Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Resurgent Javs clobber ACU

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Sunday, November 7, 1999

Resurgent Javs clobber ACU
A&M-K adds to streak with 40-14 victory
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times

Tommy Metthe/Special to the Caller-Times

Texas A&M-Kingsville tailback Derrick Foster sheds an attempted tackle on his way to one of his three touchdowns Saturday in the Javelinas' win over ACU.

ABILENE - Things didn't look good for Texas A&M-Kingsville through the first 15 minutes of Saturday's showdown with Abilene Christian University.
   Fumbles, busted plays and poor pass coverage allowed the Wildcats to open a 14-point lead over the Javelinas.
   But things did change.
   A&M-Kingsville erupted for 40 unanswered points - 21 in the fourth quarter - to post a 40-14 win over the Wildcats at Shotwell Stadium.
   The Javelinas continued their season-ending tear through the Lone Star Conference with 470 total yards, while their defense held Abilene Christian to 203 yards.
   Led by another dominating performance from tailback Derrick Foster, A&M-Kingsville battered the Wildcats' defense for 351 yards rushing on 72 plays. Foster finished with 158 yards and three touchdowns.
   "It was a rough start," said A&M-Kingsville center Robert Garza. "Things weren't going our way, but then we turned it up and started playing our kind of football. Everything was working. We were getting our blocks and the backs were running hard. There's not much else to say."
   Except about the Javelinas' defense.
   A&M-Kingsville (4-4 LSC, 4-6 overall) completely shackled Abilene Christian's running game, holding the Wildcats to just 16 yards on 18 attempts. The Javelinas gave up 187 yards passing, 66 on the game's first touchdown.
   A failing rushing attack forced Abilene Christian (4-4 LSC, 4-5 overall) to pass for most of the second half. The Wildcats picked up much of their yardage on short dump passes 5-10 yards past the line of scrimmage after having three long throws intercepted.
   "The defense really stepped up," A&M-Kingsville head coach Ron Harms said. "We played well in the secondary, which was an area that hadn't been tested in a while."
   Despite giving up 14 first-quarter points, A&M-Kingsville linebacker Kiah Johnson said the defense never faltered.
   "The coaches said we needed to come out and hit them in the mouth," said Johnson, who led the Javelinas with nine tackles. "We took them out early and made them lay down. That was our plan from the start."
   A&M-Kingsville's plan was almost foiled.
   The Javelinas were forced to punt on the game's opening possession, giving Abilene Christian possession at its own 34-yard line.
   On the Wildcats' second play from scrimmage, receiver Casey Whittle escaped the coverage of A&M-Kingsville free safety Cephus Scott and took a pass from quarterback Steve Brenan 66 yards down the right sideline for the score and the early lead.
   A&M-Kingsville fell flat on its two ensuing possessions. On the first, the Javelinas turned the ball over on downs after driving to the Abilene Christian 18-yard line. Then fullback Mack Pittman fumbled at the A&M-Kingsville 17 on the first play on the next, setting up the Wildcats' second touchdown.
   The Javelinas responded with 16 points in the second quarter, which Harms said still did not ease his concern.
   "In the first half we gave them an easy touchdown, then fumbled deep in our own territory and gave them another. That put us in a hole," Harms said. "We came back and played well, but it shouldn't have been as tight as it was at the half."
   A&M-Kingsville managed only a 29-yard field goal by Gregg Johnson in the third quarter, which extended the lead to 19-16. But Abilene Christian's defense began to tire heading into the fourth, and the Javelinas ripped through the Wildcats for three touchdowns, incliding a 75-yard run by backup quarterback Abel Goznalez.
   The win extended A&M-Kingsville's winning streak to three games heading into the Javelinas' final game against Angelo State next week.
   Foster said he expects to close the team's disappointing season on a high note.
   "We should have been doing this since the beginning of the year," Foster said of the Javelinas performance in their last three games. "Now we're looking good. We're gonna close out the season with a win -- mark my words."

   A&M-Kingsville 40, Abilene Christian 14
  TAMUK AC
   First Downs 27 9
   Rushes-Yards 72-351 18-16
   Passes 6-10-0 14-31-4
   Passing Yards 119 187
   Punts-Avg. 3-38 6-33
   Fumbles-Lost 4-3 0-0
   Penalties-Yards 6-55 5-35
   A&M-Kingsville 0 16 3 21--40
   Abilene Christian 14 0 0 0--14

   ACU -- Casey Whittle 66 pass from Steve Brenan (Michael Freeman kick)
   ACU -- Jared Holland 1 pass from Brenan (Freeman kick)
   TAMUK -- Derrick Foster 1 run (Greg Johnson kick)
   TAMUK -- Foster 10 run (kick failed)
   TAMUK -- Johnson 19 FG
   TAMUK -- Johnson 29 FG
   TAMUK -- Foster 5 run (Johnson kick)
   TAMUK -- Teddy Carrier 50 pass from Abel Gonzalez (Johhson kick)
   TAMUK -- Gonzalez 75 run (Johnson kick)

   Individual Statistics
   Rushing -- TAMUK, Foster 34-158, Gonzalez 5-75, Lamar Amos 13-46, Estabanon Barnes 7-31, Mack Pittman 9-26, Ishmael Muhammad 3-24, Derrick Gordon 1-(-9); ACU, Adrian Rascon 8-22, Jarod Dean 1-(-1), L.S. McClain 3-(-2), Brenan 6-(-3).
   Passing -- TAMUK, Gonzalez 2-3-0-62, Amos 4-7-0-57; ACU, Brenan 13-28-3-171, Dean 1-3-1-16.
   Receiving -- TAMUK, Carrier 5-109, Foster 1-10; ACU, Whittle 1-66, Tommy Lee 5-48, Mike McCullough 3-45, Eugene Sykes 1-11, Greg Bussee 1-9, Rascon 1-4, Marcus Jackson 1-3, Holland 1-1.

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