CONWAY -- A strong defensive effort, combined with a twin-pronged offensive attack, pushed the University of Central Arkansas to a 38-6 victory over Southeastern Louisiana at Estes Stadium on Saturday night.
UCA (2-1, 1-0 Southland Conference) gained 473 yards and held Southeastern Louisiana (0-3, 0-1) to 279.
A 38-yard fumble return highlighted UCA's night of defense and inspired an emotionally charged reaction by defensive coordinator Greg Stewart that endured long after the game was over.
"I love those things," Stewart said. "You know, they're hard to come by, and it's awesome when you can do that on defense, it helps the team."
"Coach Stewart is a very excitable guy," UCA Coach Steve Campbell said. "He definitely stays on the edge."
A rout for UCA already seemed evident but reached fruition shortly after sophomore defensive end Chris Terrell knocked the ball from sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Nunez's hand. Junior linebacker Raphael Garner scooped the fumble in full stride at the Southern Louisiana 38 and ran untouched to the end zone to give UCA a 35-3 lead with 5:44 left in the third quarter.
Stewart practically roared with delight.
Terrell said he had no idea that he had forced a fumble until he saw Garner sprinting for the end zone.
"At first I didn't know what had happened," he said. "Then I looked up and saw my teammate running with the ball."
UCA grasped momentum from the start.
A 21-yard pass from senior Hayden Hildebrand to junior receiver Lester Wells started UCA's opening drive of the game. It was followed by two runs totaling 11 yards by sophomore running back Carlos Blackman, a pitch out of the triple-option that senior receiver Brandon Cox carried 19 yards, and finally Blackman's 7-yard touchdown run with 13:08 left in the first quarter.
Southeastern Louisiana surprised UCA when it introduced senior Micah Thomas as its starting quarterback. The junior college transfer made his first start and immediately introduced an option attack nearly bereft of passing. It produced at times, but UCA held the Lions to no more than a missed 45-yard field goal attempt through the first quarter.
Southeastern Louisiana managed to limit UCA's offensive production through its next three series, but a 46-yard pass from Hildebrand to Cox put UCA at the Southeastern Louisiana 2 early in the second quarter. Freshman running back Kierre Crossley carried in for a touchdown on the next play to give UCA a 14-0 lead.
"UCA is a good football team," Southeastern Louisiana Coach Ron Roberts said. "They're very sound. Their defense definitely set the tone tonight, and offensively, they have some guys who make some big plays. If you make mistakes, they capitalize on them, as most good teams do."
Thomas' first pass of the game went for 33 yards to freshman receiver Austin Mitchell with less than two minutes in the first half, but despite the play's success, Thomas was replaced two plays later by sophomore Lorenzo Nunez, who worked the Lions in range for senior kicker Dillon Burkhead's 25-yard field goal to get the Lions to within 14-3 at halftime.
UCA turned again to Crossley to open the second half. After Blackman rushed for 5 yards to start his team's first possession, Crossley carried three consecutive times for 38 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run that gave UCA a 21-3 lead with 12:31 left in the third quarter.
"I have to give all the credit to the O-line," Crossley said. "Nothing happens without them."
"They did a good job of stuffing it on the inside, and then Pierre started doing some sweep-type stuff," Campbell said. "He did a good job of seeing some holes and shooting it."
Junior running back Cedric Battle's 52-yard reception highlighted UCA's next possession, completed by Hildebrand's 16-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Roman Gordon.
In for injured junior Matt Cummins, freshman Hayden Ray's 21-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter put UCA ahead 38-3.
UCA passed for 259 yards. Led by Crossley's 81 yards on 10 carries, it rushed for 195.
"To beat Southeastern, you'll take it," Campbell said. "Then to beat them by 32, you're very pleased."
Sports on 09/17/2017