Bears’ fourth-quarter rally falls short in 35-32 loss to Lamar

BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University edged out Central Arkansas 35-32 on Saturday night in a tightly contested game at Provost Umphrey Stadium.

The Bears rallied in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback, as a fourth-down pass was broken up in the final seconds.

Lamar (3–1, 0–0 in conference) held a 14–0 lead early after two first-quarter touchdowns, while UCA (1–4, 0–1) responded to tie it before halftime.

Balanced opening; momentum swings

UCA received the opening kickoff and drove into scoring position, but that effort stalled and ended in a punt. Lamar seized field position and struck first with a 32-yard rushing touchdown.

They followed that with a 7-yard touchdown pass later in the first quarter to take a 14–0 lead.

The Bears answered with a 75-yard drive, powered by completions from Austin Myers to Malachi Henry, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Shortly afterward, Landen Chambers capped another drive with a 1-yard run, and a Caleb Jones extra point tied the game 14–14 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Kyle Vocque sacked Lamar’s Aiden McCown for a 15-yard loss, forcing a stop.

UCA capitalized with a drive highlighted by a 15-yard Chambers rush and a 25-yard Myers-to-Henry pass, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Devin Jackson to put the Bears ahead 17–14.

Lamar regained momentum late in the half, though: after a holding penalty wiped out one of their scores, Ashtyn Williams intercepted McCown to stall their drive.

But Lamar recovered and scored with under a minute to take a 21–17 halftime lead.

Lamar pulls away, Bears rally late

The third quarter was Lamar’s domain. They opened with a 34-yard pass from McCown to Blake Thomas, then later added a 31-yard McCown to Kyndon Fuselier connection, pushing the lead to 35–17.

Meanwhile, UCA drove into Lamar territory twice, but one drive ended with an interception in the end zone by DeMarcus Rankin, and another stalled after another interception.

In the fourth quarter, however, UCA showed resolve. After forced punts and a 92-yard drive, Myers hit Arlie Lee for a 4-yard touchdown with 7:43 left, cutting the margin to 35–25.

Later, Trevion Traylor sacked McCown, forcing a punt. The Bears then struck again, with Myers linking up with Triston Edwards on a 20-yard play, setting up a 14-yard touchdown pass to Henry to close the margin to 35–32 with just over three minutes remaining.

With under two minutes to go, UCA advanced into Lamar territory.

Myers hit Lee for 28 yards to reach the 37. But a sack pushed them back, and on fourth down, the final pass was broken up by Lamar’s Kristian Pugh, ending the game.

Standout performances and stats

Landen Chambers led the ground game for UCA with 136 yards on 31 carries and one touchdown. Austin Myers completed 25 of 41 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns.

Malachi Henry hauled in nine catches for 113 yards and two scores. On defense, Dillon Williams recorded 15 tackles, anchoring UCA’s efforts.

From a team perspective, the Bears outgained Lamar 514 yards to 293. UCA also won the first downs battle, 28 to 19. Turnovers and turnover margin did factor:

UCA committed three turnovers, while Lamar had one. The Bears also spent more time with possession, 33:33 to 26:27.

Moving ahead

UCA returns home for a matchup with Utah Tech on Saturday, October 4, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. at Estes Stadium in Conway, Ark.

Three Key Takeaways

• UCA mounted a strong fourth-quarter rally but fell short after a final pass was broken up.

• The Bears amassed 514 total yards, outgaining Lamar substantially but were hampered by turnovers.

• Myers, Chambers, and Henry were key offensive contributors, combining for multiple touchdowns.