Maumelle – Senior defensive back Keyonte Sykes’ late interception sealed a 21-14 Maumelle win over White Hall as the Hornets played in their first game in nearly a month due to the Covid-19 protocol.
With no timeouts left and a minute and 20 seconds left in the game, White Hall took over at their own 20-yard line and on their second play of the series, Sykes stepped in front of Matthew Martinez’s pass intended for receiver Kameron Robinson and returned the pick to the Bulldogs 22 where the Hornets were able to run out the clock.
Although Maumelle would struggle early on offensively, the Hornets defense picked up the slack by holding White Hall to 167 total yards.
While the Maumelle defense set a huge statement, White Hall was able to stay close due in part to a couple of Hornet miscues.
Trailing 7-0 after a short 3-yard touchdown run by Deshaire Ford-Burton with 2 minutes and 16 seconds left in the opening quarter, White Hall would answer as Robinson picked off Maumelle’s Jonathan Reyes and returned it eight yards for a defensive score.
Maumelle quickly responded a few plays later with senior Jordan Scott rambling in for an 18-yard TD run as the Hornets took five plays to take a 14-7 lead.
White Hall would take just one play to cash in a blocked punt by Jacobrian Eichelberger as Robinson’s 5-yard TD run again tied the score at 14-14 with 5:10 remaining in the third quarter.
But again Maumelle would respond in a hurry using a bit of trickery with Ford-Burton tossing a 41-yard touchdown to Sykes giving the Hornets a final 21-14 lead that they would not relinquish.
“Our defense played lights out tonight and in my opinion we pitched a shutout.” Maumelle head coach Kirk Horton said. “We had a couple of things happen during the game that didn’t work in our favor but if you can survive that type of adversity when you have been off for a while, then you like your chances when you have a team as talented as ours.”
Scott had 51 yards rushing on seven carries to pace Maumelle (3-2).
Jaylen Smith had ten carries for 35 yards for the Hornets who will play at Watson Chapel next Friday night.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Breylin Smith threw two touchdown passes, and the Central Arkansas defense had seven sacks and forced six turnovers in its 33-24 win over Missouri State on Saturday night.
Logan Jessup, a sophomore linebacker who went into the game with one career sack, had 3 1/2 sacks on Saturday and Cameron Godfrey added two of UCA’s four interceptions.
Hayden Ray tied a school record with a career-high four made field goals, including three after halftime when Central Arkansas outscored MSU 16-0.
Despite committing four first-half turnovers — including a 35-yard pick-6 by Central Arkansas’ Deandre Lamont — Missouri State took a 24-17 lead into the break.
But the UCA defense stiffened in the second half, allowing Missouri State just 52 total yards and three first downs after halftime.
Missouri State (0-3) — a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, which postponed its football season to the spring due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic — completed its three-game fall season and is scheduled to play an eight-game MVC schedule beginning at South Dakota on February 20, 2021.
Central Arkansas beat Missouri State 27-20 in Conway, Arkansas, on Sept. 26, marking the first time since MSU played the same opponent twice in a season since 1945.
Conway – It was supposed to be an even match-up with a pair of teams with identical records on homecoming night getting ready for a playoff push with three conference games remaining.
And then it quickly wasn’t.
Conway senior quarterback Ben Weese passed for four touchdowns and then ran for a score in leading the Wampus Cats to a 48-12 victory over Fort Smith Northside in a 7A Central battle on Friday night.
A week after an impressive road win at Cabot, the Wampus Cat offense would score on three of their first four offensive possessions of the contest and the rout was on.
“Coach has really been pushing us to start hot and finish hot.” Weese said. “Our offense is really clicking because we have learned that we can play with anybody on the field with us. When you have the guys we have it’s real easy to have a lot of trust in each other and the guys up front blocking for me have been amazing.”
Conway spread the ball around to a prolific offense – in which Manny Smith, Jamarion “Boogie” Carr, West Boudreaux and Bryce Bohanon – each caught TD passes in the win.
Weese contributed a short 2-yard touchdown run of his own as the Wampus Cats (4-2, 2-1) poured it on from the opening gun with the senior quarterback completing 18-of-28 passes for 297 yards, Bohanon catching four passes for 85 yards and Boudreaux finishing with four catches for 77 yards.
“Ben has been a leader for us all year long,” Conway Coach Keith Fimple said. “The last couple of games he has been focused. He did a great job.”
Carr, a sophomore, was electrifying as well, running for 128 yards on 12 carries to go along with his scoring reception.
After Conway kicker Adrian Mejia connected on a 36-yard field goal on the Cats’ opening possession for a 3-0 lead, Weese would misfire on 4th-and-9 from the Northside 29 to stall their second drive of the game.
But that would be the only misstep on a night where the Wampus Cats put on an offensive show.
Smith added an 11-yard scoring run with 1:53 left in the first quarter and Weese scored on a 2-yard run with 5:19 left in the half to send Conway off to a 17-0 advantage.
“Getting off to a fast start is something we talked about all week because we kinda went through one last week where we lost momentum (in a 52-49 win at Cabot).” Fimple said.”So that’s what we concentrated on all week.”
Already leading 17-0, Ashton Walker picked off an errant pass from interception and subsequent 72 yards return set up Smith’s touchdown reception for a 24-0 halftime cushion.
Carr grabbed a 15-yard TD pass in the third quarter to make it 31-0.
The Grizzlies (3-3, 1-2) finally got on the board in the third quarter as Ty Massey scored on a 1-yard run after sprinting 71 yards down the sidelines only a play before.
Avonte Tucker caught a 47-yard TD pass from Dreyden Norwood on the Grizzlies next possession for their only other touchdown of the night.
Conway will next travel to Little Rock to face Central next Friday, October 23.
Jonesboro – The University of Central Arkansas women’s golf team started the season at the Lady Red Wolves Classic at Sage Meadows Golf Club in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Monday. The Bears are tied for third with a combined score of 588 (+12). Tania Nunez paced UCA with a mark of 144 (E) and is in seventh place.
Nunez started the day off with a birdie on the par-4 10th. After a birdie on the par-5 18th, she birdied three of the next four holes and finished round one tied for second with a 69 (-3). After a slow start in round two, she collected back-to-back birdies on the par-5 third and the par-4 fourth. She posted a second-round tally of 75 (+3) and has a two-round score of 144 (E). She is currently in seventh place.
Pear Rittawee and Camila Moreno are tied for 13th with a two-round effort of 147 (+3).
Rittawee birdied three of the first four holes on the front nine and added a birdie on the par-4 10th to finish round one with a 73 (+1). She birdied the par-4 second and the par-5 third and posted a second-round tally of 74 (+2). She moved up three spots in the standings after round two.
Moreno notched a birdie on the par-5 15th early in the first round. She added birdies on the par-4 first, par-4 sixth, and the par-4 eighth to finish the round with a mark of 71 (-1). She birdied the par-5 15th for the second time on the day in the second round. She collected a birdie on the par-5 third and finished round two with a 76 (+4).
Pim-Orn Thitisup and Elin Kumlin finished the day tied for 35th with a two-round score of 151 (+7).
After a slow start in the morning round, Thitisup birdied the par-4 first in the second half of the first round. She added a birdie on her final hole of round one on the par-4 10th and finished with a tally of 76 (+4). In the second round, she birdied the par-5 15th, par-5 third, and the par-4 eighth. She notched a second-round score of 75 (+3). She rocketed up 12 spots on the leaderboard at the end of day one.
Kumlin birdied the par-4 12th and the par-4 fourth in the first round of the day. She posted a round-one mark of 75 (+3). She followed that up with 16 pars on the second round and produced a score of 76 (+4).
Jonesboro – Nate Jolly led the Central Arkansas men’s golf team on day one of the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate with a 146 (+2). The Bears finished Monday with a team effort of 595 (+19) and are in sixth place at Ridge Pointe Country Club.
UCA started the day on the 10th hole.
Nate Jolly got the day started with birdies on the par-5 13th and the par-3 15th. On the 15th, Jolly nearly holed his tee shot and was able to make the short birdie putt. He finished the first round with a 74 (+2) and was tied for 24th. He was on fire to start round two, as he birdied three of the first five holes. He added birdies on the par-3 17th and the par-4 first. Jolly recorded a 72 (E) for the second round and moved up five spots into a tie for 19th with a total of 146 (+2).
After a slow start to round one, Davis Irving made a spectacular chip on the par-3 fourth. His ball was 10 feet off of the green between two green-side bunkers. He was unfazed by his position and chipped it in for a birdie and gained momentum on the remaining five holes. He picked up a birdie on the par-5 fifth and the par-4 ninth. He produced a first-round mark of 74 (+2) and was tied for 24th. He collected a birdie on the opening hole of the second round, before he added two birdies on the par-5 sixth and the par-4 eighth. He posted a second-round tally of 77 (+5) and is tied for 31st with a 151 (+7).
Josh Turnock is tied for 35th after he had a two-round score of 152 (+8). After he started the day with a 78 (+6), he bounced back with a 74 (+2) in the second round. He tallied birdies on the par-5 10th and the par-4 14th during round two.
Blaine Calhoon started the first round with a birdie on the par-5 10th. After a double-bogey on the par-4 second, he was resilient and drove the green on the par-4 third. He nearly drained the long eagle putt, but left the putt short for an easy tap-in birdie. He closed out the morning round with birdies on the par-5 fifth, the par-3 seventh, and the par-4 ninth. He finished the first round with a score of 73 (+1) and was tied for 19th. Like the first round, he birdied the first hole of the second. He recorded the Bears’ lone eagle on the par-5 sixth and posted a second-round score of 79 (+7). He is tied for 35th with a mark of 152 (+8).
Jakob Lemieux opened the day with a 77 (+5) with a birdie on the par-5 13th in round one. In the second round, he added birdies on the par-5 fifth and the par-3 seventh. He posted a second-round tally of 78 (+6). He finished the day with a two-round score of 155 (+11) and is tied for 43rd.
Miles Smith opened the day with an 87 (+15). He battled back on the second round and birdied the par-5 13th. He added another birdie on the par-3 seventh and finished the round with a 74 (+2). He moved up four spots into a tie for 59th with a two-round mark of 161 (+17).
The third and final round is scheduled for an 8:34 a.m. start time for the Bears on Tuesday.
Little Rock – Two first half goals from Louisiana proved to be too much for UALR to overcome as Little Rock (1-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) dropped a 2-0 decision to the Ragin Cajuns (6-3, 3-2 Sun Belt).
Despite an active Trojan squad producing several opportunities, they were ultimately unable to follow through on those chances.
“I thought we were the better team especially in the second half but it’s just not going our way at the minute,” said UALR head coach Mark Foster. “The challenge is for the girls to keep their head up, rebound and come back and make sure the next one goes our way.”
“The soccer’s been brilliant this season,” he added. “We’ve seen some really good passes and moving, some great build-up play through the thirds, and the team is coming together to create lots of opportunities.”
The closest chance for Little Rock came early in the second half, as the Trojans came out of the halftime break visibly firing on all cylinders.
However, once again the woodwork was not in favor of the Trojans as Peyton Laughley – Little Rock’s offensive leader of the night with two of her six shots on target – made an attempt from the right side that hit high on the top crossbar.
“I lost count of how many opportunities we had,” said Coach Foster. “But we’ve got to make our own luck. We can’t be feeling sorry for ourselves. The harsh reality of soccer is they had a couple of chances and took theirs, and we weren’t able to take ours. It shows how cruel the game can be and how clinical it can be. It’s no good saying we dominated possession if we didn’t score.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns netted both of their goals in the first half, giving Little Rock a large mountain to climb in order to get back in the game.
In addition, Louisiana’s freshman goalkeeper Lauryn Starwood was a notable obstacle for the Trojans this evening, grabbing a game-high eight saves. Her agility beat some of the Trojans out when the home team was able to break through the Cajuns’ defense and get in range.
Louisiana’s Gwen Mummert scored the first Ragin Cajun goal in the 26th minute after the second of back-to-back Louisiana corner kicks. The ball soared into the center, bouncing to a fellow Cajun just outside the inner box and then Mummert powered the ball into the lower left corner of the goal.
With a minute to go in the first half, one of the Louisiana forward Grace Champagne was able to shake off the defense to center her pass and set up Lizzie Mayfield for a lobbed arc from fifteen yards out that curved up and over the Trojan defenders and into the right side of the net.
Little Rock returns home to the Coleman Sports Complex on Thursday when they host undefeated Arkansas State (7-0, 6-0 Sun Belt).
Conway – Central Arkansas will get a chance to expand on its season as the Southland Conference announces a spring volleyball season.
UCA will get a chance to compete in conference play as they initiate a part two to their season as they will compete in both fall and spring seasons.
This schedule shift will begin for the Sugar Bears Feb. 4 as they start their conference slate at Houston Baptist.
From that point, they will take part in a 12-match seven-week regular season.
This regular season will lead up to an end of the year conference tournament.
The No. 1 seed will host the SLC tournament, as only the top four teams will compete in the postseason tournament April 2-3.
The NCAA Tournament selections are scheduled to happen Apr. 4, with the first matches set for Apr. 8.
UCA hosts six different teams at home and travels for another six matches.
The Sugar Bears will play every team in the conference during that span.
UCA will play every game on Thursday and Saturday, besides at McNeese State (Feb. 23) and at Northwestern State (March 2), which will happen on a Tuesday.
If scheduling conflicts arise, coaches can agree to postpone games, but only if both sides agree to the postponement.
The Sugar Bears will host their first home game in this new format, Feb. 11, when they host Incarnate Word.
No. 2 North Little Rock outlasts Conway 39-37 Conway – After two weeks off, the Conway Wampus Cats played some of their best football of the season but unfortunately weren’t quite able to make enough plays to upset the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats at home.
The game featured several lead changes as NLR senior quarterback Kareame Cotton ran for three scores – which included the game-winner from a yard out midway through the fourth quarter – as the Charging Wildcats edged Conway 39-37 in a 7A-Central see-saw battle at John McConnell Stadium.
The Wampus Cats fought until the very last play of the game against the heavily favored North Little Rock squad that is predicted to capture the conference crown.
After blocking a punt, Conway was at the North Little Rock 42 with seven seconds remaining in the game, but a third-down pass from senior quarterback Ben Weese was batted down in the end zone as time expired.
North Little Rock lost star tailback Fredrick O’Donald on their first play from scrimmage after he suffered an apparent ankle injury.
In his absence, Cotton and senior tailback Aaron Sims picked up the slack by rushing for a combined 297 rushing yards and scoring five touchdowns.
Cotton, a three-year starter, ran 22 times for 100 yards, scoring on runs of 1, 1 and 3 yards. Sims ran 37 times for 197 yards and 2 first-half touchdowns (37 and 23 yards). Cotton also completed 9 of 15 passes for 141 yards.
North Little Rock, which led 25-14 at halftime, totaled 445 yards.
Weese finished 27 of 43 for 436 yards and four touchdowns for Conway (2-2, 0-1).
Senior wide receiver Bryce Bohanon with a pair of touchdown receptions of 75 and 15 yards.
Conway took their first lead of the game 37-32 early in the fourth quarter after junior tailback Manny Smith hauled in a 77-yard reception with 9:54 remaining.
But soon after, North Little Rock regained the lead with a seven-play, 65-yard drive on its ensuing possession with Cotton completed a 52-yard pass to junior wide receiver Felix Wade that set up the eventual game winning touchdown a few plays later.
Conway’s next possession ended with a lost fumble at the North Little Rock 9 with 4:46 remaining.
The Charging Wildcats burned more than four minutes off the clock, but a blocked punt gave the Wampus Cats a final chance from their 43 with 28 seconds remaining.
Vilonia – 20 Farmington – 14 Vilonia – Junior Seth Kirk scored on a 4-yard TD run with 14 seconds left as Vilonia cashed in a late fumble by Farmington quarterback Tate Sutton and went on to escape with a thrilling win and improve to 4-1 on the season.
With under thirty seconds to play, Vilonia quarterback Austin Meyers scrambled on a 4th-and long in Farmington territory and tossed a pass that was picked off at the Cardinals 1-yard line by Landyn Faught.
But on the very next play, Sutton fumbled while he was trying to advance the ball out of the end zone and it was recovered by Jessiah Nelson.
Kirk would punch it in from four yards out a play later and then Jack Vines intercepted a desperation pass with six seconds left to seal the game for Vilonia, who improves to 2-0 in 5-A West.
Vilonia hosts Pea Ridge on Friday night.
Greenbrier – 49 Clarksville – 21 Greenbrier – Senior tailback Trey Havens ran for two touchdowns, caught a 26-yard pass for another score and also returned a fumble on defense for his fourth touchdown as the Panthers (2-3, 1-1) thumped Clarksville on homecoming night.
Sophomore Carter McElhany also caught two touchdown passes in the win as the Panthers rebounded from last week’s conference opening loss to Morrilton.
St. Joseph’s remains unbeaten in 2-A Central with a pair of wins The St. Joseph’s Lady Bulldogs remained unbeaten in Conference 2A Central play with a four set win over Maumelle on Tuesday (19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 27-25) and a three set sweep of Quest Academy of Little Rock (25-6, 25-19, 25-8) to complete a perfect week on the court.
Olivia Williams pounded a game-high 17 kills and Presli Webb added 15 for the Lady Bulldogs in the win at Maumelle while Lydia Humphrey and Webb paced St. Joseph’s against Quest with three kills apiece.
Yet, with the conference tournament fastly approaching, head coach Luke Davis is just hoping his team can continue to improve and tighten up things before the regular season concludes.
“We played about as sloppy as we could.” Davis said. “It is too late in the year to continue having days like this.”
St. Joseph’s (10-3, 5-0) will travel to Conway Christian on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and then host a pair of non-conference foes on Wednesday, Oct. 7 (Southwest) and Thursday, Oct. 8 (Atkins).
Conway sweeps Bryant and then falls to North Little Rock in 6-A Central action to remain tied in conference standings The Conway Lady Cats began the week with a three set sweep of Bryant (25-18, 25-11, 25-18) on the road on Tuesday.
Madison Holloway belted 10 kills and added three blocks while Abby Masters contributed 18 assists for Conway (7-2, 6-1).
Karis Scott had 17 digs and four aces for the Lady Cats.
But on Thursday, Conway fell in straight sets to North Little Rock (23-25, 30-32, 19-25) to fall into a statistical tie for the top of the 6-A Central standings with the Charging Wildcats (8-2).
Both Naomi Young and Holloway registered seven kills apiece in the loss while Masters and Olivia Wiedower tallied 13 assists each.
Kennedi Wyrick contributed 13 digs and two aces for Conway (7-3, 6-2).
Conway will host Southwest next Tuesday night in the regular season finale.
Greenbrier falls to perennial power Greenwood The Lady Bulldogs fell in four sets in perennial power Greenwood (25-23, 14-25, 23-25, 16-25) in other high school volleyball action.
Conway – After postponing the last seven games due to health issues, UCA is ready to resume their season after dropping two highly competitive matches in Nacogdoches to start the season back in early September.
UCA’s season was halted back on Sept. 10 after 12 volleyball players and a few staff members of their staff tested positive for COVID-19.
The Sugar Bears will travel to Springfield to take on Missouri State (1-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday with an opportunity to get back in the zone as they face a relatively new opponent in Missouri State.
The two teams met only once in 2012 with Missouri State securing a thrilling five set win.
In their last outing against Texas State – the two-time defending Sun Belt champion – redshirt senior Amanda Beaton set a career-high with 24 kills while fellow senior Bailey Waddington tied her career-high with 51 assists.
Senior Emily Doss is a key defensive specialist for this squad as she leads the team with 3.22 digs per set.
The front line duo of junior Ravin Rhodes and senior Amari Mitchell has been spectacular in the early going for UCA.
Rhodes currently sits at five blocks on the season, while Mitchell has contributed three.
Missouri State – coached by former UCA head coach Steven McRoberts – are led by sophomores Brooklyn Chink and Kennedee Anderson along with freshman Caly Otec.
In the Bears’ lone game on the season against Little Rock on Sept. 19, Chink pounded 20 kills with Anderson compiling 37 assists and Otec contributing 14 digs.
“We are very excited to finally get back to competition after being away because of COVID protocols,” UCA head coach John Newberry said. “We will be traveling a smaller crew for this game and will look completely different. It will be a whole new team dynamic on the road that we will have to adjust to quickly.”
UCA is scheduled to return home on Friday, Oct. 9 at 4pm against Stephen F. Austin in their first action in Conway of the 2020 season.
Conway – Late in the third quarter, the Central Arkansas found themselves in familiar territory.
But they finally got things in gear when it mattered most.
Tyler Hudson’s 57-yard punt return coupled with Dre Matthew’s 30-yard fumble return on defense helped propel the No. 11-ranked Central Arkansas Bears over Missouri State 27-20 in their home opener at Estes Stadium.
The Bears win came on a night when they only could muster 177 yards of total offense and once again trailed for much of the contest.
Mired in a 20-7 hole midway through the third quarter in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 2,500 onlookers starved for football, the Bears managed to score three touchdowns in a span of two minutes late in the third quarter and early fourth period to record their eighth comeback victory over the past 16 games.
Hudson had two of the scores – one a 7-yard touchdown grab from junior quarterback Breylin Smith with 1:24 mark in the third quarter – along with the spectacular punt return in which he weaved his way through traffic down the middle and broke free for the final 30 yards with 14:11 to play.
Sandwiched in between Hudson’s two touchdowns, junior linebacker Dre Matthews turned in the play of the game, with a 30-yard scoop-and-score fumble return that knotted the game at 20-20 with 14:48 remaining.
While the Bears defense, stellar all night, forced three consecutive incomplete passes by Missouri State and then Hudson did the rest.
It was UCA’s first punt return for a touchdown since Tremon Smith returned one 47 against Arkansas State in 2016.
With the top FBS team in the nation looming on Saturday on the road in North Dakota, Central Arkansas head coach Nathan Brown kept the win over a one win team in 2019 in persceptive.
“We have to wipe the slate clean.” said Brown. “We did not play a good three quarters. In fact, that was probably one of our poorer performances for three quarters that I’ve been a part of. But again, it just shows the resiliency of our football team, different guys stepping up, different guys making plays when it mattered. And just believing. At the end of the day, it’s about belief.
“Football never goes to script, it never goes to plan. We talk about that every day. That’s why we do different stuff in practice, to practice for games like this. But our guys believed and they found a way to win the game. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see the belief these guys have in our team. We look bad at times. We were down 20-7, on offense we didn’t play our best game. Special teams had blunders, but the defense kept us in the game throughout. We know any win is a good win, especially at this point in a season like this, so we’re excited about it.”
Hudson had four returns for 83 yards and caught four passes for 62 more yards while UCA’s No. 1 receiver Lujuan Winningham was shut out as Smith completed just nine passes for 79 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
The Bears also had a punt blocked that Missouri State returned for a touchdown to give them an early 10-0 lead.
But from there it was the Central Arkansas defense that kept the Bears within striking distance by limiting a Missouri State coached by former University of Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino to 293b yards of total offense.
MSU quarterback Jaden Johnson – a transfer from Southern Mississippi – completed 25 of 44 passes for 249 yards but no touchdowns.
UCA’s defensive unit recorded 16 tackles for losses, had nine sacks and forced four fumbles and one interception.
“The defense, oh my gosh, what a great game plan,’ said Brown. “I thought we had their quarterback off balance all night. They gave him a tough time in the pocket all night. They just did a great job. Coach (Chad) Williams dialed up the right blitzes at the right time and guys made big tackles, big stops when it mattered. And offensively, we made enough plays when we needed to.”
The visiting Bears (0-2), who lost to Top 5 Oklahoma in their opener two weeks ago, got on the board first after a 47-yard field goal by Jose Pizano with 12:04 left in the first quarter.
Arkansas took six possessions to finally answer MSU’s score as senior tailback Kierre Crossley cashed in a fumble recovery by linebacker Malik Wilson, with a 4-yard touchdown midway through the first half that drew the Bears within 10-7.
But a late MSU touchdown on a 3-yard run by Keshun Parker with 4:02 left extended the lead to 17-7 at the break.
“They did a great job mirroring Lujuan all night, they took him away,’ said Brown. “They did a good job of that. But that’s why you have a Tyler Hudson on the other side. Breylin showed some poise, I thought Kierre had some big runs, Cameron Myers had some big runs. And we did enough to win the game.”
The UCA defense turned in another big stop when MSU sophomore tailback Cameron Myers fumbled at the UCA 26 with 6:21 to play.
The Bears held on a fourth-and-4 at the UCA 7, and then again on a fourth-and-2 down at the UCA 28 with 1:28 remaining. UCA took over and ran the clock out the rest of the way.
“The scoop and score was the biggest play of the game,’ Brown said. “Dre did a great job. We coach that on defense, we coach to strip the ball, try to produce turnovers. But also, I don’t want the offense back on the field. People don’t realize how fast Dre is. And he did a great job, being athletic and getting his weight down and scooping the ball as opposed to falling on it. And then getting in the end zone. That was huge.”
UCA faces another Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) team next Saturday in three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
Conway – After a three week hiatus, the University of Central Arkansas Bears return to action tonight at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.
The 11th-ranked Bears will host the Missouri State Bears at 7 p.m.
The game will end an unintended 23-day break for UCA since its last game against UAB on Sept. 3.
The Bears had a regularly scheduled open date on Sept. 12, while the matchup with Arkansas State on Sept. 19 was postponed until October due to coronavirus concerns at ASU.
Thus giving the Bears an extended vacation just two games into the ever-changing 2020 season.
UCA’s last action on “The Stripes” was last December in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
“We are excited to be back home, excited to be playing a game,’ said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. “I know it’s going to look different, as far as the participation and fan involvement, the overall gameday atmosphere. But we’re excited to play at home and get in front of our fans and have an opportunity to protect our home stadium.
“Starting the season out with two games in five days, then you have a 23-day break. But that’s the nature of the 2020 football season. You may play a couple of games in a row, then you have what happened to us with Arkansas last week where they were unable to play.
“So we’ve got to be able to respond and react in a positive way, and we talk to our players about that every single day. How are we responding and reacting to the situation with the hand that this football season has dealt us. And our guys have been very mature, they’ve had a great work ethic through all this. I couldn’t be more pleased with what they have done to this point.’
The Bears are 1-1 after beating No. 13 Austin Peay 24-17 in the season opener, the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff in Montgomery, Ala., on Aug. 29. UCA lost 45-35 to Top 25 UAB just five days later at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. They have not played since.
“You can go all the way back to the summer, with the commitment level of our athletic department and our programs to committing to this 2020 season during this volatile time,’ said Brown. “It’s been amazing to watch. And not as much of what we’ve done as coaches and administrators, but the commitment level that our players have had to sacrifice. You’re talking about 18 to 22 year old student athletes who a big part of their student experience is socializing, and they’ve had to cut a lot of that off.
“They’ve had to make a conscience commitment to social distancing and not putting themselves in a situation or scenario to be contact traced or whatever it is. Just continuing to do the things it takes to be a negative test every week. So I’ve been really, really pleased with their commitment level to playing a football season.’
The Bears, who have a 10-game fall schedule, will be playing their first of three home games on Saturday, which will be broadcast on ESPN3. UCA and Missouri State will meeting for the ninth time, with the overall series tied at 4-4. The Maroon Bears won the last meeting, kicking a game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired at Estes Stadium.
MSU is coached by former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, in his first season at the Springfield, Mo., school. The visiting Bears have struggled as a program for the past decade, winning just one game a year ago and just 13 combined over the past five seasons. MSU’s last winning season was a 6-5 mark in 2009.
Enter Petrino, who has a 119-57 overall career record and 11 bowl appearances as a head coach at Arkansas, Louisville (two stints) and Western Kentucky over a 32-year coaching career.
“This is a team that is only playing three games this semester,’ said Brown. “They opened with Top 5 Oklahoma, then they are playing us twice. So we know we’re going to be their total focus for really the rest of this semester. We know we’re going to get their best shot.
“Their’s a renewed energy in Springfield with Coach Petrino. We know his track record. I think he’s one of the top offensive coaches in college football right now. No matter where he’s been, he’s always had high-profile offenses. He’s a very good coach, he wins wherever he goes.
“I would think they are still probably trying to develop some culture, probably still trying to develop his scheme and some other things, but again, knowing the type of coach he is and the type of coaching staff he put together, we know it’s going to be a tall task.’
MSU competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, arguably the top football conference at the FCS level. That league features North Dakota State, the three-time defending national champion that UCA will face next Saturday in Fargo, N.D.
“They play in the Missouri Valley, so we know they are going to play a physical brand of football,’ said Brown. “They are big kids. You look up and down their two-deep… two of their starting receivers, one of them is 6-5, 200 and one is 6-4, 233. That’s like tight end bodies at receiver. They’re just big.
“One of their corners is 6-4, 205. They are just big physically and that’s something we have to prepare for. That’s not something we have seen much of in the first two teams we’ve played on the outside. We’ve played big interior defensive and offensive linemen between Austin Peay and UAB, but Missouri State is very big on the edges.
“So we’re going to have to be prepared for that. And I think our guys are poised and ready. I think we look as fresh as we’ve looked. We’re still having to work ourselves into shape. You had a limited summer, you had a limited training camp, and we’re having to work ourselves into shape. Especially now with such a long break between games.”
Faulkner County Focus Sports 
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