The loss dropped the Javelinas to 2-8 overall and 1-4 in the Lone Star Conference South Division while Abilene Christian improved to 8-2 and 4-1 in league play.

   Javelina freshman quarterback Daniel Ramirez (Sinton), who came on in relief in the second quarter, completed 17 of 26 passes for 247 yards with one touchdown pass and ran for a touchdowns.

   Freshman receiver George Reyes (Bandera) caught five passes for 95 yards and a score and tight end Chase Nesbitt had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

   Raymorris Miller (Alief Elsik) had 68 yards rushing on 17 carries and one score.

   The Javelinas had a season-high 480 yards of total offense including a season-best 383 yards passing.

   David Garza (Laredo United), who started the game and threw a school-record five touchdowns in last week’s win over Eastern New Mexico, completed 12 of 19 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the second quarter with a knee injury.

   Ramirez injured his shoulder late in the fourth quarter two weeks ago at Midwestern State and did not play last week and struggled to throw the ball in practice leading up to Saturday’s game.

   “I just had to adapt and do the best I could for my teammates,” said Ramirez. “I felt a real twinge after a I completed a pass early on, but I think it also got some of the cobwebs out.”

   ACU’s Bernard Scott scored four touchdowns, three of them rushing, and had 194 yards on the ground and 82 yards receiving.

   Quarterback Billy Malone completed 20 of 31 passes for 362 yards and three scores.

   The Hogs trailed 28-17 at the half, but took the opening possession and scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 28-24.

   Ramirez, who led the Javelinas on a last second touchdown drive to end the first half, drove the Javelinas 80 yards in eight plays to start the second.

 On first and 20 from the ACU 37-yard line, Miller caught a screen pass from Ramirez and rambled 35 yards to the two. On the next play Ramirez ran it in for his first collegiate touchdown to cut the lead to 28-24 just under three minutes into the second half.

   Ramirez completed his final three passes of the drive for 71 yards.

   ACU took the next possession and drove to the Javelinas’ 23-yard line. On third down Rod Mosley (Austin Reagan), who leads the LSC in passes defended, broke up a pass inside the Hog 10-yard line, forcing the Wildcats to settle for a 40-yard field goal to make it 31-24.

   A motion penalty after the Javelinas had apparently picked up first down near midfield ended the drive and Javelina punter Cody Smith (Kingwood) then pinned the Wildcats back at their own 18-yard line.

   Cornerback Joe Williams (Houston Forest Brook) appeared to break up a pass on the first play from scrimmage but it dropped into the hands of Wildcat receiver Johnny Knox while he was laying on his back for a 55-yard gain to the Javelina 32-yard line.

   Three plays later Malone hit Scott on a screen pass that turned into a 28-yard touchdown to make it 38-24 with 5:17 left in the quarter.

   According to Javelina head coach Bo Atterberry, the acrobatic catch turned things around.

   “That circus catch really gave them so momentum. After that they really hit us in the mouth and we didn’t recover.”

   Ramirez through an interception on the next possession, give the Wildcats the ball at their own 36-yard line.

   Three plays later Malone completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Knox to increase the lead to 45-24.

   ACU then scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on a 11-yard run by Scott to make it 52-24 and tacked on a nine-yard scoring run by Lampkin to make it 59-24.

   Joe Williams returned a punt 48 yards late in the fourth quarter to set up the Javelinas’ final touchdown, a one-yard run by Miller.

   The Wildcats took the game opening kick and drove 71 yards in eight plays to grab a 7-0 lead just three and a half minutes into the game. ACU converted a fourth and eight from the Javelina 31-yard line and on the next play Bernard Scott scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats the early advantage.

   Garza opened the Javelinas' first possession with a 19-yard completion to John Reeves to give the Hogs first and ten on the ACU 40, but on third down threw an interception to end the threat.

   ACU drove the length of the field again churning out 74 yards in seven plays with Kebron Lampkin ending the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 7:38 left in the first quarter.

   The Javelina offense again drove into ACU territory with Garza converting a pair of key third downs, one with his legs on a

   After Garza picked up another first down on a scramble to the Wildcat 22-yard line, ACU was called for a late hit, which moved the ball to the 11-yard line.

   But the drive stalled there and freshman kicker Christian Brom (McAllen) booted a 27-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-3 with 1:03 left in the quarter.

   The Wildcats out-gained the Javelinas 167 to 61 in the first quarter

   On the first play of the second quarter, Malone hit Johnny Knox on a wide receiver screen pass, catching the Javelina defense in a blitz and scored from 44 yards out to increase the lead to 21-3.

   Backed up with second and 17 staring them in the face on their own 13-yard line, Raymorris Miller took over. He caught a xx screen pass and then had a xx yard run.

   The Javelinas again drove deep into Wildcat territory, down to the Wildcat 28-yard line, but Christian Brom’s 45-yard field goal was blocked, giving ACU the ball at its own 47-yard line.

   On fourth and two from the Javelina 45-yard line, Anthony Bates intercepted a tipped pass and ran it back to the ACU 31-yard line.

   On the second play from scrimmage, Garza escaped a near sack and threw into the corner of the end zone where junior tight end Chase Nesbitt, making his first career start, made a leaping catch over the Wildcat defender for a 36-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 21-10 with 9:09 left in the half. Nesbitt did not have a pass catch this season until grabbing a pair of passes in the first half.

   But on the second play after the ensuing kickoff, Scott broke a tackle in the backfield and dashed 55 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 28-10 and surpassed the 100-yard mark rushing.

   ACU then forced the Javelinas to punt for the first time in the game with seven and a half minutes left before intermission.

   But the Hog defense then came up with their first stop of the game, but ACU punter Mark Kelley pinned the Hogs back on their own one-yard line.

   But Garza completed a 13-yard pass to Martin Carrion on third and nine from their own two-yard line.

   But it would be Garza’s next to last play of the game as he went down in a heap on the next play, twisting his knee and would not return.

   Daniel Ramirez, who was injured two weeks ago, came in, threw a 15-yard pass to George Reyes, but he fumbled and the Wildcats recovered it at the Javelina 47-yard line with 2:35 left in the half.

   But Bates came up with another big play, intercepting an under thrown pass at the Javelina 25-yard line with 1:17 left in the half.

   Ramirez came back and led a furious Javelina drive, consuming 75 yards in four plays with Reyes redeeming himself by making a leaping catch in the back of the end zone from 14 yards out with seven seconds on the clock to cut the lead to 28-17.

   Ramirez completed all three of his passes on the drive for 34 yards.

   The halftime stats were fairly even with ACU churning out 313 yards of total offense to 245 for the Hogs.

   Garza completed 12 of 19 passes for 136 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

   Martin Carrion (Brownsville Rivera) had four catches for 41 yards and Nesbitt had three grabs for 47 yards.

   ACU’s Billy Malone completed 10 of 19 passes for 143 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Bernard Scott had 135 yards on 11 carries and two scores.