Utah Tech could not keep pace with a big-play Wildcat offense as the Trailblazers saw their Homecoming, and their United Athletic Conference season opener, spoiled by No. 22/20 Abilene Christian, 55-30, on Saturday night inside Greater Zion Stadium.
The Trailblazers (0-5/0-1 UAC) drew first blood on their second possession of the game when running back
Chris Street shot through the middle of the ACU defense for a 7-yard touchdown run just five-plus minutes into the game.
Street's rushing touchdown was his first of the season, which capped off a seven-play, 55-yard drive after the Blazer defense forced an ACU three-and-out on it opening possession.
The Wildcats (3-2/2-0 UAC) quickly answered three plays later when Maverick McIvor connected with Blaine Taylor for a 76-yard catch and run to knot the score at 7-7.
Then after a Utah Tech punt on its ensuing possession, ACU dialed up another big play with a 53-yard Sam Hicks touchdown scamper that put his side up 14-7.
Utah Tech clapped back with an
Ilya Uvaydov 32-yard field goal early in the second, but the Wildcats countered with a pair of field goals of their own later in the period.
Abilene Christian would extend its lead to 27-10 with 27 second remaining in the half when Hicks got loose for a 35-yard touchdown run, the second of three total TDs the Wildcat runner scored on the night.
The Trailblazers got up off the deck and found the end zone themselves with just nine ticks on the clock when reserve quarterback
Reggie Graff found
Eric Olsen over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown toss. However the point-after was missed as Utah Tech retreated to the locker room down 27-16 at the halftime break.
Graff went 3-for-3 on that lightning-quick drive, which started with a 19-yard connection to
Daniel Thomason. The redshirt freshman signal caller then hooked up with Olsen for a 24-yard pitch-and-catch, before the sophomore hauled in his first collegiate touchdown grab.
ACU pulled away in the second half with 28-unanswered points as the Wildcats scored a pair of touchdowns in both third and fourth quarters.
The Trailblazers managed to get two of those scores back in the final frame, with the first one coming at the 9:02 mark with a hard-fought, 9-yard Graff scoring run.
Graff got that drive started with a 33-yard pass play to Thomason. Graff then connected with
Kona Crowell for a 22-yard gain, which was followed by a Wildcat 15-yard roughing the passer penalty that set the Blazers up at the ACU 9 ahead of the Graff run.
Then after an ACU punt, Utah Tech marched 70 yards in six plays, culminating with a 10-yard
Bretton Stone touchdown run with 3:46 to go, which was also his first collegiate TD.
Utah Tech finished with a season-high 508 yards of total offense, including season-bests of 328 yards passing and 180 rushing.
Graff threw for a career-best 231 yards on 13-of-22 passing with his one touchdown, and led the Blazers with 79 yards on the ground to go with his fourth-quarter TD. That feat marked the second-straight game that the freshman recorded both a passing and rushing touchdown.
Street wound up 81 all-purpose yards, including 44 yards rushing and a touchdown along with 37 yards on two catches, while Stone finished with 31 rush yards.
Olsen led the Blazer receiving corps with 60 yards on three catches, as 10 different Trailblazers recorded at least one reception on the night.
On defense, junior linebacker
Jared Fotu racked up 10 total tackles with one tackle-for-loss, and freshman linebacker
Rick Mua'e forced a fumble on his third solo sack in this last four games overall.
ACU tallied 609 yards of total offense, with McIvor throwing for 286 of those yards on 18-of-33 passing and two touchdowns. Hicks finished with 203 yards on 12 carries to go with his three rushing scores on the night.
Utah Tech will now begin a stretch that will see the Trailblazers play three of their next four games on the road, starting with a long trip to the "Yellowhammer State" to face North Alabama next Saturday afternoon, Oct. 5. Kick-off at Braly Stadium in Florence is set for 3 p.m. (MT).
