Sunday, September 8, 1996

ACU beats Prairie View A&M, 30-14
By TED DUNNAM
Assistant Sports Editor

PRAIRIE VIEW - Last week, Abilene Christian University found out that you have to crawl before you can walk.

And although the Wildcats appeared to still be on all fours for 11/2 quarters Saturday, the Wildcats finally took the next step, this time from an upright position.

The Wildcats hammered home a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half, paving the way for a 3014 win over Prairie View A&M at Blackshear Stadium.

The win evened ACU's season record at 1-1 while extending the Panthers' NCAA-record losing streak to 59 consecutive games.

"We told the guys at halftime they shouldn't get too excited about their lead (17-6)," head coach Jack Kiser said. "We needed to come out and set the tone for the second half.

"It was good to get this victory. I'm never going to take winning for granted again. I'm going to enjoy every one of them."

The Wildcats took the second half kickoff and marched 56 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown with quarterback Mitch Alvarado capping the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

That gave ACU a 23-6 lead at the 9:53 mark and the Wildcats never looked back.

'We got all of our assignments right this week," Alvarado said. "The offensive line did a great job. The whole team was really not prepared last week, but we came out ready to play today."

ACU's lead eventually reached 30-6 before the Panthers produced a late fourth-quarter score.

The Wildcats' first surge of momentum was fueled by Ra'Shard Tinnon' interception of a Prairie View pass with 9:16 left in the first half. The theft led to ACU's second touchdown and a 17-6 advantage at halftime.

"The defense wasn't satisfied at all with our play last week," Timmons said. "I just stuck out my hand and caught the ball. We needed a big play.

"I have a lot of respect for Prairie View. They play very hard."

Although the Wildcats managed just five first downs and 95 yards of offense in the first half, ACU held a 17-6 lead after two quarters.

ACU scored on its second possession of the game after starting a drive at the Prairie View A&M 40-yard line. The Wildcats, though, could move just 14 yards in seven plays before settling for a 43-yard Brandon Baker field goal at 9:33 of the first quarter.

The Panthers took their only lead of the game on their fourth possession after ACU punt returner Craig Cole fumbled. That set up the Panthers at their 40-yard line.

Six plays later, the Panthers were in the end zone. John Sharp gained 20 yards on the first two plays of the drive. Two offsides penalties aided the Panther march, which culminated with a 23-yard scoring pass from Josh Barnes to wide receiver Torrance Brooks.

Barnes eluded ACU pursuit deep in his backfield, scrambled to his right and fired a strike to a waiting Brooks in the end zone. That touchdown came with just one second left in the first quarter, but the score remained 6-3 when the point-after kick failed.

Prairie View A&M's lead was very short-lived. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, ACU regained the upper hand.

ACU quarterback Alvarado went deep on the first play to wide receiver Rodney Lauderdale, who outdueled a Panther defensive back for the ball and then raced untouched into the end zone. Baker's PAT put ACU's lead at 10-6 with 14:49 left in the half.

A big defensive play by the Wildcats was the catalyst for ACU's next score. Defensive back Tinnon speared a Barnes pass with his left hand, pulled it in and raced to the Panther 6.

After a 5-yard penalty and an incomplete pass, the Wildcats finally capitalized on the turnover when Alvarado hit Ryan Benn in the end zone on an 11-yard pass.

With 9:03 left in the half, ACU had a 17-6 cushion.

The Wildcats drove inside the Panther 20-yard line once more in the first half, but a 37-yard field goal by Baker misfired in the closing seconds.

"Prairie View really played well under the circumstances," Kiser said. "With all the stuff they had to deal with, they still seemed like a pretty focused team out there.

"But I thought our guys were, too. We definitely made some progress from last week."

ACU finished the game with 264 yards of total offense. David Bennett led Wildcat rushers with 77 yards on 19 carries while Sammie Overton had 61 yards on 18 totes.

Alvarado completed six of 15 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns.

The Wildcat defense limited Prairie View to 30 yards rushing and 108 through the air.

"The defense played great," Alvarado said. "Everyone played better. We were just much better prepared this week."