Football
Old Opponent Facing Bears on Hall of Fame Weekend on Saturday
UCA hosting West Georgia at 4 p.m. on The Stripes looking to bounce back from loss and you can watch on ESPN+
CONWAY, Ark. — An old opponent is coming to town when Central Arkansas Bears on The Stripes on Saturday as part of Hall of Fame Weekend on the campus.
The No. 12/13 Bears will host the West Georgia Wolves at 4 p.m. at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.
UCA and UWG, now both members of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), were former opponents in the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The team will be meeting for the ninth time Saturday, but the first since 2003.
UCA won that matchup 48-6 in Conway, three years before the Bears moved up to NCAA Division I. West Georgia is a first-year member of the UAC after making the move to Division I this year.
The overall series is tied 4-4, with UCA winning the first two meetings and the last two.
The Bears (4-2) are coming off a 41-34 loss at Top 25 Abilene Christian last Saturday in Abilene, Texas. UCA out-gained ACU 528 to 513 yards but also had two turnovers and a blocked field goal. The Wolves (1-4, 0-4) lost 20-16 at home to Austin Peay last Saturday, their fourth consecutive loss after a season-opening victory over FBS Samford.
The Wolves rely on a solid defense, allowing just 27.6 points per game, which ranks third in the league. UCA counters with the top-scoring offense in the UAC, averaging 39.0 points per game, and No. 1 total offense, putting up 492.5 yards per outing.
UCA also sports the top rushing offense and defense in the conference, running for 261 yards a game and allowing 114.8 rushing yards. UWG is ranked eighth in rushing offense (125.6) but is second in passing offense (247.8), ahead of UCA (231.5). UCA quarterback Will McElvain has thrown for 1,338 yards and eight touchdowns, while UWG’s Davin Wydner, a transfer from Ole Miss, has 1,038 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The Bears’ loss at ACU dropped them into fifth place in the UAC standings at 1-1 with six regular-season games remaining.
HALL OF FAME:
The 2024 class will be officially inducted in the annual Hall of Fame Brunch on Saturday morning in the Student Center Ballroom. The class includes:
• Kenneth Allen (track)
• Kasey Britt (softball)
• Verna Curry (track)
• Morgan Gilbert (coaching)
• Damien Land (football)
• Robert Tate (football)
• Genai Walker (women’s basketball)
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story
