LIVE AUDIO
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

CONWAY, Ark. _ Several of the top FCS running backs in the nation will be on display Saturday when the University of Central Arkansas Bears host the Southeast Missouri Redhawks at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.

The No. 23 Bears (3-2) will take on the Redhawks (1-3) for the 17th time in the series at 4 p.m. on "The Stripes."

UCA features a trio of junior running backs who have put up impressive numbers over their careers. ShunDerrick Powell, from Hoxie, Ark., is currently second in the nation in rushing yards (744) and rushing yards per game (148.8) and is first in yards per rush (10.2). Darius Hale from Pearland, Texas, has 2,177 career rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns over his career. Kylin James from Dumas, Ark., had 1,075 rushing yards and 846 receiving yards.

SEMO counters with its career rushing leader, sixth-year senior Geno Hess, who has run for more than 4,300 yards in his career, with 18 100-yard rushing games under his belt. He has played in 50 games as a Redhawk. 

Both Powell and Hess were named to the preseason Walter Payton Award watch list as top running backs in the FCS. Powell was a finalist for the award a year ago when he ran for 1,508 yards at North Alabama, while Hess was a finalist in both 2021 and 2022.

The Redhawks are coming off a bye week after playing an FBS school and a ranked FCS squad in two of their first three games. SEMO lost 45-0 at Top 25 Kansas State, beat Lindenwood 45-7, lost to FCS #15 Southern Illinois 26-25 and lost 41-38 at Eastern Kentucky two weeks ago.

The Bears, 2-0 in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), have won two consecutive games, beating Abilene Christian 52-17 at home two weeks ago and going on the road for a 29-27 win at Southern Utah last Saturday. UCA will play three homes games this month, along with an open date on Oct. 21. The Bears' next road game will not be until Nov. 4 at North Alabama.

UCA has topped 400 yards of total offense in its last four games, including 594 against ACU and 468 last week at SUU. The Bears have had more than 350 yards on the ground twice, vs. Texas College (396) and Abilene Christian (380). Powell has been a big part of that, with 218 yards at North Dakota State and 256 against ACU. 

The Redhawks shut down UCA's running game a year ago in a 35-27 victory at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo. UCA finished with just 16 net rushing yards, the lowest rushing output since a 2018 outing against Incarnate Word. Since then, the Bears have 222 rushing yards pe game over 12 games. This season, UCA is seventh in the nation in rushing offense at 248.4 yards per game.

The Bears had 364 passing yards against the Redhawks a year ago, including an 80-yard touchdown pass from running back James to wide receiver Jarrod Barnes, along with 284 passing yards from quarterback Will McElvain. UCA also got a defensive touchdown when cornerback TD Williams returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown. SEMO countered with a special teams score, a 97-yard kickoff return by Dalyn McDonald.

The game will be carried live on ESPN+, The Bear 91.3 and The Point 94.1.