ABILENE, Texas – The matchup that Dave Campbell's Texas Football named the Non-FBS Game of the Week ended with the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals on top, 27-20, behind 17 fourth-quarter points. UIW held off Abilene Christian (ACU) who came within seven with two minutes left in the game.
 
The Cardinal defense tamed the Wildcats, holding the FCS passing efficiency leader to under 200 yards with only a 47-completion percentage. He came into the game with a 207.6 passer rating and UIW held him to 90.2 with zero touchdowns and one interception. Ayodele Adeoye and Tre Richardson each tallied eight tackles.
 
Zach Calzada notched back-to-back games with 300-plus passing yards. On the ground, he tallied two touchdowns, while passing for 373 yards and one TD. Brandon Porter had an impressive night, totaling 201 receiving yards and one score.
 
The Cardinal defense stood strong on the first drive as ACU elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the goal line, but a crucial pass breakup by Tiji Paul held the Wildcats scoreless as the two teams remained at zero to end the first quarter.
 
UIW reached the red zone with just under five minutes left in the half following an airborne pick from Tre Richardson, his second interception in two games. Calzada had Caleb Chapman for a look, but a Wildcat pick in the end zone robbed the Cardinals of the touchdown.
 
On the next drive, UIW forced the Wildcats into a third-and-4 bind on the UIW 40, but an illegal substitution handed ACU a first down which led to a Wildcat score (7-0).
 
On the following drive, Calzada showed his versatility, running for 52 yards to the house for a tie game. Shortly after, he connected with Marquez Perez for 49 yards to set up Mason Lawler for the 43-yard field goal as the clock hit zero to answer the Wildcats' FG moments earlier and end the first half (10-10).
 
A 38-yard haul from Calzada to Porter set the Cardinals up just outside the red zone to start the fourth quarter. The duo capitalized on the momentum, scoring in the fourth (17-10) with a dime to the corner of the end zone as Porter tallied 100 yards and counting on the night.
 
Calzada punched it in from the 1-yard line to secure his second score of the night, while claiming a 24-10 edge over the Wildcats with 10 minutes left in the game.
 
A deep 54-yard pass from ACU set up a 1-yard rush into the end zone for the Wildcats (24-17) as they cut away at UIW's lead.
 
The Cardinals settled for a 27-yard field goal with five minutes to go, capping off a 7-play drive that landed them inside the 10 to extend the score to 27-17.
 
ACU then capped off a 56-yard drive with a 44-yard FG to creep back within seven (27-20) but the Wildcats were not able to overcome the deficit, handing UIW the 27-20 victory.
 
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