Football
UCA vs Austin Peay: What Went Right for the Bears?
Coaches not working too hard to find flaws in Bears’ big win in home opener Saturday night in Conway.
CONWAY, Ark. — Any time a team wins 45-17, coaches won’t struggle to identify what went right and UCA coach Nathan Brown and his staff are no different.
The Bears picked up their second win of the season with a 45-17 win over Austin Peay on Saturday night. The win avenged last season’s 14-12 loss to the Governors at the end of last season that saw the Bears miss out on a spot in the FCS playoffs.
So, while there’s plenty of things that went right for Central Arkansas, here’s some of the major things that went right for the Bears:
UCA Offense
What Went Right?
Running the ball. UCA had 309 total rushing yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry while doing so. ShunDerrick Powell had 173 of those yards and Darius Hale had 145. They each had two touchdowns that led the Bears scoring 28 unanswered points in the middle half of the game. Also, the Bears lost only 23 yards. You can’t ask for a better rushing performance than that.
UCA Defense
What Went Right?
Disruptive plays. A defense’s objective is to keep the opposing offense from scoring points and it’s a lot easier to do that when the defense is playing in the offense’s backfield. The Bears’ defense registered five sacks and eight tackles for a loss against Austin Peay. The Bears also had an interception and a fumble recovery. The Governors were able to gain yards (332 total offense), but managed only a field goal and one touchdown in the first half and another touchdown in the second half.
UCA Special Teams
What Went Right?
Punt Return. The first quarter of Saturday’s game ended in a 3-3 tie without much offense and plenty of mistakes. Then Trejan Bridges started the second quarter with a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown that sparked the UCA offense to life and outscoring Austin Peay 35-7 the rest of the game.
| Sat, Aug 31 |  | @ Arkansas State | L, 34-31 |
| Sat, Sep 7 |  | @ Lindenwood | W, 34-13 |
| Sat, Sep 14 |  | Austin Peay | W, 45-17 |
| Sat, Sep 21 |  | @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff | W, 56-17 |
| Sat, Sep 28 |  | vs Lamar | W, 34-14 |
| Sat, Oct 5 |  | @ Abilene Christian | L, 41-34 |
| Sat, Oct 12 |  | vs West Georgia | W, 34-33 |
| Sat, Oct 26 |  | vs North Alabama | W, 24-19 |
| Sat, Nov 2 |  | @ Utah Tech | L, 34-21 |
| Sat, Nov 9 |  | @ Eastern Kentucky | L, 31-24 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Southern Utah | L, 38-31 |
| Sat, Nov 30 |  | @Tarleton State | 2:00 PM |
