UTM’s Skyhawks dropped their second game of the season to the Central Arkansas Bears 26-24.
The Skyhawks (0-2) looked to rebound after their 59-14 season opening loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. The Bears (1-1) came into the match up seeking redemption after their 24-23 loss to UTM last year, as a result of a blocked 42-yard game winning field goal.
The game started with UCA winning the opening coin toss and electing to receive. After a stalled drive by both teams, the Bears were able to march 95 yards in 10 plays and got on the board first after a 6-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Reed to Blake Veasley.
UTM answered on the next drive, as quarterback Jarod Neal drove his team 75 yards down the field in a span of eight plays. In that drive, Neal connected on some big pass plays to get down the field before taking the ball himself and scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run, tying the score at seven with 5:22 left in the first quarter.
UTM continued the scoring in the second quarter as the Skyhawks scored 21 unanswered points before halftime. One touchdown came at the 8:55 mark when Neal completed a 4-yard pass play to Kyle Kerrick to lift the Skyhawks to a 14-7 lead. The other touchdown came just before halftime, when Neal threw his second touchdown pass for 14-yards to Corey Jordan with 55 seconds remaining.
At halftime, the Skyhawks went to the locker room with a 21-7 lead over the Bears. However, the second half was a completely different story for both teams. After a stalled drive by the Skyhawks, the Bears answered back after a 7-yard touchdown run from Willie Matthews. That touchdown gave the Skyhawks a seven point lead with 11:25 remaining in the third quarter. UTM tried to answer back, but were held to a field goal giving the Skyhawks a 10 point lead at the 6:45 mark in the third. UCA responded by driving down inside UTM’s 16-yard line before they were forced to kick a field goal, trimming the lead back to seven, 24-17.
UTM and UCA went back and forth going into the fourth quarter before UCA was able to tack on another field goal, cutting UTM’s lead to four with 10:15 to play in the game.
Later in the fourth quarter, a nearly successful drive ended in the Skyhawks being forced to punt with 3:20 remaining in the game. UCA was able to drive 80-yards down the field in 2:08 before they scored the go-ahead touchdown off a 14-yard pass play from quarterback Ryan Howard to wide receiver Courtney Whitehead. After UCA missed the extra point, UTM had the ball trailing by two with 1:06 remaining in the game. After an incomplete pass to Kerrick, Neal threw his only interception to UCA’s Bobby Watkins, sealing the victory for the Bears as they cameback to defeat UTM 26-24.
Both teams were nearly even statistically, as UTM had 411-yards of total offense compared to UCA’s 399-yards. The Skyhawks had 127-yards rushing with one touchdown and 284-yards passing with two touchdowns. Despite scoring three touchdowns in the first half, the Skyhawks were only held to a field goal in the second half.
Neal played most of the game at quarterback for the Skyhawks and had a good outing, completing 20 out of his 28 pass attempts and throwing for 276-yards and two touchdowns. Neal also ran for 42-yards and one touchdown. Both Kerrick and Jordan had great games receiving, catching 14 passes for 249 yards.
Defensively, the Skyhawks held the Bears to only seven points in the first half, but gave up 19 points in the second half. Taino Fears-Perez led UTM defensively with 14 tackles, including one for loss.
After the game, UTM Head Coach Jason Simpson expressed both disappointment and pride.
“Obviously it was a tough loss. I feel for the kids,” Simpson said. “They prepared hard. They played hard. We just got to play smarter. … I’m proud of our guys. They fought as a top-25 team right there.”
The Skyhawks will have a short week to prepare before their home opener Thursday, Sept. 11, against NAIA opponent Cumberland. Kickoff for the game is set for 6:30 p.m. at Hardy Graham Stadium.
Featured Photo: Jarod Neal (13) runs past defenders in UTM’s 26-24 loss to Central Arkansas. (Sports Information)
