2016 Central Arkansas Bears football team

The 2016 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by third-year head coach Steve Campbell and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 10–3 overall and 8–1 in Southland play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Illinois State in the first round, before losing in the second round to Eastern Washington.

2016 Central Arkansas Bears football
FCS Playoffs Second Round, L 14–31 vs. Eastern Washington
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 14
FCS Coaches	No. 16
Record	10–3 (8–1 Southland)
Head coach	Steve Campbell (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Nathan Brown (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Greg Stewart (3rd season)
Home stadium	Estes Stadium

2016 Southland Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Sam Houston State $^		9	–	0					12	–	1
No. 14 Central Arkansas ^		8	–	1					10	–	3
SE Louisiana		7	–	2					7	–	4
McNeese State		5	–	4					6	–	5
Nicholls State		5	–	4					5	–	6
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	5					5	–	6
Houston Baptist		3	–	5					4	–	7
Incarnate Word *		3	–	6					3	–	8
Lamar		3	–	6					3	–	8
Abilene Christian *		2	–	7					2	–	9
Northwestern State		0	–	9					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 pm	Houston Baptist		Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ASN	W 56–13	9,757
September 10	6:00 pm	Samford*		Estes Stadium Conway, AR	BNN	L 29–35	9,987
September 17	6:00 pm	Northwestern State		Estes Stadium Conway, AR	BNN	W 24–10	8,047
September 24	6:00 pm	at Arkansas State*		Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, AR	ESPN3	W 28–23	28,012
October 1	2:30 pm	at Abilene Christian		Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	SLDN	W 58–27	4,215
October 15	6:00 pm	at McNeese State	No. 23	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (Red Beans and Rice Bowl)	ESPN3	W 35–0	9,253
October 22	6:00 pm	Lamar	No. 20	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN3	W 22–12	10,257
October 29	7:00 pm	at Southeastern Louisiana	No. 19	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	ESPN3	W 45–10	4,241
November 5	3:00 pm	at Stephen F. Austin	No. 17	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ASN	W 34–14	10,188
November 12	3:00 pm	Nicholls State	No. 13	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ASN	W 31–24	5,785
November 19	2:30 pm	at No. 1 Sam Houston State	No. 11	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	L 23–59	9,182
November 26	2:00 pm	Illinois State*	No. 14	Estes Stadium Conway, AR (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN3	W 31–24	3,165
December 3	3:00 pm	at No. 3 Eastern Washington*	No. 14	Roos Field Cheney, WA (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN3	L 14–31	6,085
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Houston Baptist

See also: Houston Baptist Huskies football and 2016 Houston Baptist Huskies football team

Houston Baptist at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 0 3 3 7 13 • Bears 21 21 14 0 56 Date: September 1 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 9,757 Referee: Ross Smith TV announcers (ASN): Lincoln Rose, Shea Walker, Kamady Rudd Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:52 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 3 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 1:29 7–0 1 5:51 Central Arkansas Kelton Warren 14 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 1:28 14–0 1 2:18 Central Arkansas Hayden Hildebrand 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:24 21–0 2 12:17 Central Arkansas Tyler Williams 54 yard return of blocked field goal (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 14 plays, 48 yards, 4:56 28–0 2 7:18 Central Arkansas Brandon Cox 37 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:43 35–0 2 6:32 Central Arkansas Devin Spurlock 2 yard fumble return (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 2 plays, -18 yards, 0:41 42–0 2 3:34 Houston Baptist Alec Chadwick 26 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:54 42–3 3 9:09 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 2 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 1:39 49–3 3 4:27 Houston Baptist Alec Chadwick 32 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:04 49–6 3 1:45 Central Arkansas Keshawn Ledet 13 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:42 56–6 4 6:47 Houston Baptist David Racine 31 yard pass from Max Staver (Alec Chadwick kick), Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 1:17 56–13

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Samford

See also: Samford Bulldogs football and 2016 Samford Bulldogs football team

Samford at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 7 21 7 0 35 Bears 3 7 0 19 29 Date: September 10 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 9,987 Referee: Michael VanderVelde Television network: BNN Sources:

Scoring summary 1 6:06 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 35 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 3:25 3–0 1 2:41 Samford Karel Hamilton 29 yard pass from Devlin Hodges (Reece Everett kick), Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:20 3–7 2 7:48 Central Arkansas Carlos Blackman 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:14 10–7 2 4:39 Samford Emmanuel Obajimi 33 yard pass from Devlin Hodges (Reece Everett kick), Drive: 4 plays, 76 yards, 1:03 10–14 2 3:13 Samford Ahmad Gooden 28 yard fumble return (Reece Everett kick), Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:26 10–21 2 1:04 Samford Kelvin McKnight 46 yard pass from Devlin Hodges (Reece Everett kick), Drive: 2 plays, 50 yards, 0:37 10–28 3 3:53 Samford Tonne Osaigbovo 57 yard interception return (Reece Everett kick), Drive: 2 plays, 0 yards, 0:22 10–35 4 12:24 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 3 yard run (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 17 plays, 75 yards, 6:29 16–35 4 8:49 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 3 yard run (two-point run conv. failed), Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 2:07 22–35 4 2:11 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 18 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:59 29–35

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Northwestern State

See also: Northwestern State Demons football and 2016 Northwestern State Demons football team

Northwestern State at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 0 7 0 3 10 • Bears 0 14 10 0 24 Date: September 17 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 8,047 Referee: Stephen Baron Television network: BNN Sources:

Scoring summary 2 14:11 Central Arkansas Jatavious Wilson 49 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 2:36 7–0 2 5:52 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 5 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 5:45 14–0 2 4:46 Northwestern State Shakeir Ryan 25 yard pass from Joel Blumenthal (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:06 14–7 3 9:55 Central Arkansas Hayden Hildebrand 12 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 3:02 21–7 3 3:55 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 33 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 3:38 24–7 4 14:55 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 44 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 3:32 24–10

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@ Arkansas State

See also: Arkansas State Red Wolves football and 2016 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team

Central Arkansas at Arkansas State

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 7 6 3 12 28 Red Wolves 16 0 7 0 23 Date: September 24 Location: Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:33 Game attendance: 28,012 Game weather: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind NE 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) • Mostly sunny Referee: Jeff Hilyer Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 12:15 Arkansas State J.D. Houston 33 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 1:17 0–3 1 8:42 Central Arkansas Tremon Smith 47 yard punt return (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:23 7–3 1 8:02 Arkansas State Kendall Sanders 5 yard pass from Justice Hansen (J.D. Houston kick failed), Drive: 3 plays, 48 yards, 0:39 7–9 1 3:21 Arkansas State Warren Wand 48 yard pass from Justice Hansen (J.D. Houston kick), Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:26 7–16 2 1:44 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 29 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:38 10–16 2 0:00 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 43 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 0:32 13–16 3 6:06 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 25 yard field goal, Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 5:56 16–16 3 5:16 Arkansas State Cameron Echols-Luper 58 yard pass from Justice Hansen (J.D. Houston kick), Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 0:44 16–23 4 13:12 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 3 yard run (Matt Cummins kick failed), Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 4:23 22–23 4 6:26 Central Arkansas Brandon Cox 18 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 5:13 28–23

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@ Abilene Christian

See also: Abilene Christian Wildcats football and 2016 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

Central Arkansas at Abilene Christian

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 9 28 14 7 58 Wildcats 7 6 7 7 27 Date: October 1 Location: Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX Game start: 2:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:27 Game attendance: 4,215 Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind SSE 8 mph (13 km/h) • Sunny Referee: Vidal Jones Television network: ASN Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:54 Central Arkansas Team Safety, Drive: 2 plays, -1 yard, 0:29 2–0 1 7:05 Abilene Christian De'Andre Brown 1 yard run (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 3:17 2–7 1 4:37 Central Arkansas Jatavious Wilson 32 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:23 9–7 2 14:48 Central Arkansas Hayden Hildebrand 80 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 81 yards, 1:09 16–7 2 9:53 Abilene Christian Nik Grau 21 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 2:08 16–10 2 6:12 Central Arkansas Kelton Warren 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:31 23–10 2 3:54 Abilene Christian Nik Grau 34 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 43 yards, 2:13 23–13 2 1:12 Central Arkansas Keshawn Ledet 4 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:42 30–13 2 0:53 Central Arkansas George Odum 18 yard interception return (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 0:19 37–13 3 8:20 Central Arkansas Keshawn Ledet 7 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:28 44–13 3 4:48 Abilene Christian Tracy James 1 yard run (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:28 44–20 3 4:33 Central Arkansas Dwayne Smith 93 yard kickoff return (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00 51–20 4 11:01 Central Arkansas Jarvis Cooper 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 7:00 58–20 4 7:01 Abilene Christian Cody Ennis 2 yard pass from Parker McKenzie (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:00 58–27

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@ McNeese State

See also: McNeese State Cowboys football, 2016 McNeese State Cowboys football team, and Red Beans and Rice Bowl

Central Arkansas at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • #23 Bears 7 7 14 7 35 Cowboys 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 15 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:06 Game attendance: 9,253 Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind SSE 8 mph (13 km/h) • Partly cloudy, 62% humidity Referee: Cooper Castleberry Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 5:52 Central Arkansas Kelton Warren 4 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 2:15 7–0 2 7:57 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 10 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 0:34 14–0 3 12:06 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 8 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:54 21–0 3 9:20 Central Arkansas Jatavio Wilson 33 yard pass from Hay Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 0:48 28–0 4 8:01 Central Arkansas Roman Gordon 83 yard pass from Hay Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 87 yards, 1:32 35–0

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Lamar (homecoming)

See also: Lamar Cardinals football and 2016 Lamar Cardinals football team

Lamar at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 3 3 0 6 12 • #20 Bears 0 10 9 3 22 Date: October 22 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 10,257 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind SSW 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Sunny Referee: Brad Van Vark Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 10:50 Lamar Juan Carranco 30 yard field goal, Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 4:10 0–3 2 13:46 Central Arkansas Keshawn Ledet 7 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards, 0:55 7–3 2 8:00 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 19 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:46 10–3 2 1:41 Lamar Juan Carranco 26 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 25 yards, 3:27 10–6 3 10:29 Central Arkansas Team 1 yard safety 12–6 3 9:15 Central Arkansas Kelton Warren 20 yard pass from Hay Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 1:12 19–6 4 9:51 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 38 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:19 22–6 4 5:28 Lamar Andrew Allen 2 yard run (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 4:19 22–12

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@ Southeastern Louisiana

See also: Southeastern Louisiana Lions football and 2016 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

Central Arkansas at Southeastern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total • #19 Bears 0 24 14 7 45 Lions 0 3 7 0 10 Date: October 29 Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 4,241 Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Wind ENE 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Clear Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 2 13:16 Central Arkansas Hayden Hildebrand 4 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 3:57 7–0 2 9:54 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 47 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2:27 10–0 2 8:56 Central Arkansas Tyler Williams 32 yard interception return (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 0 yards, 0:58 17–0 2 5:13 Southeastern Louisiana Jonathon Tatum 31 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 3:43 17–3 2 0:11 Central Arkansas Cody Dauksch 7 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 1:03 24–3 3 8:14 Central Arkansas Scott Matiaha 6 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 6:36 31–3 3 4:51 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 7 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 1:42 38–3 3 1:09 Southeastern Louisiana Jacorey Fuller 25 yard return of blocked punt (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:31 38–10 4 11:15 Central Arkansas Jakari Dillard 0 yard fumble recovery (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:49 45–10

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@ Stephen F. Austin

See also: Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football and 2016 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

Central Arkansas at Stephen F. Austin

1 2 3 4 Total • #17 Bears 14 10 0 10 34 Lumberjacks 7 7 0 0 14 Date: November 5 Location: Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX Game start: 3:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 10,188 Game weather: About 60 °F (16 °C) • Cloudy Referee: Michael VanderVelde Television network: ASN Sources:

Scoring summary 1 10:54 Stephen F. Austin Zach Conque 8 yard run (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 2 plays, 9 yards, 0:34 0–7 1 5:42 Central Arkansas Cody Dauksch 30 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:10 7–7 1 2:11 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 57 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 1:45 14–7 2 14:56 Stephen F. Austin Zach Conque 6 yard run (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 2:09 14–14 2 11:02 Central Arkansas Carlos Blackman 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:48 21–14 2 0:21 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 31 yard field goal, Drive: 12 plays, 40 yards, 4:03 24–14 4 10:20 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 2 plays, 9 yards, 0:24 31–14 4 3:53 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 22 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 2:06 34–14

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Nicholls

See also: Nicholls State Colonels football and 2016 Nicholls State Colonels football team

Nicholls at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Colonels 0 7 7 10 24 • #13 Bears 0 10 7 14 31 Date: November 12 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 3:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:41 Game attendance: 5,785 Referee: Cooper Castleberry Television network: ASN Sources:

Scoring summary 2 7:51 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 32 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:35 3–0 2 4:44 Nicholls C.J. Bates 45 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (David McKey kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:07 3–7 2 0:30 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 2:05 10–7 3 11:15 Nicholls Kyran Irvin 1 yard run (David McKey kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:45 10–14 3 2:09 Central Arkansas Carlo Blackman 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:01 17–14 4 11:42 Nicholls C.J. Bates 80 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (David McKey kick), Drive: 1 plays, 80 yards, 0:14 17–21 4 11:16 Central Arkansas Carlo Blackman 15 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 2 plays, 49 yards, 0:17 24–21 4 8:15 Central Arkansas Jaylon Lofton 79 yard interception (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 2:56 31–21 4 5:09 Nicholls David McKey 46 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 3:00 31–24

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@ Sam Houston State

See also: Sam Houston State Bearkats football and 2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total #11 Bears 0 10 6 7 23 • #1 Bearkats 17 21 14 7 59 Date: November 19 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 2:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:42 Game attendance: 9,182 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind N 7 mph (11 km/h) • Sunny and clear Referee: Brad Van Vark Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 12:23 Sam Houston State Parker Murry 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:37 0–7 1 6:42 Sam Houston State Luc Swimberghe 23 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 3:42 0–10 1 4:11 Sam Houston State Collin Rison 3 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 2:02 0–17 2 11:21 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 14 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 4:00 7–17 2 8:11 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 40 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 0:28 7–24 2 4:00 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 21 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 34 yards, 0:42 7–31 2 1:46 Sam Houston State Jaylen Harris 55 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 61 yards, 0:13 7–38 2 0:05 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 33 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 1:32 10–38 3 10:24 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 46 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 46 yards, 0:10 10–45 3 6:24 Central Arkansas Jarvis Cooper 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick failed), Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:00 16–45 3 3:24 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 10 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 10 yards, 0:05 16–52 4 11:45 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 17 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:31 16–59 4 0:19 Central Arkansas Chandler Dexter 10 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:16 23–59

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FCS Playoffs

First Round–Illinois State

See also: Illinois State Redbirds football and 2016 Illinois State Redbirds football team

Illinois State at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Redbirds 10 7 0 7 24 • #14 Bears 0 7 0 24 31 Date: November 26 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 2:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 3,165 Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind SW 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Overcast Referee: J. Crowley Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:35 Illinois State DeMarco Corbin 31 yard run (Sean Slattery kick), Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 2:34 0–7 1 6:05 Illinois State Sean Slattery 43 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 4:29 0–10 2 9:51 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 1 yard pass from Hay Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 4:02 7–10 2 5:45 Illinois State Anthony Warrum 4 yard pass from Jake Kolbe (Sean Slattery kick), Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:56 7–17 4 14:06 Central Arkansas Jakari Dillard 4 yard return of blocked punt (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:13 14–17 4 9:51 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 2 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 2:51 21–17 4 8:04 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 28 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 1:43 24–17 4 6:22 Illinois State Anthony Warrum 55 yard pass from Jake Kolbe (Sean Slattery kick), Drive: 4 plays, 81 yards, 1:38 24–24 4 1:28 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 4 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 2 plays, 43 yards, 0:43 31–24

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Second Round–Eastern Washington

See also: Eastern Washington Eagles football and 2016 Eastern Washington Eagles football team

Central Arkansas at Eastern Washington

1 2 3 4 Total #14 Bears 0 14 0 0 14 • #3 Eagles 0 21 3 7 31 Date: December 3 Location: Roos Field Cheney, WA Game start: 2:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:31 Game attendance: 6,085 Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C) • Wind SW 16 mph (26 km/h) • Cloudy Referee: Drew Myers Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 2 14:28 Central Arkansas Carlos Blackman 4 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 4:37 7–0 2 9:49 Central Arkansas Antwon Wells 2 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:42 14–0 2 4:47 Eastern Washington Gage Gubrud 1 yard run (Roldan Alcobendas kick), Drive: 12 plays, 95 yards, 5:02 14–7 2 3:48 Eastern Washington Cooper Kupp 19 yard pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick), Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:59 14–14 2 0:14 Eastern Washington Cooper Kupp 6 yard pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick), Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 1:33 14–21 3 0:25 Eastern Washington Roldan Alcobendas 20 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 4:27 14–24 4 1:18 Eastern Washington Shaq Hill 2 yard run (Roldan Alcobendas kick), Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:05 14–31

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Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	23	20	19	17	13	11	14	14
Coaches	—	RV	—	—	RV	24	22	18–T	18	17	13	12	16	16
FCS Playoffs	Not released									10	9	7	Not released