Football | 10/20/2019 12:13:00 AM

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Despite a monster effort by defensive back Ja'Quavion Daniels, the Oklahoma Panhandle State University football team would suffer a 34-14 Sooner Athletic Conference loss to Arizona Christian University at Cactus High School.
 
Daniels had his best game as an Aggies, leading all tacklers with 17 total, among those nine of the solo variety. Daniels also intercepted his first pass of the season in the fourth quarter. Daniels has 55 tackles in his last four games, alone.
 
But both defenses were stretched early by the opposing offenses. The Aggies (2-5, 2-3 SAC) and Firestorm (5-1, 3-1 SAC) opened the game like it was a track meet, combining for nearly as many points in the first quarter (23) as in the rest of the game (25).

After the Aggies went three-and-out on the opening series, ACU would shock the visitors with a 58-yard touchdown pass on its first play from scrimmage to lead 7-0. The Firestorm would never trail the balance of the game.
 
After the Firestorm upped their lead to 10-0 with a field goal, OPSU had some lightning in a bottle to get on the board. Panhandle scored one of its "UPS touchdown," with a (Tony) Brown to (Jaishone) Brown scoring aerial for 67 yards. The missed extra point cut the deficit to 10-6.
 
ACU added another touchdown in the first and one more in the second quarter to lead, 24-6, heading into the halftime locker room. The Firestorm added a TD in the third stanza, upping its advantage to 31-6.
 
Panhandle State was finally able to stem the ACU string of 21 unanswered points midway through the fourth period. With Deshawn Cumby taking the quarterback duties, OPSU drove 90 yards in 10 plays. The set was capped when Cumby found Jonah Martinez on a seven-yard toss. It was Martinez's first touchdown grab of the season. Cumby and Martinez also converted the two-point conversion to make it 31-14.
 
ACU added a field goal in the final two minutes for the 34-14 final score.
 
 
Cumby would eventually finish the game with a 12-of-15 passing night for 127 yards in relief. Starting quarterback Tony Brown was 4-for-14 for 76 yards and a TD. Each signal caller was intercepted once. Brown also rushed for 56 yards on 14 carries.
 
Jaishone Brown led all Panhandle receivers with five grabs for 115 yards and a touchdown. Eric Gideon had three catches (35 yards) and Jarrod Thomas two (32 yards).Martinez and Danny Valverde Jr. each had three receptions.
 
Valverde also had 42 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
 
Joining Daniels' impressive defensive game was lineman Matthew Hernandez and defensive back D'Quan Charles, each with seven tackles. Senior Jasper Smiley added six tackles and a pair of sacks, while senior all-American linebacker Diamante Pounds also finished with six tackles (2.0 TFL).
 
The game at ACU was also OPSU's fifth road outing in seven games, thus far, in 2019. Panhandle State will have a bye next weekend, before resuming action on November 2 at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas for its final road venture of the season.