UCA rolls to comfortable win over Lindenwood on road

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Central Arkansas took the first quarter to figure out Lindenwood, then dominating performances by David Walker and ShunDerrick Powell led to a fairly easy 34-13 win on Saturday night.

The No. 9 Bears (1-1) outscored the Lions 34-10 in the final three quarters, rolling up 554 yards of total offense while holding Lindenwood to just 258. Senior running backs Darius Hale and ShunDerrick Powell both had a pair of rushing touchdowns and senior quarterback Will McElvain threw for 333 yards.

“It was a good night,” said UCA coach Nathan Brown. “I told our guys, there was a lot to be proud of. To come six hours on the road and play in a pretty cool environment in their home opener. I think they (the Lions) are a well-coached football team, and that team is going to win some games in the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference).

“Look, we left a lot out there, there’s no question. Our defense, especially with our first group in there, they didn’t give up a touchdown. They were really good again tonight. That’s two weeks in a row where our defense has really rose up in the red zone. When you hold teams to field goal attempts, at some point they are going to miss them or at some point you’re going to block them.

“They just played such a good football game. We’ve got really good talent on the back end with our defensive backs. Obviously with our pass rush. It was good to see what D-Walk (David Walker) did, but it was really good to see Sam Horton, Kyion Williams, Bradley Clark, Javeon Jones. Those guys got some great pressure tonight.”

The Bears’ offense struggled in the first quarter but then got on a roll early in the second period with consecutive touchdowns by Powell, who finished with 126 rushing yards and 69 receiving. Powell scored on a 4-yard rush and a 55-yarder to give the Bears the lead for good with 3:36 left in the first half.

After Lindenwood got a 20-yard field goal after a big UCA defensive stop midway through the third quarter, Powell struck again, taking a shovel pass from McElvain and taking it 69 yards for a score and a 20-6 UCA advantage at the 6:32 mark of the third quarter.

Hale, who had his 33rd and 34th career rushing touchdowns, got in the act, capping touchdown drives with runs of 1 and 4 yards to seal it. He finished with 51 yards on the ground and 25 more through the air. Junior receiver Kam Robinson had a career-high six catches for 112 yards, while transfer Trejan Bridges had five catches for 51 yards.

“That first quarter was a little frustrating because we had a great first drive, but just missed a field goal,” said Brown. “But we were able to turn it on and get it to a two-possession game at halftime. That’s big. Anytime you go into the half up two possessions, that’s an advantage.

“We came out (in the second half) and did a good job keeping them on their heels. Obviously the defense played stellar tonight, while the offense was opportunistic. We had some big plays, some big runs by the two running backs. Will operated. In the second half, he started taking what they were giving him with some quick stuff, and we were taking advantage of that.

“We should have scored more points, and I think we all know that. When you’re putting 550 yards of offense up, you should be in the 40s, and we were a touchdown away from that. But our offense is explosive, and obviously when you have a couple of tailbacks like we have… and I thought our wide receivers got going at a high rate tonight, and that’s good to see. Will’s playing like a veteran, protecting the football.

“We’ve got to score more points, we got to put the ball in the end zone when we get in the red zone.”

David Walker-UCA Sports

UCA’s defense was stifling all night, finishing with six sacks, two each by the All-American Walker and his backup, sophomore Samuel Horton. Linebacker Jace Benesch and defensive end Kyion Williams added a sack each as UCA totaled nine tackles for loss. That unit held the Lions to 76 rushing yards on 29 attempts (2.6 per play).

“I told the guys we ought to be proud of this win,” Brown said. “A Division I game on the road, six hours away, their first home game, a great crowd. This is a big win for us, and hopefully it springboards us into conference season starting next week.”

UCA plays its home and United Athletic Conference opener next week against Austin Peay at Estes Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on “The Stripes.”

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.