Football competed against the Central Arkansas Bears in a United Athletic Conference game on Oct. 11. The Bears won 49-21.
Braly Stadium was packed full with families visiting for Family Weekend, fueling the athletic atmosphere.
“It’s always a great environment in Braly Stadium,” said Head Coach Brent Dearmon in his weekly press release. “We’ve got to do a better job of playing in front of our home crowd than we did this weekend.”
Quarterback Destin Wade faced a hard hit the weekend prior against Abilene Christian, so Ari Patu started as quarterback in the game against Central Arkansas.
Wide receiver Noah Gregg scored on a 19-yard pass in the first quarter from Patu, quickly followed by a score early in the second quarter by wide receiver KJ Fields.
The Lions led 14-7 in the second quarter.
The Bears gained unfortunate momentum in the second quarter, stealing the lead from the Lions. The coaching staff made the decision to put Destin Wade back in during the second half.
Wade threw a seven-yard pass to wide receiver Justin Pegues, marking the final time the Lions scored during the game.
Running back Jayvian Allen rushed and received 150 all-purpose yards. He had five catches for a total of 81 yards and added 13 carries for 69 yards.
Defensive back Lonell Cunningham II led with nine tackles, with linebacker Seth Hampton adding eight. Linebacker Demarcious Robinson also added seven tackles.
Punter Adam Watford from special teams had five punts, with his longest being 74 yards.
True freshman Chandler Dixon made all three of his first ever career extra point attempts.
The Lions will play against Eastern Kentucky for the Homecoming game on Oct. 18 at Braly Stadium.
“We’ve got a tough task ahead of us, but we’re up for the challenge. We’re excited about this weekend,” said Dearmon.
