BEARS SURVIVE JACKS, REMAIN PERFECT IN SLC

[Seminole Indian]

CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears kept their perfect Southland Conference record intact Saturday night, but not without a fight.

The No. 6 Bears (5-1, 4-0) got a 17-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Hildebrand to Roman Gordon with 1:30 remaining to hold off the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 24-20 at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.

The Bears survived the Lumberjacks despite 12 penalties for 103 yards and three interceptions by Hildebrand, who entered the game with just two in the five previous games this season. UCA beat SFA (2-5, 2-3) for the fifth consecutive time, and sixth in the past seven meetings.

UCA, which won its fifth straight game after a season-opening loss at Big 12 Kansas State, found itself trailing 20-17 after SFA's Storm Ruiz connected on a 24-yard field goal with 3:04 remaining. But junior Cedric Battle returned SFA's kickoff 61 yards, all the way to the SFA 38, with 2:51 on the clock. Redshirt freshman running back Kierre Crossley got six of his career-high 164 yards on first down and a facemask on the Lumberjacks added 15 more yards, setting the Bears up at the 23. After a 1-yard loss on a pass to Brandon Cox, Gordon caught a 7-yarder to the SFA 17.

On third and four, Hildebrand found Gordon for the 17-yard touchdown in the back left corner of the end zone. Junior Matt Cummins made it a four-point lead with the PAT.

UCA's defense, which finished with 13 tackles for loss and a season-high seven sacks, came up huge on SFA's ensuing possession. After Cummins' kickoff reached the end zone with no return, the Lumberjacks got a six-yard run and a UCA penalty to move out to the 41. SFA quarterback Jake Blumrick threw incomplete on first down and the UCA then rung up three consecutive sacks to end it. Seniors Chris Chambers and Eric Jackson combined on the first, for minus 6 yards, setting up a third and 17. Senior George Odum got to Blumrick for -7 yards on third down, and after an SFA timeout, Odum struck again for another seven-yard loss to turn it over on downs.

Crossley, from Everman, Texas, carried 22 times for 164 yards, just five yards short of SFA's rushing total of 169 yards. Hildebrand completed 25 of 35 passes for 290 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Hildebrand connected with junior Lester Wells for a 60-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, then hit freshman Brandon Myers for 16 yards and another score in the second period. The Lumberjacks managed to score just once after UCA's three interceptions, punting once and missing a 34-yard field goal after the other.

The Bears finished with 450 yards of total offense, the sixth consecutive week to top 400 yards, and averaged 6.4 yards per play. The Lumberjacks had 319 and a 3.9-yard average.

Odum, an outside linebacker from Millington, Tenn., finished with 13 tackles, including four tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Junior defensive end Chris Terrell also had four tackles for loss and two sacks, while Jackson finished with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The Bears also broke up 11 passes, including four by senior cornerback Tre Smith and two each by Jaylon Lofton and Robert Rochell.

The Bears travel to Natchitoches, La., next Saturday to face Northwestern State, which took No. 9 Sam Houston State to the wire Saturday before losing 40-36 in Huntsville, Texas. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Turpin Stadium.

http://www.ucasports.com/news/2017/10/14/football-bears-survive-jacks-remain-perfect-in-slc.aspx

[DeltaBoy]

Good win for UCA!