Lamar vs Abilene Christian

McCown opened the scoring at 7:36 of the first quarter, hitting Driskill on a 5-yard pass to cap a 10-play, 72-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes. Lamar led 7-0 after one quarter.

Abilene Christian answered early in the second quarter after backup quarterback John David Black — a redshirt sophomore who had not played in a game since high school — entered following back-to-back interceptions by starter Tucker Parks. Black completed his first 11 passes and found Romelo Boykin for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 1:54 left in the half.

McCown responded immediately. He connected with Blake Thomas for a 33-yard touchdown strike with 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter, giving Lamar a 14-7 halftime lead.

The third quarter was scoreless despite Abilene Christian holding possession for over 10 minutes. Lamar extended its lead to 21-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter — McCown's second 5-yard touchdown pass to Driskill, finishing a 14-play, 65-yard drive that chewed 7:40 off the clock.

Trailing 21-7, Black drove the Wildcats 79 yards in seven plays, hitting Cristian Driver for a 4-yard touchdown with 3:58 remaining to cut the deficit to 21-14. Abilene Christian got the ball back and Black marched them inside the Lamar 10-yard line. But on fourth down with 14 seconds left, Black was tackled one yard short of a first down, sealing the victory for the Cardinals.

Lamar's defense, led by Mason Wuenschel and Zaylor Stoker (who each intercepted Parks on consecutive first-half possessions), held Abilene Christian to 0-for-2 on fourth-down conversions and forced two turnovers while committing none.

Aiden McCown (Lamar QB): 17-of-32 passing for 183 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. His efficiency in the red zone (two 5-yard TD passes) was the difference.

Davin Driskill (Lamar TE): 5 receptions for 34 yards, 2 touchdowns. Both scores came from 5 yards out, showcasing his sure hands in traffic.

John David Black (Abilene Christian QB): 15-of-25 passing for 142 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in relief. Threw for both ACU scores and nearly completed the comeback after entering cold off the bench.

Parker Jenkins (Lamar RB): 56 rushing yards on an efficient workload, helping Lamar control 31:39 of possession.

Player of the match: Aiden McCown.

Abilene Christian outgained Lamar 358 total yards to 278 and averaged 5.8 yards per play to Lamar's 4.2, yet lost because of two critical turnovers. Both interceptions by Tucker Parks in the first half directly led to the quarterback change that limited the Wildcats' offensive ceiling early. Lamar converted those turnovers into 7 points. The Cardinals also won the time-of-possession battle 31:39 to 28:21, controlling the tempo with methodical drives — their three scoring possessions averaged 10.7 plays and 4:25 each.

Despite ACU's 151 rushing yards to Lamar's 95, the Cardinals' defence stiffened in the red zone, forcing the critical stop on fourth-and-short in the final seconds.

Lamar (1-0) earned its first win over Abilene Christian in three all-time meetings and avenged a 38-20 first-round FCS playoff loss from November 2025. The Cardinals, ranked No. 20 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, travel to Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, September 5.

Abilene Christian (0-1) drops its opener despite entering ranked No. 15. The Wildcats face a tougher test next week — a road trip to Texas Tech on Saturday, September 5. For a team expected to contend for the FCS playoffs, the response after a one-possession loss to a ranked opponent will be closely watched.

A methodical, turnover-driven win that exposes the gap between national FCS rankings and on-field reality. Lamar didn't outplay Abilene Christian in bulk yardage but dominated the margins — zero turnovers, two takeaways, and a fourth-down stand in the final seconds. McCown's three-touchdown, zero-interception line was exactly what the Cardinals needed against a higher-ranked opponent.

Next fixtures:

• Lamar: at Louisiana-Lafayette, September 5
• Abilene Christian: at Texas Tech, September 5