First-place Bears win at home, Red Wolves on road

CONWAY — A homecoming crowd at Estes Stadium watched Central Arkansas win its seventh-straight game in surprisingly easy fashion Saturday night.

The Bears tightened their grip on first place in the Southland Conference with a 47-17 rout of McNeese State, elevating UCA to 7-1 overall and 6-0 in league play with three regular-season games remaining. The Bears have not lost since their season opener, 5519 at Kansas State.

McNeese entered on a sixgame winning streak but lost to UCA for the second-straight year. The home team had not won in the series since 2011.

Senior quarterback Hayden Hildebrand completed 12 of 16 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns. Senior linebacker/ safety George Odum had a career-high 16 tackles, including 10 solos and a sack. Hildebrand and Odum shared the L.B. Jackman Award as outstanding players in the homecoming game.

Senior wide receiver Brandon Cox caught five passes for 136 yards and a pair of long first-half touchdowns that covered 54 and 55 yards. Junior receiver Lester Wells had two catches — both touchdowns — for a combined 53 yards. Wells’ five-yard reception in the second quarter helped UCA overcome an early 10-9 deficit while his 48-yard catch in the third quarter boosted the Bears’ lead to 44-10.

Although outgained 417-323, UCA scored a touchdown each on special teams and defense. Redshirt freshman safety Jackie Harvell returned a blocked punt

28 yards in the second quarter and senior defensive end Chris Chambers forced a third-quarter fumble, picked it up and ran it in from 28 yards.

Junior Matt Cummins kicked field goals of 34 and 28 yards for the Bears.

UCA’s defense pressured McNeese quarterback James Tabary into a 16-for-35 night for 211 yards, allowing one touchdown but recording three sacks.

The Bears now play consecutive road games, beginning with Lamar on Saturday in Beaumont, Texas.

Arkansas State 37 New Mexico State 21

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Justice Hansen threw four touchdown passes as Arkansas State roared past New Mexico State in the fourth quarter.

The Red Wolves have won five straight conference games and 20 of their last 21 dating back to the 2014 season.

Hansen threw a pair of touchdown passes to Omar Bayless, from 21 and 23 yards out, to stake Arkansas State (5-2, 4-0) to a 17-14 lead after three, but New Mexico State took the lead on Tyler Rogers’ short run to start the final period.

Hansen came right back, leading the Red Wolves on an eight-play, 65-yard drive capped by a back-shoulder throw to Chris Murray from 12 yards out and followed up with a 37-yard strike to Murray three minutes later.

Rogers led the Aggies (3-5, 1-3), completing 20 of 40 passes for 221 yards, but was picked off twice.