In their sixth season under head coach Wally Bullington, and their first season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC), the Wildcats compiled an 11–1 record (9–0 against conference opponents), won the LSC championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 466 to 206.
[6] On September 29, quarterback Clint Longley broke his own school record with 444 passing yards in a 41–7 victory over Southwest Texas State.
[7] On October 6, the Wildcats played their highest scoring game of the season, defeating Stephen F. Austin, 57–50.
[8] On October 13, ACC faced its toughest test of the regular season, a road game against the defending 1972 NAIA national champion, East Texas State.
4 in the NAIA, in a battle of undefeated teams, with the winner taking the Lone Star Conference championship.
[14][17] ACC was invited to participate in the NAIA playoffs and met Oklahoma's Langston Lions in a semifinal game played before a crowd of 6,620 at Abilene's Shotwell Stadium on December 1.
It was played on December 8 before 4,162 spectators at State Fair Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, and matched No.
Wide receiver Richard Williams caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter.
[16] On the Monday after the game, the team attended a rally to celebrate the national championship with students and administrators at ACC's Moody Coliseum.
Despite his not becoming a starter until the fourth game, and missing the fifth game due to injury, freshman running back Wilbert Montgomery won first-team honors, and junior quarterback Clint Longley won second-team honors.
[21] His totals broke the prior college football scoring record, including both the NAIA and the NCAA.
The prior NCAA record, shared by Lydell Mitchell and Terry Metcalf, was 29 touchdowns in a season.
[14][20] Five ACC players received first-team honors on the 1973 All-Lone Star Conference football team.