ABILENE, Texas - No. 2-ranked Abilene Christian University scored touchdowns on its first five drives of the game and rolled to a 47-17 thrashing of Southwestern Oklahoma State that gave ACU its second outright Lone Star Conference South Division championship in three years, and its first-ever 11-0 regular season.

Sophomore ACU quarterback Mitchell Gale directed ACU’s offense to 301 yards and five touchdowns in the first half, completing 9 of 15 passes for 128 yards and one TD. Senior Clark Harrell took over for Gale in the second half. 

ACU’s balanced offensive attack rolled up 492 yards (245 passing and 247 rushing), powered by two TDs on the ground each for freshman Charcandrick West and senior Daryl Richardson. West totaled 113 yards on 11 attempts, while Richardson ran for 65 yards in only one half of action. The Wildcats only TD through the air came when wide receiver Harold Jackson took a lateral from Gale and threw to wide receiver Raymond Radway to complete a 61-yard pass play. 

The Bulldogs scored TDs on Dustin Stenta’s 9-yard pass to Ryan Corbin, and Mike VanDeripe’s 42-yard pass to Colton Rainey. Rainey added a 28-yard field goal. 

Morgan Lineberry kicked field goals of 31 and 22 yards for the Wildcats, who finished 6-0 in the LSC South. Southwestern Oklahoma dropped to 3-8 overall and 3-4 in the LSC North. ACU, ranked No. 1 in Super Region Four, earned a bye in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, which begin Nov. 20. The Wildcats will host a second-round game Nov. 27 at Shotwell Stadium.

No. 19 West Texas A&M 52, East Central 21

CANYON, Texas – The 19th-ranked West Texas A&M closed out the 2010 regular season by amassing a school single-game record 735 yards total offense beating East Central, 52-21, Saturday afternoon at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon, Texas.

The Buffaloes improve to 8-3 overall, 8-2 LSC, while ECU closes out their season at 5-6, 5-5 LSC. WTAMU, seeded fifth in Super Region 4, will now await the NCAA Division II playoff bracket to be announced Sunday afternoon to see where they will play next week.

Those 735 yards tops the previous WT single-game mark of 721, set on Nov. 22, 2008, in a playoff game between the Buffs and Abilene Christian.

WT quarterback and Harlon Hill Award candidate Taylor Harris (Sr-3L, Whitesboro, Texas) enjoyed a career day, completing 43 of 65 passes for 572 yards, all single-game career highs. He also tied a career high with five touchdown passes and did not throw an interception

At one point in first half, the Buffaloes scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions, taking a 28-0 halftime lead. 

WT’ Tyson Williams caught 12 passes for 203 yards, while Stephen Burton made 14 receptions for 132 yards and two TDs. Jay Tillman had a pair of touchdown receptions, while Brittan Golden had one TD catch. All in all, the Buffs passed for 605 yards on the day.

Defensively, WT defensive end Simi Kuli registered five solo and six total tackles, including three tackles for minus-10 yards and one forced fumble, while teammate Shad Baichtal logged five tackles, including two behind the line and one quarterback sack.

ECU’s Markell Walker had a game-high 13 stops, while Austin Daniels contributed 12 tackles.

ECU’s Tyler Canderzee passed for 207 yards and two TDs, with Cleotha Euwins catching four passes for 94 yards and two TDs.

The Buffaloes will now await their playoff fate, with the NCAA Division II Playoff bracket being announced Sunday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. CST.

No. 4 Texas A&M-Kingsville 38, Southeastern Oklahoma 24

KINGSVILLE, Texas – The fourth-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas raced past Southeastern Oklahoma 38-24 Saturday at Javelina Stadium in the final game of the regular season.

The Javelinas finished the regular season at 10-1 overall and 9-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Savage Storm concludes its season at 3-8 overall and 3-7 in the conference.

Leading 10-7 after the first quarter, Kingsville scored 28 of the game’s next 31 points to take a 38-10 lead. Southeastern scored two late touchdowns to close the gap.

Ryan Lincoln finished with a career-best 184 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. Jonathon Woodson carried the ball 15 times for 95 yards and a pair of scores. Quarterback Nate Poppell finished with 264 yards passing and two TD passes hitting 16-of-21 passes.

The Savage Storm’s Logan Turner completed 20-of-35 passes for 241 yards and touchdown. He also had a 6-yard touchdown run.

The Javelinas will find out their postseason fate at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPNews.

No. 25 Midwestern State 28, Northeastern State 8

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Midwestern State's Lester Bush ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 25th-ranked Mustangs to a 28-8 Lone Star Conference crossover win over Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

The Mustangs improved to 8-3 on the season and await selection into the NCAA Division II playoffs which will be announced on ESPNews Sunday afternoon between 2 and 2:30 p.m.

If MSU isn't selected for it fourth trip to the postseason, the Mustangs will most likely be the LSC's representative at the second annual Kanza Bowl on Sat., Dec. 5 in Topeka, Kan.

The Mustangs rolled up 325 rushing yards to overcome an early 8-0 deficit led by Brandon Kelsey, who made his first collegiate start in place of injured starter Zack Eskridge.

Kelsey rushed for 99 yards on 10 carries including a 6-yard scoring run in the second quarter while also completing 8-of-12 passes for 68 yards.

Northeastern State drew first blood in the game when Josh Lewis scored from 1-yard out for an early 8-0 lead before Kelsey and Bush rushed for scores in the second quarter to give the Mustangs a 14-8 halftime advantage.

Keidrick Jackson scored on a 4-yard run in the third quarter before Bush closed out the scoring with a 15-yard run in the fourth.

Kenny Davis paced the RiverHawks with 258 yards on 19-of-27 passing, but was intercepted twice and sacked six times, while Edward Victorian had four receptions for 104 yards.

Midwestern State improved to 8-3 while the LSC North Division co-champion, RiverHawks, close the season at 6-5.

Angelo State 49, Central Oklahoma 35

SAN ANGELO, Texas – Angelo State quarterback Josh Neiswander manufactured a fitting end to his career with 391 yards through the air and five touchdown passes to lead the Rams to a 49-35 Lone Star Conference crossover win against Central Oklahoma at San Angelo Stadium Saturday.

Neiswander’s yardage, the second-highest total of his career, helped the senior from Winnsboro surpass Ned Cox for ASU’s career passing mark and his five touchdowns broke his own single-season record for touchdown passes (27). More importantly, the effort helped Rams (5-5, 5-5 LSC) out-gun the Bronchos (2-9, 2-8 LSC) and avoid a losing record for the year.

Neiswander connected with CJ Akins three times in the game, including two touchdowns in the first half, as the teams sprinted to a 28-28 tie at the break. Angelo State scored first in the contest on a six-yard scamper around the end by Dakarai Pecikonis – one of two rushing touchdowns for the wide out in the game – but neither team would lead by more than a touchdown until Pecikonis’ second tally with a little more than two minutes in the contest.

Central Oklahoma’s Daniel Morrell led all receivers with five catches for 84 yards in the opening half and snagged one of three touchdown passes thrown by Ethan Sharp in the game’s first 30 minutes. His 21-yard catch from Sharp at 6:59 left in the first half gave UCO its second lead of the contest, 21-14. The two teams combined to score 42 points in the second quarter alone.

Angelo State notched a quick score out of the break with Neiswander finding V’Keon Lacey from 20 yards out, but the game slowed with a 15-play, 72-yard answering drive from UCO that took 6:21. That drive was capped with an eight-yard pass from Sharp to Carter Whitson, and would prove to be the Bronchos’ final tally.

Akins scored his career-best third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter to give the Rams a 42-35 advantage and two fourth quarter interceptions – one by Dekkar Williams and one by Brandon Mayse – helped ASU seal the win.

Akins caught six passes for 94 yards and finished tied for the game-high with Lacey, who also had six catches. Tristan Carter paced ASU’s rushing attack with 73 yards as the Rams rumbled to a 119-to-105 advantage on the ground. In all, Angelo State out-gained Central Oklahoma 510-to-364.

Sharp completed 27-of-47 passes for 240 yards and four scores. Morrell didn’t catch a pass in the second half, but still tied Whitson and tailback Josh Birmingham for the team lead with five catches. Birmingham rushed 20 times for 92 yards, but the nation’s leader in points per game was held out of the end zone.

Neiswander concluded his career as the most prolific passer in ASU history. In addition to the career yardage mark (8,212), he set 14 Angelo State passing records. The 391-yard effort helped him finish with a new season-best 2,983 yards, and the five scores moved him to an ASU record 61 career touchdowns.

Eastern New Mexico 35, Tarleton State 10

STEPHENVILLE, Texas - On a sunny and crisp day at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, Tarleton’s 2010 football season ended with a 35-10 loss to Eastern New Mexico.

For the first time since 1999, the Texans finished the season without a winning record as Tarleton closes the year with a 3-8 overall mark. ENMU improved to 5-6 with the win.

The Texans scored first when Blake Wiest connected on a 26-yard field goal with 9:01 left in the first half on Tarleton’s opening possession. The home team held onto the ball for 13 plays and drove 66 yards in 5:59.

The Greyhounds took the next possession 67 yards on 12 plays and scored when Tony Valenzuela rushed for 11 yards into the endzone. Taylor Cannon added the kick to give the visitors a 7-3 advantage with 5:05 left in the first quarter.

Neither team scored again until ENMU added to its total when Valenzuela punched it in from one yard away with 8:02 remaining in the second quarter. The drive took 5:30 on 15 plays and 69 yards.

The two quarterbacks then traded interceptions on back-to-back possessions before Tarleton’s Nick Stephens was intercepted by Devin Sweet at the ENMU two. He returned the ball to the Tarleton 20 when he pitched the ball backward to Tavius Bigelow who ran it into the endzone for the score. Cannon’s kick made it 21-3 at the halftime.

ENMU scored the only points of the third quarter when Valenzuela had a four-yard touchdown with 7:54 left in the quarter. Cannon added the kick to close the six-play, 26-yard drive to make it 28-3.

With 13:22 on the clock, Jerome Regal punched the ball in from two yards away to cap an 11-play, 79-yard drive. Blake Wiest had the extra point to make it 28-10.

The last points of the game were added when Jessie Poku caught a four-yard pass from Wesley Wood after a nine-play, 67-yard drive. Cannon’s kick gave the game its final total, 35-10.

Tarleton gained 233 yards of total offense, including 64 yards on the ground and 169 yards through the air. ENMU had 122 yards rushing and 220 yards passing for 342 yards of total offense.

Tarleton had 13 penalties for 142 yards and four turnovers while ENMU had three turnovers in the contests and six penalties for 45 yards.

Evan Robertson led the Texans in rushing with 17 carries for 27 yards while Stephens was 15-of-34 for 169 yards with four interceptions and two sacks.

Incarnate Word 17, Texas A&M-Commerce 16

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - What had before seemed like a long and arduous season ended in pure happiness Saturday as Incarnate Word won a slug-fest by 17-16 over visiting Texas A&M-Commerce.

With both teams settling in on the running game, Trent Rios did the major damage for the Cardinals as he carried the football a school record 37 times for another UIW mark of 207 yards. His longest of the day was 31 and he averaged 5.6 a carry. He scored the first UIW touchdown in the first quarter.

That wasn’t all for Rios. Beginning the game he was third in the Lone Star with an average 134.4 all-purpose yards. Saturday against TAMUC he finished with the 207 rushing, 16 more on three receptions and another 65 steps on kick returns for a total 288.

Since it was senior day it was fitting that Thomas Specia would get the start at quarterback for the Cardinals. Playing his final game Specia directed his team on the first possession to a touchdown. On the drive he kept the ball on a third and five and gained 16. On a second down play another senior getting his first start, Al Furlow, gained 10 to the Commerce 28.

From there Rios took over carrying three straight times. The first carry he got 17 and showed the Lions two severe moves leaving players stopped in their tracks. The third Rios effort reached the end zone from two out when he ducked in behind his left offensive line, namely guard Ty Warnasch and tackle Jake Roby. Thomas Rebold kicked the point after and UIW led 7-0.

For the remainder of the quarter the two traded possessions with no scoring. The Cardinals had a Rios 28-yard gainer nullified with a procedure penalty forcing a punt. Commerce had a 25-yard touchdown run called back on a holding infraction before having a fourth down pass go incomplete in the Cardinals end zone. At the end of the period a UIW flea-flicker pass was broken up in the end zone.

A&M-C got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Ahmed Abo-Mahmood booted home a23-yard field goal to make it 7-3 and a 41-yard kick to get to 7-6. And that ended the scoring for either team.

This was only the second time all year Incarnate Word had led at the halftime break. The other was a week earlier by a 17-14 margin at Tarleton State. The Texans came back to win that affair.

Commerce’s Abo-Mahmood put three on the scoreboard from 48 yards out and the margin had shrunk to 10-9. With just 40 seconds remaining in the third London Hamilton hit straight up the field for five yards and a touchdown with the PAT giving the Lions their first lead of the day, 16-10.

UIW got the ball back and drove the length for the go-ahead score when Lynch crossed the line on a one-yard sneak on third down. Rebold made it 17-10 UIW with his point after. The winning drive was 19 plays covering 77 yards with an elapsed time of 8:12.

There were key plays on the drive. On fourth and one at the Commerce 43, Lynch snuck one yard for a first making the Cardinals 2-2 on fourth down in the game. UIW leads the Lone Star in that department at better than 74 percent.

Then on a third down Lynch threw to Hamilton for another first before an interference call gave it to UIW at the Commerce 20. A Rios run for 15 was nullified on a personal foul call but UIW kept the ball with a first and 10 at the 20. Lynch threw one incomplete before combining with tight end Andrew Mocio on two consecutive passes down to the Commerce one setting up the go-ahead points.

A&M-C was forced to punt on a three and out. From the Incarnate Word 19 Rios broke around the right side and got to midfield on first down. Next he picked up seven to the 43 as the Cardinals set out to kill the final five minutes on the clock. A Lynch pass to Hamilton netted a first down at the Lions 36.

A short Rios rush saw the clock wind down under three minutes. A second down Rios carry netted eight and the clock continued to grind to the end. A&M-C used its final two timeouts but Incarnate Word maintained the football. Once more with mere seconds remaining Lynch drove the middle for one yard on fourth down. That did it, time expired.