Reserve QB makes for Long night in Abilene Christian's win over Western New Mexico

The plan was to get Ethan Long get some snaps on Abilene Christian’s third possession of the game, just to get the reserve quarterback work in a live game for the first time this season.

He ended up playing the rest of the night – throwing for 251 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 34-7 victory over Division II Western New Mexico on Saturday at Wildcat Stadium.

“He came in and responded tremendously,” ACU coach Keith Patterson said. “We just went with the hot hand.”

Long, a junior transfer from Arizona State, completed 22 of 34 passes without an interception in his first meaningful playing time in his college career.

He took over for starter Maverick McIvor, who was 0 for 4. Long led the Wildcats to a win after losing to FBS Missouri 34-17 last week.

“Being able to string some drives together was really fun,” said Long, who never threw a pass at ASU. “I just can’t thank the (offensive) line and defense enough. They did some really great things out there. Our receivers really did a good job, too.”

Long, a West Linn, Ore., native, led ACU (3-1) on a touchdown drive his first time running the offense on the Wildcats’ third possession of the game.

He completed 5 of 7 passes on the 12-play, 76-yard drive –the first three to Kobe Clark.

Rovaughn Banks Jr. capped the drive with his first of two rushing TDs – a 3-yarder on fourth-and-goal to give the Wildcats their first lead at 10-7 four plays into the second quarter.

Kobe Clark, a Sweetwater senior, finished with a game-high seven catches for 92 yards, including Long’s first collegiate TD pass – a 20-yarder for a 27-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“He’s a great player, and he’s someone that you can rely on,” Long said. “… Kobe just has a feel for the game that’s the next level. He’s a really special player. When it’s tough, he’s a good guy to go to.”

Clark, who has 223 career receptions, is 12 shy of Abilene High grad Jerale Badon’s all-time mark in an ACU uniform.

Banks, Dobbins step up

Banks and Jermiah Dobbins made for a nice 1-2 punch running the ball, too.

Banks, a Tulsa freshman, ran for a career-high 243 yards on 21 carries. His second TD of the night, a 2-yarder with 1:58 left before halftime, gave the Wildcats a 17-7 advantage at the break.

“He was running inspired tonight, and he’s learning,” Patterson said. “What he figured out is, in college football, that gap is only going to stay open for about that long. You’ve got to stick your foot in the grass, and you’ve got to get going north and south.”

Dobbins, a Lubbock Estacado sophomore, added 105 yards on 18 carries as ACU rolled up 469 total yards.

Defensive gem

Then there was the ACU defense, which held the Mustangs (2-2) to nine first down and 167 total yards, including just 2 rushing on 11 carries.

“I’m really impressed by the way that they’ve played through four games. I really am,” said Patterson, a longtime defensive coordinator. “They gained even more confidence last week up at Missouri, because they felt like they kind of dominated the line of scrimmage. … I think it just carried over to tonight’s game as well.”

The Mustangs’ lone score came on their second possession, a 12-yard, 52-yard drive. Devin Larsen finished it with a 4-yard TD pass to Jamon Chambers for a 7-0 lead.

Patterson said he was uncertain about the defense coming out of fall camp, but he doesn’t have any doubts now.

“They’ve just gotten better and better and better,” Patterson said. “If we’ll continue to do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

Mansell's pick

Peyton Mansell, ACU’s starting quarterback in 2020 and parts of 2021, got his first interception late in the game.

The senior made the switch to defensive back this season. He is believed to be the first Wildcat in program history to have a passing touchdown, a rushing TD and an interception in his career.

Patterson said Mansell, even in a reserve role on defense, plays a big role on the team because of his leadership. Patterson said he was an overwhelming choice in a vote by the players as a team captain.

“I can’t say enough about him and what he brings and the attitude he brings, even though he’s not even starting,” Patterson said. “But yet he plays a vital role on this team, and his leadership is unquestioned.”

Long night for Mustangs

The defense gave Long and the offense time to get going, and Long provided a spark not only with his arm, but his feet. His 18-yard scramble on third-and-15 from the ACU 38-yard line, kept the drive alive so that Banks could get his second TD for a 17-7 lead.

“He’s got tremendous playmaking ability with his feet,” Patterson said of Long. “He can extend plays, and he can run extremely well as you saw. I think that was the added dimension that he’s able to bring when he is in there to make plays and get out of trouble a little bit more.”

Long, who finished the night with a 3-yard TD pass to Rece Stafford late in the game, deferred to his teammates.

“I did not play as well as I’m getting the credit for,” Long said. “Our line and our receivers bailed me out a lot. I’m really appreciative of that. It’s fun to score. It’s fun to throw touchdowns. The running backs ran the crap out of the ball tonight, and that was awesome.”

Long, though, was happy to finally get some meaningful playing time.

“It was really fun,” Long said. “I can’t lie. It’s fun to play football at any level and winning is even more fun. So, as long as we keep doing that, it’s great.”

Breaking it down

∎ Turning point: ACU took control of the game once the Wildcats got their first TD for their first lead. Banks’ second TD for a 17-7 advantage all but sealed it with the way the defense was playing.

∎ Players of the game: Rovaughn Banks Jr., running back, ACU – The freshman ran for his team’s first two TDs and finished with a game-high 143 yards on 21 carries. He also had four catches for 21 yards; Ethan Long, quarterback, ACU – Long, getting his first chance to play meaningful minutes in a college game and throw his first collegiate pass, completed 22-of-34 passes for 251 yards and two TDs without an interception.

∎ Key stat: Western New Mexico, which came into the game averaging 358 yards and 27.3 points, albeit against DII competition, converted just 3-of-16 third downs. The Mustangs’ defense played well early and even recorded seven sacks for losses of 60 yards.

∎ Coach Patterson said: “It’s probably the most anxious I’ve been for a game just knowing the nature of people (being) out of practice during the course of week (because of illness) and we’re still talking about Missouri. It’s just hard. You’ve got eliminate the distractions.”

∎ Impact: ACU improved to 3-0 at home and takes some momentum into its Western Athletic Conference opener. The Wildcats have Southern Utah (Oct. 15) and Stephen F. Austin (Nov. 19) in their two remaining home games, both league contests.

∎ Up next: ACU opens WAC play against Utah Tech (1-3, 0-1) at 8 p.m. Saturday in St. George, Utah. Southern Utah beat the Trailblazers 31- 17 in a WAC game Saturday in Cedar City. Utah Tech was formerly Dixie State.

NON-CONFERENCE

Abilene Christian 34, Western New Mexico 7

FIRST QUARTER

WNM − Charles Byers 12 pass from Devin Larsen (Adrian Zamudio), 8:26

ACU − Blair Zepeda 44 FG, 3:56

SECOND QUARTER

ACU − Rovaughn Banks Jr. 3 run (Zepeda kick), 13:35

ACU − Banks Jr. 2 run (Zepeda kick), 1:58

THIRD QUARTER

ACU − Zepeda 25 FG, 4:19

ACU − Kobe Clark 20 pass from Ethan Long (Zepeda kick), 9:13

FOURTH QUARTER

ACU − Rece Stafford 3 pass from Long (Zepeda kick), 2:52

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Western New Mexico, Devin Larsen 4-11, Jamon Chambers 2-0, Eddie Tillman 1-1, Maurice Smith 4-(minus 7). ACU, Rovaughn Banks Jr. 21-143, Jermiah Dobbins 18-105, Malachi Medlock 1-5, Tyrese White 1-2, Kendall Catalon 1-1, TEAM 1-(minus 2), Ethan Long 8-(minus 11), Maverick McIvor 2-(minus 25).

PASSING: Western New Mexico, Larsen 21-44-1−165. ACU, Long 22-34-0−251, McIvor 0-4-0−0.

RECEIVING: Western New Mexico, Chambers 4-34, Charles Byers 3-26, Jeremy Cooper 3-23, Vincent Rankin 2-33, David Telles 2-14, Allen Ortiz 2-13, Tobi Sonaike 2-11, Maurice Smith 2-4, Corbin Gibson 1-7. ACU, Kobe Clark 7-92, Banks Jr. 4-21, Jed Castles 3-18, Patrick Ballard 2-53, Davion Johnson 2-20, Zarak Scruggs 1-17, Noah Caldwell 1-14, Tristan Golightly 1-13, Rece Stafford 1-3.

RECORDS: Western New Mexico 2-2; ACU 3-1.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Christian beat Division II Western New Mexico in football