Bears fall 49-28 to Wildcats despite four touchdowns from Koger

CONWAY, Ark. — The UCA Bears ended their season with a 49-28 loss to Abilene Christian on Saturday at Estes Stadium.

The Bears finished the year 3-9 overall and 2-6 in ASUN play after letting a first-half lead slip away during a difficult third quarter.

UCA opened the game with a strong start behind sophomore quarterback Caleb Koger, who made his first career start and delivered one of the most productive passing performances of the season.

Less than two minutes into the game, Koger connected with receiver Malachi Henry on a 53-yard touchdown. Caleb Jones added the extra point for a 7-0 lead. UCA found immediate rhythm, and the early score energized the home crowd.

Abilene Christian cut into the lead later in the first quarter with a 32-yard field goal by Brandon Perez.

That score made it 7-3 at the end of the opening period, but UCA still looked comfortable on both sides of the ball.

Koger added another touchdown early in the second quarter when he hit Tyrell Pollard on a 10-yard pass, stretching the lead to 14-3. The Bears continued to move the ball with confidence, and Koger kept finding open receivers.

Minutes later, he went back to Henry on a deep ball. This time, Henry hauled in a 51-yard touchdown that pushed the Bears ahead 21-10. Henry finished the game with seven catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns, marking his most productive outing of the season.

Abilene Christian answered before halftime with a field goal that trimmed the Bears’ lead to 21-13. Even with the late score, UCA entered the break in control and carrying momentum.

The offense had already produced several explosive plays, and the defense had allowed only one big drive to that point.

The game turned sharply in the third quarter.

Abilene Christian tied the score at 21-21 when quarterback Stone Earle scrambled into the end zone from one yard out. Minutes later, the Wildcats took the lead after a 71-yard punt return by Tyson Williams, who weaved through traffic and scored to give ACU a 28-21 advantage.

The Wildcats added another touchdown on a short run by Earle to make it 35-21. UCA struggled to respond during this stretch and also committed turnovers that disrupted drives.

Abilene Christian capitalized each time, pushing the lead to 42-21 by the end of the third quarter. In all, the Wildcats outscored the Bears 29-0 in the quarter, swinging the game decisively in their direction.

UCA showed resilience in the fourth quarter. The Bears’ defense made a key stop early in the period when Dillon Williams tackled an ACU ball-carrier at the 5-yard line to prevent another touchdown.

UCA responded on offense with a long possession that ended when Koger completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Triston Edwards. That score brought the Bears within 42-28 with 6:59 remaining.

Any hopes of a comeback ended when Abilene Christian answered with another touchdown in the final minutes, closing the scoring at 49-28. The Wildcats improved to 8-4 on the season and 7-1 in conference play.

Koger finished the day completing 24 of 38 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. His performance stood out as one of the key positives for UCA, especially with his accuracy on deep passes and ability to keep plays alive.

Henry delivered his strongest game of the season, while Edwards contributed two catches for 18 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, Williams led all players with 16 total tackles. Marcus Washington added eight tackles, and the Bears created several key stops in the fourth quarter but could not slow Abilene Christian during the decisive third-quarter surge.

ACU finished with 507 total yards compared to UCA’s 373.

The Bears produced several big plays on offense and showed progress in the passing game, but turnovers, punt coverage breakdowns and the third-quarter swing defined the final outcome.

The early scoring burst and halftime lead were encouraging signs, but sustaining drives and tightening up in the third quarter remained challenges.