NACOGDOCHES, Texas — In a thrilling nonconference finale on Saturday night, Stephen F. Austin triumphed over Abilene Christian with a 32-19 victory, thanks to an impressive performance from Gavin Rutherford, who threw two touchdown passes in the first half, along with Qualan Jones, who added two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter.

The defeat ended a four-game winning streak for Abilene Christian, which had previously secured the United Athletic Conference championship and earned an entry into the FCS playoffs with an overall record of 8-4 and a conference record of 7-1. Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks concluded their season at 7-5, finishing third in the Southland Conference behind Incarnate Word and Southeast Louisiana.

SFA started strong as their defense forced a poor punt from Abilene Christian, which was played deep in their own end. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Rutherford connected with Lavar Lindo from 8 yards away, putting the Lumberjacks ahead 7-0. Later in the first quarter, SFA stifled the Wildcats at their own 4-yard line. Following a penalty against Abilene Christian that pushed them back to their own 2-yard line, Sam Hicks was tackled for a loss, resulting in a safety and giving SFA a 9-0 lead as the second quarter began.

Rutherford threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Kylon Harris, extending the lead to 16-0 just before halftime. Maverick McIvor managed to respond for Abilene Christian, passing 9 yards to Jed Castles for a touchdown, reducing the gap to 16-6 at the break.

The Lumberjacks dominated the second half, scoring 17 unanswered points. Chris Campos started with a 30-yard field goal, followed by Jones, who found the end zone on runs of 10 and 1 yard, increasing the lead to 32-6. Late in the third quarter, Carson Haggard threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Nehemiah Martinez and followed up with an 18-yard pass to Blayne Taylor in the fourth quarter, fixing the final score at 32-19.

In terms of individual performance, Rutherford completed 17 of 30 attempts for a total of 260 passing yards. Jones contributed significantly in the ground game, rushing 17 times for 62 yards. Jordan Nabors and Kylon Harris were the standout receivers, catching three passes for 104 yards and six passes for 81 yards respectively.

For Abilene Christian, Haggard finished the game with 12 completions on 30 attempts for 187 yards, throwing two touchdowns but also tossing two interceptions. Nehemiah Martinez was the leading receiver, accumulating six catches for 127 yards.

This game marks a significant moment in terms of performances, playoffs, and future expectations for both teams as they wrap up their seasons.