2024 Central Arkansas Bears football team

The 2024 Central Arkansas Bears football team will represent the University of Central Arkansas as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears will be coached by seventh-year head coach Nathan Brown and play at Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas.

2024 Central Arkansas Bears football
Conference	United Athletic Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 12
FCS Coaches	No. 13
Record	4–2* (1–1 UAC)
Head coach	Nathan Brown (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ken Collums (7th season)
Defensive coordinator	Greg Stewart (4th season)
Home stadium	Estes Stadium
Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 United Athletic Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 10 Abilene Christian		3	–	0					4	–	2
No. 13 Tarleton State		2	–	0					5	–	1
Eastern Kentucky		1	–	0					3	–	2
North Alabama		2	–	1					2	–	5
No. 12 Central Arkansas		1	–	1					4	–	2
Southern Utah		1	–	1					2	–	4
Austin Peay		1	–	2					2	–	4
Utah Tech		0	–	2					0	–	6
West Georgia*		0	–	4					1	–	4
Note: West Georgia is ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of October 9, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	at Arkansas State*	No. 11	Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, AR	ESPN+	L 31–34	21,708
September 7	6:00 p.m.	at Lindenwood*	No. 9	Harlen C. Hunter Stadium St. Charles, MO	ESPN+	W 34–13	4,668
September 14	6:00 p.m.	Austin Peay	No. 7	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN+	W 45–17	9,167
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at Arkansas–Pine Bluff*	No. 8	Simmons Bank Field Pine Bluff, AR		W 56–17	8,247
September 28	6:00 p.m.	No. 19 Lamar*	No. 7	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN+	W 34–14	9,873
October 5	3:00 p.m.	at No. 16 Abilene Christian	No. 5	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	L 34–41	7,853
October 12	4:00 p.m.	West Georgia	No. 12	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN+
October 26	4:00 p.m.	North Alabama		Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN+
November 2	3:00 p.m.	at Utah Tech		Greater Zion Stadium St. George, UT	ESPN+
November 9	1:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky		Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	ESPN+
November 16	4:00 p.m.	Southern Utah		Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN+
November 23	2:00 p.m.	at Tarleton State		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1][2]

Game summaries

at Arkansas State (FBS)

See also: 2024 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Central Arkansas	0	0	10	21	31
Arkansas State (FBS)	6	7	7	14	34

Game information

First quarter (12:47) ARST – Clune Van Andel 44-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 2:05; Arkansas State 3–0) (2:20) ARST – Clune Van Andel 23-yard field goal (Drive: 18 plays, 75 yards, 7:23; Arkansas State 6–0) Second quarter (0:37) ARST – Zak Wallace 1-yard run, Clune Van Andel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:33; Arkansas State 13–0) Third quarter (14:02) UCA – Jake Gaster 42-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 0:50; Arkansas State 13–3) (10:36) UCA – ShunDerrick Powell 23-yard run, Jake Gaster kick (Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 2:06; Arkansas State 13–10) (7:40) ARST – Zak Wallace 2-yard run, Clune Van Andel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 2:48; Arkansas State 20–10) Fourth quarter (14:15) ARST – Jaylen Raynor 5-yard run, Clune Van Andel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 98 yards, 4:28; Arkansas State 27–10) (13:38) UCA – ShunDerrick Powell 81-yard run, Jake Gaster kick (Drive: 2 plays, 89 yards, 0:33; Arkansas State 27–17) (10:33) UCA – Tyion Berry 23-yard pass from Will McElvain, Jake Gaster kick (Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 1:43; Arkansas State 27–24) (0:55) UCA – Darius Hale 4-yard run, Jake Gaster kick (Drive: 3 plays, 35 yards, 0:50; Central Arkansas 31–27) (0:03) ARST – Corey Rucker 7-yard pass from Jaylen Raynor, Clune Van Andel kick (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 0:52; Arkansas State 34–31)

Game One – No. 11 Central Arkansas Bears (0–0) at Arkansas State Red Wolves (FBS) (0–0) – Game summary

at Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR

• Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind: N at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
• Game attendance: 21,708
• Referee: Marshall Lewis
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Roger Twibell (play-by-play) and Darrell Greene (analyst)

Statistics	UCA	ARST
First downs	20	24
Total yards	432	457
Rushing yards	235	140
Passing yards	197	317
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–29–0	24–47–1
Time of possession	27:23	32:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing	Will McElvain	15/28, 168 yards, TD
	Rushing	ShunDerrick Powell	15 carries, 176 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Malachi Henry	4 receptions, 61 yards
Arkansas State	Passing	Jaylen Raynor	24/47, 317 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ja'Quez Cross	13 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Corey Rucker	9 receptions, 179 yards, TD

at Lindenwood

See also: 2024 Lindenwood Lions football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0
Lindenwood	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Two – No. 9 Central Arkansas Bears (0–1) at Lindenwood Lions (0–1) – Game summary

at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium • St. Charles, Missouri

• Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UCA	LIN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Lindenwood	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Austin Peay

See also: 2024 Austin Peay Governors football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Austin Peay	0	0	0	0	0
No. 7 Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Three – Austin Peay Governors (0–2) vs No. 7 Central Arkansas Bears (1–1) – Game summary

at Estes Stadium • Conway, AR

• Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 PM CST
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UCA	APSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Austin Peay	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Arkansas–Pine Bluff

See also: 2024 Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Four – No. 8 Central Arkansas Bears (2–1) at Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1–2) – Game summary

at Simmons Bank Field • Pine Bluff, AR

• Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (TBD): TBD

Statistics	UCA	APB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. No. 19 Lamar

See also: 2024 Lamar Cardinals football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Lamar	0	0	0	0	0
No. 7 Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Five – No. 19 Lamar Cardinals (3–1) vs No. 7 Central Arkansas Bears (3–1) – Game summary

at Estes Stadium • Conway, AR

• Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 PM CST
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UCA	LU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Lamar	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 16 Abilene Christian

See also: 2024 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Bears	7	10	7	10	34
No. 16 Wildcats	14	17	3	7	41

Game information

First quarter ACU – Nehemiah Martinez I 70-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick), 11:27. Wildcats 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:16. CARK – ShunDerrick Powell 62-yard run (Jake Gaster kick), 10:40. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:47. ACU – Blayne Taylor 13-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick), 4:20. Wildcats 14–7. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 6:11. Second quarter ACU – Ritse Vaes 27-yard field goal, 14:09. Wildcats 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 3:02. CARK – ShunDerrick Powell 51-yard run (Jake Gaster kick), 13:04. Wildcats 17–14. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:00. ACU – Hut Graham 9-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick), 8:54. Wildcats 24–14. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 4:02. ACU – Nehemiah Martinez I 26-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick), 4:54. Wildcats 31–14. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 2:40. CARK – Jake Gaster 26-yard field goal, 0:00. Wildcats 31–17. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 1:40. Third quarter ACU – Ritse Vaes 20-yard field goal, 5:52. Wildcats 34–17. Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:21. CARK – ShunDerrick Powell 11-yard pass from Will McElvain (Jake Gaster kick), 0:36. Wildcats 34–24. Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 5:08. Fourth quarter ACU – Nehemiah Martinez I 3-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick), 12:52. Wildcats 41–24. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:44. CARK – Jake Gaster 21-yard field goal, 7:49. Wildcats 41–27. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 5:03. CARK – Trejan Bridges 11-yard pass from Will McElvain (Jake Gaster kick), 1:38. Wildcats 41–34. Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 2:51.

Game Six – No. 5 Central Arkansas Bears (4–1) at No. 16 Abilene Christian Wildcats (3–2) – Game summary

at Wildcat Stadium, Abilene, Texas

• Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 7,853
• Referee: Gabe Tomlin
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	CARK	ACU
First downs	31	23
Total yards	528	506
Rushing yards	202	156
Passing yards	326	350
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	30:17	29:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing	Will McElvain	33/46, 326 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	ShunDerrick Powell	20 carries, 155 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Malachi Henry	5 receptions, 83 yards
Abilene Christian	Passing	Maverick McIvor	22/36, 350 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Johnson	15 carries, 91 yards
	Receiving	Nehemiah Martinez I	7 receptions, 202 yards, 3 TD

vs. West Georgia

See also: 2024 West Georgia Wolves football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
West Georgia	0	0	0	0	0
No. 13 Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Seven – West Georgia Wolves (1–4) at No. 13 Central Arkansas Bears (4–2) – Game summary

at Estes Stadium • Conway, AR

• Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UWG	UCA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Georgia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. North Alabama

See also: 2024 North Alabama Lions football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
North Alabama	0	0	0	0	0
Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Eight – North Alabama Lions at Central Arkansas Bears – Game summary

at Estes Stadium • Conway, AR

• Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UNA	UCA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Utah Tech

See also: 2024 Utah Tech Trailblazers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0
Utah Tech	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Nine – Central Arkansas Bears at Utah Tech Trailblazers – Game summary

at Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT

• Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UCA	UTU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Utah Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Eastern Kentucky

See also: 2024 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Ten – Central Arkansas Bears vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels – Game summary

at Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, KY

• Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UCA	EKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Southern Utah

See also: 2024 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Southern Utah	0	0	0	0	0
Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Eleven – Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Central Arkansas Bears – Game summary

at Estes Stadium • Conway, AR

• Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	SUU	UCA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Tarleton State

See also: 2024 Tarleton State Texans football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0
Tarleton State	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Twelve – Central Arkansas Bears vs Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

at Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX

• Date: Saturday November 26, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Statistics	UCA	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. Kelley, Kevin (December 5, 2023). "Central Arkansas Bears release 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
2. "Central Arkansas Bears Schedule 2024". ESPN Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved August 25, 2024.