McMurry’s first TD in the series with the Cru since an 80-7 loss in Belton in 2018. The War Hawks had scored a total of six points, all field goals, in the previous three meetings combined.
Records: McMurry 1-2, 0-1; Mary Hardin-Baylor 1-3, 1-0
Next: Lyon College at McMurry, 1 p.m. Saturday; Mary Hardin-Baylor at Texas Lutheran, 1 p.m. Oct. 7.
NON-CONFERENCE
ENDICOTT 37, HARDIN-SIMMONS 10
Top performers
HSU: Noah Garcia 15-72 rushing; Tailon Garrett 7-47 receiving
Endicott: Clayton Marengi 8-12-0—124 2 TDs passing; Shane Aylward 4-111 2 TDs receiving; Yavier Cosme-Diaz 14-79 2 TDs rushing
Highlights: Endicott cashed four Hardin-Simmons turnovers into 23 points, and the Gulls upset the No. 5 Cowboys on Friday at Hempstead Stadium in Beverly, Massachusetts.
An HSU turnover set up a 28-yard field goal by Ryan Smith for the game’s first score, and Clayton Marengi threw TD passes of 12 and 51 yards to Shane Aylward as the Gulls rolled to a 17-3 halftime lead.
Wylie grad Grayson Bearden kicked a 23-yard field goal with 2:04 left in first half, after Endicott led 17-0.
The Gulls converted three Cowboy turnovers into TDs in the second half, and HSU didn’t score until A.J. Hawkins’ 2-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter with his team down 37-3.
The Gulls picked off three passes and recovered an HSU fumble while not turning over the ball in beating a nationally ranked team for the first time in program history.
Records: Hardin-Simmons 2-1; Endicott 3-1
Next: Howard Payne at HSU, 1 p.m. Saturday; Endicott at Hilbert, 3:30 p.m. Saturday
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: ACU battles Central Arkansas in United Athletic Conference opener
