Box Score FORT WORTH - The Texas Wesleyan University Ram Football team (1-0, 1-0 SAC) made history Saturday at Farrington Field as they overcame a 15-point second-half deficit for a 35-28 victory against Arizona Christian University (1-1, 0-1 SAC). It was the Rams' first season-opening win since the program was reinstated a few years ago after a three-fourths of a century hiatus.
 
Quarterback Dalton Dale connected with receiver Charlie Simmons for 7 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with 1:29 remaining in the game. The winning drive was set up when the Rams' Elijah Hall intercepted a pass at his own 27 and returned it to the Firestorm 40 with 3:12 left.
 
Head coach Joe Prud'homme on the win, "We felt that if we played and executed the game plan, we should win. Our focus was on winning field position, explosive plays and turnover battle, and we won 2 out of those three."
 
"Tank [Conner] was big, his experience is great for us," said Prud'homme. "The offensive line came up big and really controlled the line of scrimmage. All of the running backs had great games, the wide receivers, and Charlie Simmons were clutch. Dale was efficient and calm in leading some big drives. Our special teams coverage units were dominate. The players understood and executed the game plan very well and our coaching staff did a great job of preparation."
 
TXWES tied the game at 28 when Clint Epperson scored on a 3-yard run with 7:40 to play. That drive also came after a turnover as Tarik Davis forced a fumble and Tank Conner recovered at the ACU 43. Following the TD, Dale found PJ Williams for a two-point conversion.
 
Dale and Simmons also teamed up for a 40-yard TD late in the third quarter to start the rally, pulling the Rams to within 28-20. ACU also contributed to that with an interference penalty against the Ram receiver on a Firestorm punt.
 
The Firestorm, ranked 15th nationally and preseason favorites in the Sooner Athletic Conference (and defending champions), overcame a 13-7 halftime deficit with three third-quarter touchdowns, including a 97-yard pass from QB Tyler Duncan to Jon Cole for a 14-13 lead.
 
Dale finished 12-for-21 passing for 184 yards and three touchdowns, also connecting with Williams for a 29-yard score to put them up at halftime. Epperson rushed for 115 yards and his TD on 20 carries, while Nick David-West led all rushers in the game with 118 yards on 12 carries, including a 65-yard score.
 
Simmons led Rams receivers with five catches for 71 yards and the pair of scores, while Williams caught two passes for 45 yards and a TD. Collier Ricks had three catches for 43 yards and Brandon Rolfe caught two for 25 yards.
 
Firestorm quarterback Tyler Duncan completed 15 of 34 passes for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but was intercepted three times by the Rams. Along with Hall's pickoff, Damian Francis returned one 39 yards and Conner had two picks.
 
In all, the Rams defense forced five turnovers, while the TXWES offense had no miscues.
 
Adrian Johnson and Kobe Adams led with seven tackles each. Johnson had six tackles for a loss of 38 yards and all four of his team's sacks for 31 yards in setbacks, while Adams had three tackles for a loss of 11 yards. Hall also had seven tackles, while Davis and Jose Bonilla had five each.
 
The teams combined for over 900 yards of offense, with ACU collecting 485 (140 rushing, 345 passing) and the Rams getting 429 (245 rushing, 184 passing).
 
TXWES also controlled time of possession by a 34:20 to 25:40 margin.
           
This was the second consecutive season in which the Rams came from behind to defeat the Firestorm. Last season in Glendale, Arizona they let a 30-13 lead slip away before scoring late for a 37-34 win.
 
That was the lone road victory for the Rams since they reinstated the program, the only regular-season loss for the Firestorm last season, and it was ACU's homecoming. The Rams were only able to play two games last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ACU now leads the all-time series by just one win, 3-2.
 
The team hits the road for two weeks starting at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. The Aggies dropped its home opener with Langston today, 10-7.