Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Abilene Christian Wildcats
· FCS Championship - First Round
Sam Hicks, defense lead Abilene Christian over Northern Arizona 24-0 to extend 1st trip to playoffs
The Wildcats (9-4), ranked No. 15 in the FCS coaches poll and seeded 15th, qualified for the playoffs for the first time and will travel to play No. 2 seed and nine-time champion North Dakota State (10-2) on Saturday at the Fargo Dome. The Bison had a first-round bye.
Abilene Christian grabbed a 7-0 lead on its second possession when Carson Haggard connected with Trey Cleveland for a 37-yard touchdown that capped a 10-play 97-yard drive.
Northern Arizona (8-5), ranked 17th but unseeded for the playoffs after winning five straight to get in, picked off Haggard on the Wildcats' next two possessions but could not turn them into points. NAU went for it on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 9:30 left before halftime, but Jordan Mukes tackled Ty Pennington for a 4-yard loss. That led to a 46-yard field goal by Ritse Vaes and a 10-0 lead at halftime.
The score remained the same until Hicks' big run with 10:16 left to play. Haggard passed 6 yards to Blayne Taylor for the final score with 2:16 to go. Haggard completed 23 of 29 passes for 244 yards with three interceptions.
Abilene Christian's defense allowed at least 20 points in every game during the regular season and yielded at least 30 six times. The Wildcats lost their season opener to FBS member Texas Tech 52-51 in overtime.
Abilene Christian's last shutout came in a 56-0 victory over Lamar on Sept. 25, 2021.
How To Watch
How can I watch Northern Arizona Lumberjacks vs. Abilene Christian Wildcats?
- TV Channel: Lumberjacks at Wildcats 2021 College Football, week 14, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 3:18 | Trey Cleveland 37 Yd pass from Carson Haggard (Ritse Vaes Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 3:17 | Ritse Vaes 46 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 4th Period 10:16 | Sam Hicks 53 Yd Run (Ritse Vaes Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 2:16 | Blayne Taylor 6 Yd pass from Carson Haggard (Ritse Vaes Kick) |
Statistics
 NAU |
 ACU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1st Downs | 18 |
| 3-14 | 3rd down efficiency | 6-12 |
| 0-2 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
| 194 | Total Yards | 474 |
| 165 | Passing | 244 |
| 16/31 | Comp/Att | 23/29 |
| 5.3 | Yards per pass | 8.4 |
| 29 | Rushing | 230 |
| 24 | Rushing Attempts | 34 |
| 1.2 | Yards per rush | 6.8 |
| 5-35 | Penalties | 8-75 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 3 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 1 | Interceptions thrown | 3 |
| 26:25 | Possession | 33:35 |
Game Information
Location: Abilene, TX
Attendance: 5,210 · Capacity:
College Football News
College realignment intel: Texas State, cryptic posts and the Pac-12's next move
Texas State looms as the favorite to join the Pac-12. Why could that happen? What would come next? And what about Memphis?
ESPN 300 linebacker Talanoa Ili chooses USC over UCLA
Four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili, No. 53 in the 2026 ESPN 300, has committed to USC over UCLA, he told ESPN on Sunday, the latest high-profile addition in the Trojans' class, as coach Lincoln Riley prepares for the program's second season in the Big Ten.
Bill Connelly's 2025 college football conference previews
Bill Connelly looks at the top players and prospects, and makes his 2025 projections for every FBS team.
How every five-star college football recruit fits at his new school
There are 21 five-stars in the Class of 2026. We look at how they got to their teams and what they'll do in college.
Sources: Florida gets commitment from 5-star DE JaReylan McCoy
Five-star defensive end JaReylan McCoy has committed to Florida, sources told ESPN, securing his place as the top-ranked pledge in the Gators' 2026 recruiting class after returning for a second visit in the span of three weeks.