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Without key players, Bears close out season on road in Texas

No. 16 Tarleton State standing in way for UCA, who will literally come limping into final game of year

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UCA Bears running back Darius Hale against North Alabama
UCA Bears running back Darius Hale against North Alabama / Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Central Arkansas gets one more shot to send their seniors out on a high note Saturday, with a tough Tarleton State team standing in their way.

The Bears (6-5, 3-4) face the No. 16 Texans at 2 p.m. Saturday at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.

The Bears have battled numerous injuries for the past month and have dropped three consecutive games, two on the road. UCA is expected to play again without its top two quarterbacks (Will McElvain, Austin Myers), an All-American running back (ShunDerrick Powell), a defensive end (Buck Cobbs) and possibly a cornerback (T.D. Williams).

Tarleton State (8-3, 5-2) was beaten by Abilene Christian 35-31 last Saturday at home, giving ACU the United Athletic Conference (UAC) championship and the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. The Texans are still playing for a possible at-large berth.

TSU leads the overall series 2-0, including last year’s 25-23 victory in Conway. In that game, UCA scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns but failed on a two-point conversion pass that would have tied the game with 14 seconds remaining.

The Bears had driven 72 yards in nine plays in just 1:45, capping the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass from McElvain to tight end Jordan Owens, his second score of the game.

Both the Bears and Texans have been in the FCS national polls all season until UCA’s three-game skid dropped it out last week. The Texans, coached by former Sam Houston State coach Todd Whitten, are ranked No. 16 in both polls. UCA was picked first in the preseason UAC poll while TSU was second.

UCA senior running back Darius Hale, from Pearland, Texas, has run for 3,183 career yards at UCA and has scored 43 rushing touchdowns and 47 overall touchdowns. His rushing yards if fourth all-time at UCA behind Hosea Knowlton, Vaughn Edwards and Phil Caldwell, all UCA Sports Hall of Famers.

Powell, who is battling a hamstring injury, has 3,848 career rushing yards between his time at North Alabama and UCA. McElvain has 11,116 career passing yards (7,163 at UCA, fifth in school history) at Northern Iowa and UCA.

Senior safety TaMauarion Wilson is fifth in school history in tackles with 333, just behind No. 4 George Odum, who plays for the San Francisco 49ers.

Senior defensive end David Walker, who received his invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Thursday, has already shattered the UCA mark for career tackles for loss with 60.0 and is one away from tying the career record for sacks (30.5, Jonathan Woodard).

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.

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2024 UCA Football

Sat, Aug 31@ Arkansas StateL, 34-31
Sat, Sep 7@ LindenwoodW, 34-13
Sat, Sep 14Austin PeayW, 45-17
Sat, Sep 21@ Arkansas-Pine BluffW, 56-17
Sat, Sep 28vs LamarW, 34-14
Sat, Oct 5@ Abilene ChristianL, 41-34
Sat, Oct 12vs West GeorgiaW, 34-33
Sat, Oct 26vs North AlabamaW, 24-19
Sat, Nov 2@ Utah TechL, 34-21
Sat, Nov 9@ Eastern KentuckyL, 31-24
Sat, Nov 16vs Southern UtahL, 38-31
Sat, Nov 30@Tarleton State2:00 PM
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High School Football Rankings

Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Bryant (25)10-02681
2.Greenwood (2)10-02343
30Conway9-12022
4.Little Rock Parkview9-11714
5.Bentonville7-31625
6.Benton9-11486
7.Fayetteville8-21117
8.Pulaski Academy8-2898
9.Rogers7-3439
10.Joe T. Robinson9-122
Others receiving votes: Valley View 8, Mountain Home 7, Cabot 6, Little Rock Catholic 6, Shiloh Christian 6, Elkins 1, Farmington 1.
CLASS 7A
1.Bryant (27)10-01351
2.Conway9-11022
3.Bentonville7-3813
4.Fayetteville8-2454
5.Pulaski Academy8-2395
Others receiving votes: Rogers 3.
CLASS 6A
1.Greenwood (27)10-01351
2.Benton9-11082
3.Mountain Home8-2623
4.Shiloh Christian7-3494
5.Little Rock Catholic9-1345
Others receiving votes: Marion 6.
CLASS 5A
1.Little Rock Parkview (27)9-11351
2.Joe T. Robinson9-11062
3.Valley View10-0793
4.Farmington9-1484
5.Hot Springs Lakeside8-2205
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 7, Harding Academy 7, Morrilton 3.
CLASS 4A
1.Elkins (20)10-01261
3.Arkadelphia (5)8-2913
2.Little Rock Mills (1)10-0682
4.Warren8-2554
5.Dardanell (1)9-123
Southside Batesville10-023
Others receiving votes: Malvern 12, Gravette 5, Highland 2.
CLASS 3A
1.Bismarck (12)10-01051t
2.Fordyce (10)10-0961t
3.Prescott (1)9-1704
4.Osceola (2)8-1543
5.Booneville (1)9-1395
Others receiving votes: Mansfield (1) 23, Rivercrest 10, Rison 4, Salem 4.
CLASS 2A
1.Carlisle (20)10-01271
2.Conway Christian (7)10-01152
3.Des Arc8-2595
4.East Poinsett Co.7-352
5.Bigelow6-4183
Murfreesboro7-3184
Others receiving votes: Mount Ida 6, Junction City 4, Cross County 3, Poyen 3.
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Strong-Huttig (27)5-0811
2.Midland9-0532
3.Cedar Ridge8-1253
Others receiving votes: Woodlawn 3.

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