ABILENE, Texas — Central Arkansas (2-4, 0-2) lost to Abilene Christian (3-4, 2-0) 20-14 on Saturday. Central Arkansas ran for 206 yards and got both touchdowns on the ground, including
Jalen Washington's 46-yard score with 8:11 left in the fourth quarter, but the late push came up short.
Central Arkansas spent much of the first quarter defending an 18-play Abilene Christian drive, but
Marcus Washington's 5-yard tackle for loss and
Bryson Adamoh's pass breakup helped force a 26-yard field goal that put the Wildcats up 3-0. On its lone full possession, Central Arkansas reached the Abilene Christian 33 behind
Donovyn Omolo, who ran for two first downs and completed passes to
Tyrell Pollard and
Ty Durham, before a fourth-down interception and penalty gave Abilene Christian the ball at the UCA 26. Central Arkansas ended the quarter trailing 3-0.
In the second quarter, Central Arkansas went on a 50-yard drive, with Omolo hitting
Kealen Juniel for 30 yards and running for a third-down conversion before
Caleb Jones missed a 42-yard field goal. Abilene Christian later added a 10-yard touchdown pass to push the score to 17-0, Central Arkansas crossed midfield on their final possession of the half after
Jalen Washington's 18-yard run and a pass-interference penalty but ended with
Wyatt Salter's punt.
Trevion Traylor closed the quarter with a 9-yard sack, but Central Arkansas was held scoreless in the quarter.
To open the third quarter, Central Arkansas put together an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by
Donovyn Omolo's 30-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-3 and
Caleb Jones' PAT to make it 17-7. The defense recorded sacks by
Jakobe Shell and
Kaydin Thomas on the next series and by Traylor and Shell later in the quarter, but Abilene Christian added a 34-yard field goal with 56 seconds left to leave Central Arkansas trailing 20-7.
With 8:11 left in the fourth quarter, Central Arkansas cut the deficit to 20-14 when
Jalen Washington ran 46 yards for a touchdown and
Caleb Jones added the kick. Earlier, Central Arkansas drove to the Abilene Christian 8, with
Ty Durham's 29-yard catch and
Chapman McKown's 12-yard run helping move the ball, but lost a fumble at the 10. Abilene Christian held possession for the final 8:11 on a 15-play, 57-yard drive.
Jalen Washington
- 105 rushing yards on 12 carries
- 1 rushing touchdown
Donovyn Omolo
- 79 rushing yards on 14 carries
- 1 rushing touchdown
- 8-for-16 passing for 83 yards
Ashtyn Williams
- 14 tackles
Trevion Traylor
- 7 tackles
- 1.5 sacks
Jakobe Shell
- 8 tackles
- 1 sack
Up next, the Central Arkansas Bears travels to Stephensville, Texas, to face Tarleton State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.
