Goodwell, Okla.- The Arizona Christian defense came to play in the season opener as they accounted for 6 sacks and 13 tackles for loss as ACU beat Oklahoma Panhandle 28-13 in a non-conference affair.  Following a slow first half, the ACU offense clicked in the second half as they accounted for all 28 points after the break.

Senior Jacob Hernandez topped with 10 tackles including 2.5 for loss.  Sophomore Anthony Nicastro brought the heat with eight tackles and two sacks.  With sacks providing the biggest loss, the Firestorm held the Aggies to -27 yards rushing.

Sophomore Tyler Duncan threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns while running for 84 more yards. Senior Jon Cole hauled in both touchdowns.  Freshman Eiryon Ward delivered two rushing touchdowns in his Firestorm debut.

Game Info

• Game score: Arizona Christian - 28, Oklahoma Panhandle State - 13
• Records: Arizona Christian- 1-0, Oklahoma Panhandle State - 0-3
• NAIA Top 25 Rank: Arizona Christian- not ranked, Oklahoma Panhandle State - not ranked
• Location: Anchor D Stadium, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Goodwell, Okla.

Offensive Stars

• Tyler Duncan - 15-27, 204 passing yards, two touchdowns, 84 rushing yards
• Jon Cole - 7 catches, 128 receiving yards 2 touchdowns
• Sid Turnbull-Frazier - 6 catches, 71 receiving yards
• Eiryon Ward - 2 rushing touchdowns

Defensive Stars

• Jacob Hernandez - 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss
• Anthony Nicastro - 8 tackles, 2 sacks
• Deonsaye Dean - 7 tackles, 1 sack, 2.5 tackles for loss
• Arthur Hayes - 6 tackles, fumble recovery
• Maurice Powell - 6 tackles, sack

Inside The Numbers

• OPSU scored on a broken play touchdown pass in the first quarter and the very last play of the game
• The teams combined for 11 first half punts and 19 total punts for the game
• Duncan found Cole for a touchdown with a pass to tie the game in third quarter
• A Duncan to Cole 56 yard pass allowed Ward to score two plays later
• Cole scored his second touchdown just four plays into the fourth quarter
• Ward wrapped up the ACU scoring with an 11 yard run

Thoughts from Coach Bowen

"It is always great to start the season with a win… especially when you open on the road against a formidable opponent who has already played two games.  I was really proud of the way our guys settled down and completely dominated the game in the second half.  There is a lot of things that we can improve on, but we also did a lot of things very well!  Defensively, we limited their run game and kept their passing game in check.  Offensively, we were pretty balanced with the run and pass.  Special teams did a lot of good things flipping the field for us.  We are excited to get back home and start preparing for a home opener against Wayland Baptist."

Up Next

The Firestorm will host Wayland Baptist at Greenway High School on Saturday at 7:00 pm.