The No. 23 Abilene Christian Wildcats’ home opener turned into a disappointing defeat as they fell to No. 13 Stephen F. Austin 26-7 on Saturday night at Wildcat Stadium. The loss extended ACU’s winless streak to three consecutive games to open the 2026 season. This matchup marked a ranked-versus-ranked contest and a rematch between the two programs, who previously met in the FCS Playoffs last December with the Lumberjacks emerging victorious.
Abilene Christian started brightly with an early touchdown from sophomore quarterback John David Black to senior tight end Bryan Henry, putting the Wildcats ahead 7-0. However, Stephen F. Austin quickly responded with a 69-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Gavin Rutherford to senior receiver Bugs Mortimer to tie the game. The Lumberjacks then took control, with Rutherford connecting with junior tight end Gerard Edimo for another touchdown before the first half concluded, allowing SFA to build momentum heading into the second half.
Black completed 21 of 38 passes for 267 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but the Wildcats’ ground game proved ineffective, managing only 33 rushing yards on 24 carries. Stephen F. Austin’s defense held ACU scoreless after the opening drive, accumulating 20 unanswered points during a second-quarter surge and shutting out the Wildcats in the second half to seal the dominant victory.
The Wildcats (0-3) will attempt to record their first win of the season on September 19 against the Idaho Vandals (0-3) in Moscow, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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