CONWAY, Ark.- Central Arkansas (1-1, 0-1) fell to West Florida (2-0, 1-0), 42-14 on Saturday. Central Ark. lost two fumbles and threw one interception, with West Florida scoring 21 points off turnovers.
A blocked
Wyatt Salter punt gave West Florida the ball at the Central Arkansas 7, and West Florida turned the short field into a touchdown and a 7-0 score. Central Arkansas moved the chains twice on its next possession, including
Donovyn Omolo's 14-yard run and a 7-yard completion to
Chapman McKown, but the drive ended with a punt. West Florida added another rushing touchdown later, and Central Arkansas finished the first quarter trailing 14-0.
Central Arkansas started the second quarter with a 99-yard touchdown drive, capped by Omolo's 44-yard run at 11:44 and
Caleb Jones' kick to make it 14-7. West Florida followed two Central Arkansas fumbles with touchdown drives, and the score reached 28-7 after its second touchdown pass of the quarter. Central Arkansas moved to the West Florida 34 on its final possession before turning it over on downs with 34 seconds left.
Central Arkansas was hurt early in the third quarter by West Florida's 37-yard interception-return touchdown and later allowed a 42-yard touchdown pass, falling behind 42-7. Omolo answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, ending it with a 24-yard touchdown pass to
James Jointer Jr. before
Caleb Jones' PAT made it 42-14. Central Arkansas kept West Florida off the board on its final drive of the quarter, which ended with the visitors backed up to the UCA 30 after a holding penalty.
Central Arkansas kept West Florida off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, highlighted by
Kaydin Thomas and
Reid Jones combining to stop a fourth-and-2 run at the UCA 32 with 6:12 left. Omolo moved Central Arkansas into West Florida territory on both fourth-quarter possessions, including completions of 18 yards to
Ty Durham, 16 to
Tyrell Pollard and 22 to
Dakarai Anderson, but the drives ended with a punt and a turnover on downs. West Florida ran out the clock after reaching the UCA 19, and Central Arkansas finished with a 42-14 loss.
Donovyn Omolo
- Completed 21 of 31 passes for 197 yards
- 1 passing touchdown
- 125 rushing yards on 17 carries
- 1 rushing touchdown
Tyrell Pollard
- 4 receptions
- 62 receiving yards
Dakarai Anderson
- 5 receptions
- 47 receiving yards
James Jointer Jr.
- 24-yard touchdown reception
- 6 rushing yards on 4 carries
Trevion Traylor
- 9 tackles
Up next, the Central Arkansas Bears host University of Central Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m. in Conway, Arkansas.
