University of Central Arkansas Coach Steve Campbell said he doesn't think the Abilene Christian's record reflects its potential for a season-ending burst of excellence.
Central Arkansas (9-1, 8-0 Southland) will host Abilene Christian (2-8, 2-6) at Estes Stadium in Conway on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Though Abilene Christian has lost its last five games, freshman Luke Anthony became the starter at quarterback on Nov. 4 in a 26-23 overtime loss to Northwestern (La.) State. In his two starts, Anthony has thrown for an average of 321.0 yards.
"He can throw it," Campbell said. "Since they put him in, they've been putting some points on the board and throwing the football around the park."
Abilene Christian's leading rusher, sophomore Tracy James, has rushed for 638 yards and 2 touchdowns and averages 5.9 yards a carry. It has seven receivers who have caught at least 20 passes, led by senior Troy Grant with 50 receptions for 522 yards and 4 touchdowns.
"They have a bevy of receivers, different guys they can get the ball to, and those guys have some speed," Campbell said. "They're really getting better each week."
UCA has won its last nine games. A victory would give it a streak of 10 or more for the fourth time since the school first fielded a football team in 1908.
Senior wide receiver Brandon Cox said he is confident he and his teammates will take the Wildcats seriously.
"You could say this is a trap game," Cox said. "They really haven't had much success, so you might want to overlook them, but we know they're really talented. They're really good, so you can't overlook anything they do, but at the same time, it's not about them. It's about us."
Key statistics
Football coaches almost always recognize the significance of offensive and defensive line play. UCA's Steve Campbell is among the many who say that success starts at the line of scrimmage.
Consequently, Campbell said his team's current run of nine consecutive victories reflects at least two line-based statistics: UCA leads the Southland Conference in sacks, with 35 for a loss of 202 yards, and in fewest sacks allowed, with six for a loss of 46 yards.
Nicholls State is second in sacks, with 31 for a loss of 191. Sam Houston State is second in sacks allowed, with 11 for 76 yards lost.
"If you're at the top of either one of those stats, you have a chance to be pretty good," Campbell said. "If you're at the bottom of either one, you're probably not as good."
Battle contributes
First-year junior running back Cedric Battle had his biggest rushing game of the season in UCA's 56-10 victory at Incarnate Word on Saturday when he rushed for 61 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 carries.
Typical of the season, Battle was still third in yards gained to freshman Kierre Crossley's 74 and sophomore Carlos Blackman's 65, but he was in the running-game mix for the second consecutive game. Battle rushed for 55 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 carries in UCA's 42-14 victory over Lamar on Nov. 4.
"I think Cedric has run really good," Campbell said. "He's had some explosive runs."
Through 10 games, Crossley leads UCA with 739 rushing yards. Blackman has rushed for 579 yards and 8 touchdowns. Battle is third in rushing yards with 165.
Sports on 11/17/2017