SILOAM SPRINGS – Senior Anne Metz’s return to the lineup has been a year in the works after redshirting in 2018, and against Concordia (Neb.), she completed her comeback by striking the game-winner midway through the first half as the No. 13 John Brown University women’s soccer team controlled its second consecutive home match to put away a 3-0 win at Alumni Field on Thursday (Aug. 29) evening.
Out-shooting the visitors by an 11-4 margin, the Golden Eagles (2-0-0) struck for a pair of first-half goals, followed by an unconventional goal just after the intermission as junior keeper Caitlyn Logan posted her second clean sheet of the season, recording a pair of saves in the win.
Concordia (0-2-0) entered the match on the heels of a 2-0 setback to Missouri Valley, and the Bulldog offense mustered just four shots, two on target as Logan made a save in each half.
Metz opened the scoring by finishing off a beautiful combination play in the 23rd minute. Transfer sophomore Megan Hutto started the play with a through ball to sophomore Alair Love down the right flank. Love’s cross into the box found Metz, who buried an eight-yard shot to the bottom left corner to build a 1-0 lead.
Fifteen minutes later, senior Kristen Howell became the first Golden Eagle with multiple goals on the season when she ripped a shot from the top of the box past Concordia keeper Lindsey Carley off the right post and in. Junior Anna Schuchardt stripped a Bulldog midfielder of possesion and the result slipped out to Howell for the strike, posting Schuchardt’s first collegiate point and Howell’s second tally of the season.
After scoring twice on five shots in the first half, the Golden Eagles put the third goal of the match on the board just over 90 seconds after haltime. Off another turnover, freshman Kylie Kilfoy’s blast from 25 yards deflected off a Concordia shoulder and up and over Carley to solidify Kilfoy’s first collegiate goal.
Limited to just two shots through the final 45 minutes of play, the John Brown defense held Concordia from gathering any momentum in an effort to mount a comeback.
Junior Sienna Nealon led all players with three shots, while junior Vanessa Reynoso and Kilfoy each added a pair in the victory. The Golden Eagles owned a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Up Next The Golden Eagles return to Alumni Field to close out the annual John Brown University Classic at 3 p.m. against Oklahoma Wesleyan. OKWU fell in 4-0 fashion to No. 19 Science & Arts (Okla.) in the first matchup of the day. USAO will take on Concordia in Saturday’s first match at 1 p.m.
Ozarks sophomore Richard Souffrant. Photo by OZARKS SPORTS INFORMATION
CLARKSVILLE – The University of the Ozarks men’s soccer team lost seven starters from a year ago, but the 2019 Eagles could be even more dynamic behind a talented and diverse core of incoming players.
The Eagles feature players from six different countries to form a strong nucleus for fourth-year head coach Aaron Brueckner.
After a tough start to the 2018 season, the Eagles rebounded into an American Southwest Conference championship contender, qualifying for the playoffs.
“Last year was a great example in that we had a talented team with a lot of experience, but we started 0-6-1,” said Brueckner. “It took one big win, and then from there we got the results and were one of the top teams in the league. Sometimes you have to go through a difficult period to get to the greatness.”
All-Conference players Logan Valestin, Truman Hensley and Richard Souffrant return in 2019. Valestin, a junior two-year starter at goalkeeper, owned a 1.35 goals against average last season and posted two shutouts. Souffrant, a sophomore midfielder, scored six goals and recorded two assists. Hensley, a sophomore, is one of the top defensive players in the region.
“Logan is really maturing into that leadership role. He is doing a good job of leading by example. We are asking Truman to play a bigger role on the team. Richard had a wonderful year.” Brueckner is pleased with the way his team has come together. “Our biggest mission in the offseason was to be united and the guys have done that. With a young team comes inexperience. I have no doubt they will have each other’s back, but they will be tested at some point and will need to mature as a team. We need to deal with adversity in order to be successful this season.”
The playoff-rich program has advanced to the conference tournament all three years under Breuckner, but he and his staff are not focusing on post-season play. “We want to challenge our guys to go day-to-day with the best training session. We want them focused on the game at hand. We are not worried about the playoffs now. We are worried about getting better every day.”
2018 Tournament: 1st round loss against East Texas Baptist University
Program Playoff Appearances: 16
Coach Brueckner Quote: “Sometimes you have to go through a difficult period to get to the greatness.” 2019 Schedule
August 21 vs Ouachita Baptist University (exhibition) 24 vs Alumni Match (exhibition) ^30 – Nebraska Wesleyan University
September ^1 -Central College 7 vs Williams Baptist University 14 vs Ecclesia College 18 @ Hendrix College 21 @ Rhodes College 26 @ *Sul Ross State University 28 @ *Howard Payne University
October 3 vs *Concordia University Texas 5 vs *Mary Hardin-Baylor 10 @ *Hardin-Simmons University 12 @ *McMurry University 17 vs *LeTourneau University 19 vs %*East Texas Baptist University 24 vs *Louisiana College 26 vs *Belhaven University
Southern Arkansas coach Andy Sharpe. Photo by SAU Sports Information
MAGNOLIA – Coming on the heels of an NCAA Era-best record in the program’s 24-year Division II membership, Southern Arkansas University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Andy Sharpe has announced the signing of eight student-athletes for the upcoming 2019-2020 season.
“A lot of credit goes to former associate head coach, David Anderson, for putting together this class,” noted Sharpe. He added “We worked tirelessly to continue to sign quality, local high school student-athletes in our geographic region who will represent our program the right way, embrace our culture, and continue to advance our program to state, conference, and national relevance.”
Eight new recruits, seven true freshman and one transfer, reported to campus earlier this month. “We’ve completely sold out to staying young and continuing to build our program with high school guys that will be in our program for 4-5 years,” noted Sharpe.
The seven true freshmen include two Arkansans in Logan Bradley (Booneville) and Connor Harvey (Mena), two Louisianans in Jessie Davis, Jr. and Deven Melancon from Shreveport, two Texans in Dodge Brown (Commerce) and Josh Ukpe (Bonham), and finally Zak-Blue Shagouire with the longest commute of 4,500 miles from East London, England. Dru Smith of state Fair Community College joins the program as the only transfer after two successful years as a roadrunner.
The eight newcomers will join six letter winners with First Team All-GAC selection Devante Brooks leading the charge. Also retuning is speedy point guard Aaron Lucas, sharp-shooting guard Gabe Gilliam, former Magnolia Panther and Mulerider defensive stopper Trey Davis, GAC Freshmen of the Year Jalen Brooks, and finally back in the fold is a healthy Charlie Thomas. “Those six guys will be looked to by our staff to provide incredible leadership as expectations for our program continue to rise on a yearly basis. They’ve all played some huge roles for us previously as freshmen and sophomores and now it is their team and I’m excited to see how they move us forward”, commented Sharpe.
Three red-shirt freshmen will also make their debuts this season in point guard Ray Fresh, shooting guard Kam Roelke, and swingman Trent Ivy. “I am excited to see Kam, Ray, and Trent be activated after a very rewarding and beneficial red-shirt season”, remarked, Sharpe. “All three of those guys approached their redshirt year the right way and all three have grown tremendously and are ready to compete for roles this coming season”, continued, Sharpe.
Zakeus-Blue Shagourie – Forward, 6’8 Hometown / Previous School: East London, England / Sunlive Basketball Academy Notable Stats: 7ppg/11rpg/ 2bpg
Accomplishments: – Two time selection to Loul Deng UK Top 50 Camp – Selected to Pau Gasol Rising Star Camp in Barcelona, Spain – 2018 National Basketball Cup Winner – Selected to HOOPSFIX.com All Star Classic
Coach Sharpe on Shagourie: “Zak is our first international recruit in my seven years at SAU. I’ve gotten to know Zak’s coach, Josh Merrington, over the years who is now at Sunlive Academy in Portugal and through his work with the British National Team and he highly recommended Zak as a long, active, athletic forward who is ready to play immediately. Losing Wes Nosakhare to graduation will give Zak the opportunity to come in and compete for a major role in our rotation. Zak has played at a high level internationally for several years highlighted by an appearance in the invitation-only 24 man HOOPSFIX All Star Classic. I’m excited Zak is a Mulerider and looking forward to getting him on the floor!”
Josh Ukpe – Guard, 6’2 Hometown / Previous School: Bonham, TX / Bonham High School Notable Stats: 29 ppg / 8 rpg during the 2019-2019 season
Accomplishments: – TABC All-Region Class 3A Region 2 Selection – District 10 – 3A MVP – All Texomaland – 2nd Team Selection – Led the 18-19 Bonham Warriors to a program best 26-7 record – Recorded most points in a single season in Bonham history with 902.
Coach Sharpe on Ukpe: “Josh is a guy we have really high hopes for. He had a highly decorated career at Bonham where they had a ton of success largely due to Josh and his ability to score the ball. Josh is an athletic playmaker and has shown he’s a potent scorer at the high school level. I’m excited to see Josh continue to grow here at SAU. Like with any freshmen, he’s going to experience some growing pains, but Josh has unlimited potential and we are excited to see him take some big strides in the weight room. We feel in our strength and conditioning program we can help take Josh to another level. I’m really excited to see Josh blossom here at SAU.
Logan Bradley – Forward, 6’8 Hometown / Previous School: Booneville, AR / Booneville High School Notable Stats: 14.2 ppg / 6.9 rpg / 3.6 bpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – 3 Year Starter and Co-Captain as a SR for the 29-4 Booneville Bearcats – 2nd All Time Leading Scorer and Rebounder in Booneville High history – Back to Back All-Conference selection – Selected to 2019 All-State and All-State Tournament team – Honor graduate and National Beta Club Member
Coach Sharpe on Bradley: “Logan was an early signee and we are excited to get him plugged into our program. Logan is a big-bodied forward with an unexpected shooting stroke to the 3pt line. Logan will be really good in pick & pop actions with his ability to shoot the ball. There are not many true freshmen that are able to physically play right away in our league, so we are also excited to get Logan into our strength and conditioning program and see him make the jump from high school to our physical style of play.”
Connor Harvey – Guard, 6’1 Hometown / Previous School: Mena, AR / Mena High School Notable Stats: 23.6 ppg / 2.6 apg / 5.2 rpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Three time All-Conference selection – Two time All-State honoree – Polk County Player of the Year – Selected to 42 Sports Super Team – Tallied 1,427 career points while sinking 114 three pointers his SR season at 41%
Coach Sharpe on Harvey: “Connor is a guy I think we were fortunate to snag. There is such a premium put on being able to extend the defense and efficiently knock down three pointers and Connor does that very, very well. Any time a guy can make over 40% of his three point attempts at the volume Connor was getting is impressive. When we signed Connor he said he’d like to know the all-time marks for three pointers made in a season, a career, and three point percentage that those were marks he planned on taking aim at over the course of his career. I think Connor is going to make a run at some of those records for one simple reason, he’s a gym rat and he’s going to put in the time. We are excited to have Connor in the fold at SAU!”
Dodge Brown – Guard, 6′ Hometown / Previous School: Commerce, TX / Commerce High School Notable Stats: 22 ppg / 6 apg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Texas 3A State Player of the Year – Back to Back All State Selection – Back to Back District MVP – Selected to TABC All Star Game – Tallied 2,349 career points while sinking 364 career three pointers
Coach Sharpe on Brown: “Dodge the epitome of what we are looking for in a recruit. His high school accolades speak for themselves … he was the Texas 3A State Player of the Year, scored over 2,000 career points, and the list goes on and on, but it’s the other stuff that really drew me to Dodge. He is a gym rat … played for his dad, Roger Brown at Commerce, he graduated with a 3.97 GPA, was the student body president at Commerce High, and is going to start day one here at SAU with a ton of college credit already under his belt. Dodge is self-made and a high achiever and we are excited he is a Mulerider!”
Dru Smith – Guard, 6’3 Hometown / Previous School: Kansas City, MO / State Fair Community College Notable Stats: 11.5 ppg / 2.8 apg / 3.5 rpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Career 10.1 ppg scorer at State Fair Community College – Broke the 20 point plateau three times over the course of the 2018-2019 season – Scored a season high 21 points against nationally ranked Northwest FL on 8-14 shooting – State Fair Community College 3rd leading scorer – State Fair Community College team leader in three point makes and percentage
Coach Sharpe on Smith: “Dru is our only transfer. We felt like we have a great core of guys returning to the program that have played big roles over the past couple years and some guys coming up that red-shirted last year that will also be pushing for meaningful roles and while we do plan on sustaining our success, the next couple years are big for our program. We feel like Dru gives us another older guy that can play multiple positions, has the ability to shoot the three and plays extremely hard. He played for a very well-respected program at State Fair and we feel Dru will fit in well with our culture and how we expect to do things. I’m excited to throw Dru in mix and create even more competition than we currently have … it should make for some intense workouts and practices.”
Jessie Davis, Jr. – Forward, 6’7 Hometown / Previous School: Shreveport, LA / Red River High School Notable Stats: 18ppg / 11 rpg / 5 bpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Three time First Team All-District Selection – 2nd Team All Area and Honorable Mention All-State as a JR – 2nd Team All Area and 2nd Team All-State Selection as a SR – Louisiana High School Athletic Association All Star Selection – Slam Dunk Champion
Coach Sharpe on Davis: “Jessie is a guy we targeted early last summer and have built a fantastic relationship with over the past year. Jessie is a rugged post player and is physically ready to play and we are expecting him to step in and contribute immediately. As strong as Jessie is, he is also that athletic and has the ability to be an immediate impact guy defensively with his ability to block and alter shots.
Deven Melancon – Guard, 6’4 Hometown / Previous School: Shreveport, LA / Loyola Prep Notable Stats: 20 ppg / 5 rpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – 1st Team All-District – 1st Team All-City – Honorable Mention All-State – Selected to the I-20 Classic All Star Game
Coach Sharpe on Deven: “One of the areas we really wanted to focus in on with this class is targeting guys with high skill levels, particularly shooting the ball. We got a taste of how hard it is to score when you are limited in your team’s ability to shoot the three many times last year. If you look back to our hot start last year, we were really shooting the three ball well and at a 40% clip as a team. We were really difficult to guard when we spread the floor out and could keep teams honest. Deven gives us another guy that can really shoot it. I told him on his visit that I can hear the sound his ball makes when it goes through the net and it is an unmistakable sound of a dead three shooter as we call them. Deven is one of those guys when he lets it go, you think it’s going in no matter where he shoots it from. Deven will also really benefit from structured strength program and we are excited to watch him continue to get better and better!”
RUSSELLVILLE – Arkansas Tech has been voted the favorite to win the 2019 GAC Women’s Golf Championship, the league announced on Thursday through the preseason coaches’ poll.
The Golden Suns have won the previous five conference championships, the most recent with a come-from-behind win over Southwestern Oklahoma State. Allie Weiner used a career-best 67 in Round 3 to earn the first place individual finish. Jacqueline Klemm, WGCA National Freshman of the year and GAC Freshman of the Year tied for third place with GAC Women’s Golfer of the Year, Peerada Piddon. Pia Nunbhakdi and Sydney Staton finished in ties for fifth and seventh place, respectively.
Tech took second at the NCAA Central Region Championships in their seventh consecutive appearance at the tournament. Piddon won the individual title with her total card of 216. Klemm finished fourth and Nunbhakdi tied for ninth. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the fifth time in six years and concluded their season with a 10th-place finish.
The 2019-2020 Golden Suns return seven golfers from last year’s roster, including Klemm, Weiner and Staton. Klemm is the first golfer in program history to receive WGCA Division II Freshman of the Year after averaging 74.77 strokes and notching four top 10 finishes in her first season as Golden Sun. She was named a Division II All-America Honorable Mention and All-Central Region Team by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
Weiner, Staton Makenzie Douglas were named WGCA All-American Scholars. Staton was also named to the All-Central Region Team and All-GAC Second Team.
Six-time GAC Coach of The Year and reigning Division II Golf Pride Central Region Coach of the Year Amy Anderson also welcomes two newcomers to the team, Patranit Chuaychoo from Thailand and Josie Roberson from Maumelle.
The Golden Suns open the 2019-20 season on Sept 23 with the two day Dallas Baptist Invitational at the Robson Ranch Golf Club in Denton, Texas.
RUSSELLVILLE – Arkansas Tech men’s golf has been unanimously voted as the favorite to win the Great American Conference in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the league announced Monday. The Wonder Boys garnered 81 points, along with 9 first place votes. Henderson State came in second with 66 and Southern Arkansas at third with 65 points and one first place vote.
The 2018-19 Wonder Boys advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinal for the third consecutive year after capturing their second GAC Championship and finishing fourth at the Midwest/Central Region Championships.
Arkansas Tech returns all five golfers that played in NCAA National Championships last season, including two Division II PING All-American honorable mention selections, Austin Gean and Shawn Tsai. Gean averaged a team best 73.13 strokes last season and finished in the top-10 of two tournaments. Tsai averaged 73.50 and earned four top 10 finishes.
Four-time GAC Coach of the Year Luke Calcatera also welcomes back Andre Jacobs, the GAC individual medalist and his brother Francois, who took third. Gean and Tsai finished inside the top-11 at the NCAA Championships. Jackson Marseilles, who won GAC Freshman of the Year in the 2017-2018 season, also returns for the 2019-2020 season.
Arkansas Tech opens the 2019-2020 season in Tahlequah, Okla., as the Wonder Boys compete in the two-day Northeastern State Classic at the Muskogee Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 16.
PINE BLUFF – Former University of Arkansas At Pine Bluff football star Terron Armstead and the key starters for the New Orleans Saints had the night off, while Jamie Gillan took another step toward making the Cleveland Browns’ roster on the final night of the NFL Preseason schedule.
Armstead, Drew Brees and other top players did not play in the Saints’ 16-13 home loss to Miami. New Orleans opens the season on Monday, Sept. 9 hosting Houston.
Gillan handled all punting duties for the second straight game, averaging 44.3 yards on six punts, including a 50-yard punt and one downed inside the 20. Gillan also continued to display his all-around skill with two special teams tackles while also serving as the holder on all four scoring kicks in the Browns’ 20-16 win over Detroit.
Gillan had punts of 38, 42, and 48 yards in the first quarter, as he made the tackle on his punt of the opening stanza. Gillan had a 45-yard punt in the second quarter, a 43-yard punt in the third quarter, and a 50-yard punt in the fourth quarter.
Following a safety, Gillan booted the free kick 67 yards and also made the tackle on the return.
In four preseason games, Gillan averaged 46.6 yards on 17 punts, with an NFL-long of 74 yards with six downed inside the 20.
Gillan will learn his status soon as final cuts of the NFL Preseason must be made by 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.
TEXARKANA, Texas – The Lyon College women’s soccer team fought hard, but ultimately fell to Texas A&M-Texarkana on Thursday by a score of 1-0. The Eagles first half goal proved to be the difference maker in the match.
Lyon is now 1-1 on the season, while Texas A&M-Texarkana moves to 3-0 on the year.
GAME FLOW In the first half, each side would have opportunities, but it was the Eagles who got on the board first. In the 41st minute, Emily Juarez found Alexandra Martinez who delivered a shot that found the back of the net, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead at the break. The Eagles outshot the Scots 10-1 in the first half.
The Scots sent numbers forward in the second half, looking to knot the game at one. Lyon created chances, but was unable to find the equalizer and ultimately fell to Texas A&M-Texarkana by a score of 1-0 Thursday night.
KEY STATISTICS – Lyon’s Sarah Evans recorded two shots on goal. – Lyon goalkeeper, Tabetha Troxler, made a game-high five saves. – Texas A&M-Texarkana outshot Lyon 17-7.
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE SCOTS The Scots continue play in the Texas A&M University-Texarkana Tournament on Saturday as Lyon will face Bacone College at noon.
Manhattan, Kan. – Despite only taking five shots on the night, the Arkansas State women’s soccer team defeated Big 12 opponent Kansas State 2-1, Thursday evening at Buser Family Park.
Following the win, the Red Wolves improved to 1-1 on the year, while Kansas State fell to 0-2-1.
Naperville, Ill., native, Haley Furio found the back of the net in the 28thminute, her first of the season, giving the Red Wolves a 1-0 lead over the Wildcats. The goal was setup by Junior Sarah Sodoma, who threaded through various Kansas State defenders, then sent the ball off the cross bar which found Furio just inches away from net.
The Wildcats countered about 10 minutes later, in the 38thminute, off the foot of Hannah Davis as Brooklynn Entz was credited with the assists.
Megan McClure made five saves for the Red Wolves as Kansas State out shot A-State 27-5 on the night. The Scarlet and Black took four shots on goal compared to K-State’s 6 while only committed seven fouls compared to the Wildcats’ nine.
Cape Coral, Fl., native Sophia Restrepo was able to give the Red Wolves a 2-1 advantage in the 60thminute, when she found the back of the net in a wide opened fashion. The unassisted goal marked the first goal of Restrepo’s career.
Arkansas State will return to action Sunday, Sept. 1, in its home opener against Central Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the A-State Soccer Park.
OXFORD, Miss. – The Razorback soccer team played to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on the first night of the Rebel Classic.
How It Happened
>> After a quick 1-2 between Stefani Doyle and Taylor Malham, Anna Podojil turned her defender in the 21st-minute, sending a shot to the right upper corner for her first career goal.
>> Minnesota would get the equalizer after a high ball dropped inside the box before Golden Gopher Sadie Harper would put in the back of the net for Minnesota.
The Run of Play
The Razorbacks turned up the pressure early in the first stanza. Just 35 seconds in, Doyle connected with Malham, who sent a shot just over the cross bar. Arkansas recorded four shots and two corners, including a Tori Cannata header that went off the cross bar, in just the opening seven minutes.
The Razorbacks finally took the lead in the 21st-minute from the boot of Podojil. The Golden Gophers didn’t get off their first shot until the 36th-minute, which was saved by the right post.
Arkansas went into half with the one-goal advantage, leading the Gophers in the shots category, 6-2.
Coming out of the locker room, Minnesota would get their equalizer in the 55th-minute off the foot of Harper.
Looking for another goal, Malham split a pair of defenders to lead Doyle to space, but Gopher ‘keeper Maddie Nielsen made a diving stop to deflect Doyle’s first touch in the 79th-minute, as the teams headed into extra time.
Malham had another excellent opportunity as she got a shot off going across the face of goal that Nielsen could only deflect out of bounds for the Razorback corner. However, Arkansas couldn’t get anything off Parker Goins’ corner kick. Razorback ‘keeper Katie Lund came up big when she was 1-on-1 with Haley Hartkmeyer, making a save and then securing the loose ball in the 97th minute.
The two teams would stay scoreless in the final 10 minutes of extra time as Arkansas and Minnesota settled for a 1-1 tie.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The University of Central Arkansas Bears piled up 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter on Thursday night to knock off the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 35-28 in the season opener at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
The FCS Bears downed the FBS Hilltoppers for the second consecutive time following a 28-7 win back in 2009 on the same field. This time, UCA overcame a 28-14 deficit to midway through the third quarter and put together scoring drives that covered 64 yards (7 plays), 80 yards (1 play) and 74 yards (5 plays), the latter with just 6:51 remaining, to pull off the upset again.
Two defensive stands by the Bears, the final one with just 46 seconds remaining, sealed UCA’s third victory over an FBS opponent. The Bears amassed 176 yards on just 12 plays in the fourth quarter and held the Hilltoppers to 140 yards on 24 plays and no points.
“I thought our guys fought, they believed in our plan,” said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. “Coach (Chad) Williams, Coach (Ken) Collums and Coach (Ryan) Howard, our coordinators, did a great job with their plans. Our players trusted them and that’s what it’s about in a big game like this against an FBS opponent. They’re a good football team. They’ve got a lot of good players, some really good length on the D-line.
“We had a lot of new faces that were having to learn on the fly. But man, what a great fourth quarter. And that’s something I told our guys… Last year’s team may have struggled and may have lost (the game), because we lost a lot of close ones in the fourth quarter. But I thought we learned from that and I think our guys paid attention to details and made plays when it mattered.’
The Bears, facing their second 14-point deficit of the night heading into the fourth quarter, cut the margin to 28-21 on the first play of the period when sophomore quarterback Breylin Smith hit sophomore receiver Lujuan Winningham with a 20-yard touchdown pass, his second of what would be three touchdown receptions on the night.
The Hilltoppers then missed a field goal after UCA’s defense held and the Bears pulled off a halfback pass from their own 20 yard line to tie the game. Senior running back Carlos Blackman found a wide open Lujuan Winningham in stride for 80 yards and a touchdown to make it 28-28 with 9:59 remaining.
A quick three-and-out for WKU gave the ball back to UCA at its own 26 with 8:53 left to play. Smith passed 38 yards to junior running back Kierre Crossley and 35 yards to Winningham down to the WKU 1. Blackman went in from there to give the Bears their first lead of the night at 35-28. UCA then turned to its defense, which recorded a pair of interceptions (Robert Rochelle, Duke Upshaw) but had to play the final three quarters without Upshaw, who was injured after his second career interception.
Rochell, a junior cornerback from Shreveport, broke up a pass on fourth down on WKU’s initial drive. After a UCA punt put the Hilltoppers at their own 22 with 2:30 remaining, the Bears allowed the Hilltoppers to reach the 33 before forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down.
“I thought the fourth quarter, we believed,” said Brown. “As soon as we got that game tied, then we got a big stop on the field goal, we knew we were going to take a shot with the halfback pass. Not ideal conditions to be backed up on your own (20), that’t not really where you script it to happen. But Coach Collums looked at me asked if I was good with it and I said let’s go get it. And obviously they bit on it and Lujuan was able to take it down and score.’
Winningham, a sophomore from Humble, Texas, finished with eight receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs. He caught 12 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown all of last season. True freshman Tyler Hudson added four receptions for 59 yards and another score.
“Just two amazing athletes, two young guys,’ said Brown. “Tyler and Lujuan made them hurt and Breylin put it where it needed to be. The offensive line gave protection when we needed protection most. We made plays.’
Smith, who was playing for the first time since a broken ankle sidelined him in Game 4 of the 2018 season, was his old efficient self, completing 20 of 28 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. In the first half alone, Smith was 14 of 17 (77.8 percent) for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears dug themselves an early two-touchdown hole after the Hilltoppers scored on their first play from scrimmage with a 68-yard touchdown run, then made it 14-0 with a 9-play, 56-yard drive at the 6:16 mark of the first quarter.
Two nice completions from Smith to Hudson, and another to Crossley got the Bears down to the WKU 6 at the close of the quarter. However, Blackman was stopped for no gain on fourth down on the first play of the second period to end the UCA threat. The Bears got on the board with 8:59 left in the half when Smith threaded a pass Winningham from 23 yards out on fourth down to close the gap to 14-7.
The Hilltoppers answered UCA’s score with a quarterback keeper from the three with 3:03 left in the half, good for a 21-7 lead. The Bears then worked their two-minute offense to perfection, aided by a pass interference on the Hilltoppers. Passes of 12 and 11 yards to Winningham set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Hudson with :23 left, bringing the Bears within 21-14 at the half.
The Hilltoppers pushed their lead to 28-14 six minutes into the second half with a 10-yard touchdown run by Gaej Walker that capped a 7-play, 60-yard drive before UCA put together its dominant fourth quarter.
The Bears finished with 424 yards of total offense, averaging 7.3 yards per play. Defensively, transfer linebacker Malik Wilson had a team-high eight tackles, while Rochell and Isaiah Macklin had seven each.
UCA returns to the road next Saturday, facing FCS Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn. Game time is 2 p.m.
Game Stats
UCA
WKU
First Downs
17
22
Total Offensive Yards
424
488
Passing Yards
404
304
Rushing Yards
20
184
Penalty Yards
6-46
6-49
3rd Downs
5-13
9-16
4th Downs
1-2
0-3
Time Of Possession
24:49
35:11
1st Quarter
UCA
WKU
12:45 – WKU – WALKER, G. 68 yd run (MUNSON, C. kick ), 1 plays, 68 yards, TOP 0:12
0
7
06:16 – WKU – SIMON, J. 5 yd pass from DUNCAN, S. (MUNSON, C. kick ) 9 plays, 56 yards, TOP 3:47
0
14
2nd Quarter
UCA
WKU
08:59 – UCA – Winningham, Luj 23 yd pass from Smith, Breylin (Ray, Hayden kick ) 8 plays, 70 yards, TOP 3:11
7
14
03:03 – WKU – DUNCAN, S. 3 yd run (MUNSON, C. kick ), 12 plays, 83 yards, TOP 5:51
7
21
00:26 – UCA – Hudson, Tyler 4 yd pass from Smith, Breylin (Ray, Hayden kick ) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:37
14
21
3rd Quarter
UCA
WKU
08:54 – WKU – WALKER, G. 10 yd run (MUNSON, C. kick ), 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 3:41
14
28
4th Quarter
UCA
WKU
14:55 – UCA – Winningham, Luj 20 yd pass from Smith, Breylin (Ray, Hayden kick ) 7 plays, 64 yards, TOP 2:33
21
28
09:59 – UCA – Winningham, Luj 80 yd pass from Blackman, Carlo (Ray, Hayden kick ) 1 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:11
28
28
06:51 – UCA – Blackman, Carlo 1 yd run (Ray, Hayden kick ), 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:02
