Phoenix, Ariz.- Following a late fourth quarter rally by Arizona Christian to force overtime, Sophomore Nestor Higuera nailed a game winning field goal to give the Firestorm a 31-28 win over Wayland Baptist on Saturday.

After building a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter, ACU saw WBU answer with 21 straight points to build a 28-21 edge.  But Sophomore Tyler Duncan orchestrated a seven play 65 yard drive and hit Sophomore Zaachary Cullop with a 25 yard touchdown pass to force the extra period.  Overall, Duncan passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score.

Defensively, the Firestorm held their ground with the game on the line including on the last two WBU drives in regulation to set up the game tying drive and forced a fumble on the first play in overtime.  Seniors Clay Branton III and Jacob Hernandez both recorded seven tackles and a pass breakup.

Game Info

• Game score: Arizona Christian - 31, Wayland Baptist - 28
• Records: Arizona Christian- 2-0, Wayland Baptist - 0-1
• NAIA Top 25 Rank: Arizona Christian- not ranked, Wayland Baptist - not ranked
• Location: Greenway High School, Phoenix, AZ

Offensive Stars

• Tyler Duncan - 23-35, 293 passing yards, two touchdowns, rushing touchdown
• Sid Turnbull-Frazier - 7 catches, 109 receiving yards, touchdown
• Malik Patterson - 8 catches, 80 yards
• Zaachary Cullop- receiving touchdown
• Eiryon Ward - 102 rushing yards, touchdown

Defensive Stars

• Jacob Hernandez - 7 tackles
• Clay Branton III - 7 tackles
• Deonsaye Dean - 3 tackles, sack, forced fumble
• Riley Tucker - interception in the end zone

Inside The Numbers

• After a scoreless first quarter, Duncan threw for one touchdown and ran for another as ACU took a 14-7 lead to locker room
• Ward cashed in a touchdown from 11 yards out in the third
• Down 28-21, Cullop scored the equalizer with 1:42 left in regulation
• The Pioneers fumble in overtime allowed Rodriguez to be the hero
• ACU made the game tougher on themselves with three turnovers and 15 penalties for 136 yards
• The Firestorm improved to 3-0 all-time in overtime games with Saturday becoming their first OT game ever in front of their home fans

Thoughts from Coach Bowen

"We are really proud of our guys in the way they persevered tonight.  Not a lot of things went our way in a lot of different areas, so the fact they come back, tied the game, and won in overtime shows a lot of character.  There are things we need to clean up and once we do that we are going to be a very formidable team throughout the year.  It is great to be 2-0 and we are proud of our guys.  Rodriguez came through again.  He is one of the most underrated kickers in the entire country."

Up Next

After a bye week, the Firestorm return to the gridiron on Saturday, October 31, when they travel to Waxahachie, Texas, and face SAGU.  Kick-off will be at 11:00 am Arizona Time/ 12:00 pm Central.