CONWAY, Ark. – A strong first half was undone by a scoreless second half on Saturday as the West Georgia Wolves dropped a 35-14 United Athletic Conference road decision to Central Arkansas at Estes Stadium.
Costly West Georgia (1-9, 0-5 UAC) turnovers and a dominant second-half performance from Central Arkansas (3-7, 1-4 UAC) proved to be the difference.
The Bears outscored the Wolves 17-0 after halftime and outgained West Georgia 233-63 over the final two quarters. Another key difference in the game was UCA converting 8-of-15 third-down opportunities while limiting the Wolves to just 1-of-13 on their third downs.
UWG used a pair of explosive plays to build an early advantage, getting an 84-yard touchdown connection from Collin Hurst to Jaden Henry in the first quarter before Holton Harris raced 70 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt early in the second quarter to put UWG in front 14-7.
After Stephan French forced a first-quarter fumble that set up UWG's opening score, the Wolves carried the lead into the second quarter before the Bears answered. Central Arkansas scored the tying touchdown on a one-yard run, then took a 15-14 advantage when back-to-back UWG offsides penalties moved the conversion attempt closer and prompted the Bears to go for two successfully.
West Georgia appeared poised to swing momentum back late in the first half, driving 82 yards to the Central Arkansas 1-yard line. But a trick-play pass to Hurst ended in a fumble at the goal line, allowing the Bears to escape the threat. Central Arkansas then marched 90 yards and kicked a field goal as time expired to take an 18-14 lead into the locker room.
The game's decisive sequence came early in the third quarter. After the Wolves forced a punt on Central Arkansas' opening possession of the second half, the Bears later capitalized on a UWG turnover and returned it for a touchdown to extend the advantage to 25-14. Central Arkansas added a 28-yard touchdown run later in the quarter and a fourth-quarter field goal to pull away.
The Bears finished with 512 yards of total offense and controlled possession for more than 37 minutes. Meanwhile, UWG was limited to 324 total yards and only had 23 minutes of possession time.
Hurst completed 15-of-25 passes for a career-high 184 yards and a touchdown, while Henry hauled in three receptions for 109 yards and a score.
Defensively, Chidu Bekee recorded 12 tackles, Dawson Rivers added 11 and Stephan French finished with 10 as UWG placed three players in double-digit tackles. French also forced the first-quarter fumble that led directly to the Wolves' opening touchdown.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Jaden Henry recorded the second touchdown reception of his UWG career on a first-quarter scoring play that was UWG's longest passing touchdown since Dylan Gary's 94-yard touchdown catch against Lincoln in 2024.
- Henry became the second UWG receiver to record a 100-yard receiving game this season, joining Brody Jones, who reached the milestone against ETSU.
- Collin Hurst threw for a UWG career-high 184 yards.
- Chidu Bekee tied a career high with 12 stops while Dawson Rivers' 11 tackles set a career-high.
UP NEXT
The West Georgia Wolves return home next Saturday, November 14, to host rival North Alabama. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET at University Stadium.
