UCA vs. UNA
Drew Barton
19
North Ala. UNA 3-6 , 3-2
24
Winner Central Ark. UCA 6-2 , 3-1
North Ala. UNA
3-6 , 3-2
19
Final
24
Central Ark. UCA
6-2 , 3-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UNA North Ala. 0 13 0 6 19
UCA Central Ark. 3 7 7 7 24

Game Recap: Football |

Lions stumble on final drive at No. 10 Central Arkansas, 24-19

Bears snap UNA’s three-game win streak

CONWAY, Ark. (October 26, 2024) – As the calendar prepares to flip to November, North Alabama finds itself two games behind in the United Athletic Conference title race after a heartbreaking 24-19 loss to No. 10 Central Arkansas Saturday evening on Estes Stadium's purple & gray striped turf.
 
The Lions refused to go down without a fight. Taking over at its 27 with 1:17 on the clock and needing a touchdown to win, UNA drove to near midfield following a 21-yard catch of a TJ Smith throw by Takairee Kenebrew as time ticked away. The potential game-winning drive ended, however, when Smith's deep pass was picked off at the UCA 15.
 
UNA (3-6, 3-2 in UAC) committed five turnovers – four in the second half – and saw its three-game win streak halted by the Bears.
 
The Lions, who trail UAC leader Tarleton State by two games in the standings, likely need wins in their final three regular-season games to have a shot at the league championship.
 
"We played quite possibly the best team in our league and had a chance to beat them at the end," said UNA head coach Brent Dearmon. "We've just got to keep growing as a football program. We're going to work the way we've been working – you never know what's going to happen. Our kids are playing their tails off to try to win the conference and now they've just got to take care of everyday"
 
Central Arkansas improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the UAC.
 
The Lions fought back from an early deficit with 13 unanswered points before halftime. UNA outgained Central Arkansas 173-133 through the first 30 minutes, scoring two touchdowns in a six-minute span while limiting former Lion running back ShunDerrick Powell to 70 yards on six carries, 65 of that total coming on two runs on the Bears' only first-half touchdown drive.
 
Powell, who entered the game as the second-leading rusher in FCS at 158.1 ypg, was held to a season-low 70 yards by the swarming Lions defense. UNA was the first Central Arkansas opponent to hold Powell below 126 yards this season.
 
Gregory Reddick was UNA's top tackler with nine stops, while Edwin White Schultz was next with five. Jermaine Ray Jr. had two pass breakups for the Lions.
 
Kenebrew caught three passes for 60 yards and is one reception away from Lee Mayhall (2012-15) for sixth-place on UNA's career receptions list with 131. He needs 22 catches in the Lions' final three games to surpass Michael Edwards (1993-96) for second on the career list.
 
UNA finished with 353 total yards to UCA's 306.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER
Central Arkansas 3, North Alabama 0: The Bears got on the scoreboard first after having to punt on their first two drives. UCA went 60 yards in seven plays, with Powell getting the Bears in the red zone with back-to-back runs of 23 and 42 yards. But UNA's defense stiffened and kept the hosts out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for a 30-yard field goal.
 
SECOND QUARTER
Central Arkansas 10, North Alabama 0: UCA quarterback Will McElvain led his team 72 yards in five plays, hitting Trejan Bridges on a 20-yard completion into Bears territory, then finishing off the drive with a 33-yard TD pass to tight end Jordan Owens on the next play.
 
Central Arkansas 10, North Alabama 7: Justin Luke returned the ensuing kickoff from UNA's 6 to UCA's 12 – a season-long 82-yard return – as the Lions cut the deficit back to three. Freshman Jalen Fletcher scored on an eight-yard run and Scott Payne added the extra point at the 11:22 mark.
 
North Alabama 13, Central Arkansas 10: UNA took its first lead via with a bit of razzle-dazzle. The Lions put together a sustained drive of nearly 4½ minutes with quarterback TJ Smith coming up with key completions of 29 yards to "TK" Kenebrew and 15 yards to Dakota Warfield. Smith threw the go-ahead TD pass – an 11-yarder to a wide-open Tanaka Scott – on a double-reverse that started with a handoff to Jayvian Allen, who gave it to Fletcher, who then tossed it back to Smith. A two-conversion attempt failed when Sam Contorno's pass intended for Ben Harris fell incomplete.

THIRD QUARTER
Central Arkansas 17, North Alabama 13: The Bears received the second-half kickoff and regained the lead with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive. McElvain tossed his second TD pass, a 21-yarder to Malachi Henry, and Jake Gaster added the PAT.

FOURTH QUARTER
Central Arkansas 24, North Alabama 13: The Bears made UNA pay following the Lions' third turnover. The McElvain-to-Henry combo clicked again, this time for a 69-yard TD pass on UCA's second play from scrimmage at the 13:47 mark.
 
Central Arkansas 24, North Alabama 19: Smith engineered an 80-yard drive to cut the lead to make it a one-score game with just under three minutes to go. After leaving with an injury of the next-to-last play for the third quarter, Smith returned to the lineup and ran four times, his last rush a one-yard quarterback sneak. Smith's two-point conversion pass attempt to Kenebrew was incomplete.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • Justin Luke's 82-yard kickoff return early in the second quarter was UNA's longest of the season. The previous long return was 44 yards by Logan Collier vs. Illinois State.
  • Senior Caleb McDougle's punt block late in the second quarter was the first by UNA's special teams since October 23, 2021, when Chase Brown blocked a kick against Charleston Southern. An earlier punt block by the Lions was nullified by a defensive holding penalty that gave Central Arkansas a new set of downs.
  • TJ Smith has accounted for 1,132 all-purpose yards with 15 touchdowns since taking over as UNA's starting quarterback five weeks ago.
  • Seven players caught at least one pass for the Lions, led by Warfield's six receptions for 80 yards.
  • The Lions had seven players credited with at least one rush. Juice Allen led the team with 12 carries for 65 yards.
  • Adam Watford's 51-yard punt in the first quarter was his seventh of 50 yards or more this season. Watford had seven punts of 50-plus yards in 2023.
  • Watford punted four times for a 41.5-yard average.
  • UNA leads the overall series against Central Arkansas 15-8, with the Bears winning all three meetings as UAC members.
  • The Lions' defense hasn't allowed a score on the opponent's first possession in six consecutive games. UCA went three-and-out on its first series on Saturday.
  • No. 10 Central Arkansas was the fourth ranked FCS team the Lions have faced in 2024. UNA is now 1-20 all-time against ranked Division I opponents. Fifteen of UNA's 20 opponents the last two seasons have been ranked or receiving votes.
  • Central Arkansas is the third opponent to have an open date this season before facing the Lions.
 
COMING UP NEXT
Next Saturday, Nov. 2, the Lions host Austin Peay (3-5, 2-3) at Braly Stadium for their final home game of the 2024 season. Kickoff for Senior Day is set for 4 p.m. with television coverage on ESPN+.

UNA and the Governors have played hard-fought, high-scoring games the past two years, with Austin Peay winning 49-39 (2023) and 38-35 (2022).
 
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