ABILENE, Texas – On fourth-and-goal from the Southeastern Louisiana one-yard line, Abilene Christian senior tight end Jamie Walker hauled in a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Parker McKenzie to give the Wildcats a comeback 21-17 win over SLU in Southland Conference football action Saturday afternoon in Shotwell Stadium.
 
Southeastern (4-6, 3-5 Southland) lost its third straight game and had its chances of three straight winning seasons snapped. Abilene Christian (3-7, 3-6 Southland) snapped a six-game losing streak.
 
McKenzie led the Wildcats by going 21-for-28 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Senior running back Herbert Sims led ACU with 75 yards rushing on 14 carries and a touchdown.
 
McKenzie's heroics on the final play spoiled a solid effort by a Lion defense that finished with five sacks. Senior defensive back JQ Sandolph finished with two sacks, while senior defensive end A.J. Bowen, senior defensive end Aaron Price and junior defensive lineman Miki Fangatua had one sack each. Senior defensive back Micah Eugene led the Lions with 11 tackles and an interception, while Sandolph and senior defensive back Jordan Batiste had nine tackles each.
 
On the offensive side, SLU finished with 267 total yards on the day. Junior quarterback D'Shaie Landor was efficient, completing 17-of-27 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for one touchdown. Senior tight end Chris Briggs was Landor's top target, finishing with four catches for 60 yards and a score, while freshman running back Julius Maracalin had 56 rushing yards on 14 carries to lead SLU.
 
ACU mounted the first threat of the game midway through the first quarter. Landor wasn't ready for a snap from senior center Joe Graves and the Wildcats recovered the loose ball at the Lion 38-yard line. However, the SLU defense stiffened to snuff out the ACU drive and force a punt.
 
Southeastern moved into ACU territory on the ensuing drive. However, Abilene sophomore linebacker Bryson Gates sacked Landor to force SLU to punt.
 
SLU finally got on the board early in the second quarter. Landor scampered in from two yards out to cap a 13-play, 66-yard scoring drive to give SLU a 7-0 lead with 11:10 left in the opening half. Keying the drive was a 24-yard catch-and-run by senior Isaiah Kepley on a third-and-nine from near midfield.
 
After the two teams traded empty possessions, ACU drove just outside of the Southeastern red zone. However, consecutive sacks by Sandolph and Fangatua forced an ACU punt. Senior Harlan Miller returned the ensuing punt 29 yards to set the Lions up near midfield. However, SLU could not manage a first down and had to punt despite the good field position.
 
ACU moved all the way to the SLU 15-yard line on its final drive of the first half, after McKenzie connected with senior wide receivers Cedric Gilbert (24 yards) and Monte Green-Avery (31 yards) on long passes. However, consecutive sacks by Bowen and Sandolph forced the Wildcats into a field goal try. Freshman Zach Lehr's 42-yard try sailed wide left to keep the Lion lead at 7-0 at the half.
 
After a SLU three-and-out, ACU tied the score on its first drive of the third quarter. With the Lions selling out to try to stop a third-and-inches, Sims broke through the first line of defense and ran untouched 42 yards to knot the game at 7-7 with 11:33 remaining in the third quarter.
 
After the two teams traded three-and-outs, Southeastern retook the lead when freshman Jonathan Tatum knocked in a 29-yard field goal to give SLU a 10-7 lead with 2:31 left in the third quarter. On the 12-play, 68-yard drive that took just under six minutes off the clock, Landor was five-of-six for 49 yards.
 
After a sack by Price forced another ACU punt, Miller ripped off a 38-yard punt return to set the Lions up at the Wildcat 17-yard line. Four plays later, Landor found Briggs in the back corner of the end zone from 15 yards out to push the SLU lead to 17-7 with 14:54 left in the game.
 
ACU answered quickly on the ensuing drive with a five-play, 75-yard drive that took less than two minutes off the clock. McKenzie was 4-for-4 for 59 yards on the march that was capped when Green-Avery slipped a tackle and scored from 14 yards out to cut the lead to 17-14 with 12:56 remaining.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Eugene was drilled by junior Adrian Duncan and fumbled with ACU freshman Gavin Burford recovering at the Lion 34-yard line. The Lion defense once again rose to the occasion and Lehr banged a 39-yard try off the right upright to keep SLU in front.
 
Southeastern was forced to punt on the ensuing drive. On the next play, Eugene intercepted a McKenzie pass to give the Lions the ball near midfield with just over nine minutes remaining. The interception was the first of the season by the Lafayette native, however the Lion offense went three-and-out, giving ACU the ball back with 8:08 remaining at its own 20-yard line.
 
The final drive covered 80 yards on 18 plays and was capped by Walker hauling in a McKenzie pass in the back corner of the end zone.
 
On the final drive, Landor moved Southeastern to the ACU 35-yard line on a 27-yard pass to Brigss. On the final play, junior wide receiver Brandon Acker couldn't haul in a Landor Hail Mary, allowing the Wildcats to triumph in their home finale.
 
The Lions will close out the season on Thursday, Nov. 19, hosting Nicholls in the annual River Bell Classic at 6 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The game will be televised by the American Sports Network with WUPL (Charter Channel 16 in Hammond) serving as the local affiliate in the Hammond area. The game can also be heard live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), as well as affiliates and Northshore Broadcasting stations Kajun 107.1 FM (WHMD) and The Highway 104.7 FM (WJSH) and on the Internet at LionSports.net.
 
Thursday will also be Senior Day at Strawberry Stadium. Graves, Kepley, Sandolph, Miller, Bowen, Price, Briggs, Eugene, Batiste, running back Kody Sutton, linebacker Herbert Harris, running back/kick returner Xavier Roberson, defensive back Denzel Thompson, defensive back Marquis Hatcher, wide receiver Trey Hallman, wide receiver Jeff Smiley, linebacker Dereck Robinson, defensive back Josh Dakin, kicker/punter Harris Beall, linebacker T.J. West, offensive lineman Aaron Reed, offensive lineman Josue Miranda, wide receiver Dylan Bossier, wide receiver Byron Johnson, defensive lineman Ashton Henderson, defensive lineman Tupou Aleamotua and defensive back Reggie Lesueur will be honored 30 minutes prior to Thursday's game.