Shoring up the run defense will be crucial for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s upset hopes Saturday night.
UAPB will host the University of Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. at Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff. The SWAC Digital Network will livestream the game on YouTube.
UAPB (1-2) allowed 196 rushing yards in last week’s 41-28 loss to Tennessee State in the Southern Heritage Classic. The Golden Lions’ defense will need to be much stronger against the run to have a chance of slowing down the Bears, who rushed for 309 yards in last week’s 45-17 home win against Austin Peay.
Head Coach Alonzo Hampton said the Golden Lions will need to load the box against the Bears, but it comes down to execution.
“What we gotta do is just stay in our gaps,” Hampton said. “Every coach will tell you that. We just got guys that’s trying to do too much right now. We gotta calm them down and make sure they understand, am I a spill player? Am I a level player? Who’s going to be the guy that set the edge of the defense, and things of that nature.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
No. 8 UCA (2-1) is averaging 255 rushing yards per game, the fourth-most in FCS. UAPB has allowed 184.7 yards per game, which ranks 86th out of 115 FCS teams.
Senior running back ShunDerrick Powell is averaging 158.3 yards per game and has scored six touchdowns. Fellow senior Darius Hale is averaging 80 yards and has scored five touchdowns.
UCA Coach Nathan Brown, speaking Monday at the school’s weekly Bear Backers event, said though Powell and Hale are great, they don’t do it alone.
“I’ve been raving about this offensive line since the summer,” Brown said. “Look, it’s a good group. It’s a good group, and they’re opening holes. … I want to add in the mix of tight ends we have, because those three tight ends on Saturday night, along with that offensive line, they were leaning on people.”
Defensively, newcomers continue to lead the way for UAPB. The Golden Lions’ top four tacklers through three games are new players.
True freshman Kyle Vocque from Bauxite leads the team with 22 tackles. Junior college transfers Ja’Marlin Green and Jaden Kelly are tied for second with 14, followed by true freshman Jonathan Goins from Pine Bluff with 12.
Hampton said these and other young players will develop into great players, but it is still early for them, and they have a long way to go.
“(Tennessee State) made some tough runs, but some of those runs, we just didn’t do what we were required to do, and it kind of hit us,” Hampton said. “So we gotta shore that up, especially with these two guys coming in here this week and give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
This will be UCA’s first trip to Pine Bluff since 1994 and the first overall meeting between the teams since they met in Conway in 2021. The Bears own an 11-2 all-time edge in the series. UCA is 3-0 in Pine Bluff.
Brown said UCA and UAPB, the only two FCS programs in Arkansas, recruit many of the same players, making this a crucial game.
“They (UAPB) want some opportunities to compete against us,” Brown said. “We’re obviously in this state of Arkansas which isn’t just overpopulated with an enormous amount of players, so this is an important game for them, and it’s a home game for them. … There’s a lot at stake in this game, and our players know that and recognize that.”