MILITARY CITY, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word was no match for No. 3 Central Arkansas on Military Appreciation Day as the Bears roared to a 56-10 victory over the Cardinals at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UCA (9-1, 8-0 SLC) wasted no time validating its national ranking with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown on the first offensive play for UIW (1-9, 1-7 SLC).
The Cardinals looked solid on their subsequent possession, but settled for a career-long 49-yard field goal by
Jose Perez at the 10:24 mark.
Then, the Bears took over.
UCA scored 35 unanswered points before halftime, securing a dominant 42-3 lead at the break.
Eight minutes into the second half,
Phillip Baptiste got behind the Bears' secondary and
Taylor Laird hit him in stride for what appeared to be a 52-yard touchdown, but with four yards to go, UCA cornerback Robert Rochell punched the ball out from behind and recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback.
The UIW defense pitched a shutout in the third quarter, but the Bears resumed their onslaught in the fourth, scoring on a 20-yard rush by Cedric Battle with 13:25 remaining in the game.
Less than three minutes later, Laird found
Breylann McCollum for a 49-yard touchdown reception.
With its second-string quarterback on the field, UCA continued to throw deep. Backup Breylin Smith connected with Joe Hampton on a 35-yard bomb, giving the Bears a 56-10 advantage.
LEADERS
Laird finished 15-of-27 for 242 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He was sacked twice.
Ra'Quanne Dickens and
Derrick Mitchell combined for 50 yards on the ground, while Baptiste racked up 128 through the air. McCollum tallied 79 receiving yards and a score.
Hayden Hildebrand went 20-of-30 for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns. Running backs Kierre Crossley, Carlos Blackman and Battle rushed for 68, 65 and 61 yards respectively, while each adding a score. Receiver Brandon Cox compiled 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Roman Gordon and Hampton each contributed a score.
West Lambert led the Cardinals defense with 9 tackles, including 1 tackle for loss.
Jawun Jiles,
Quandre Washington and
Mar'kel Cooks each added 8 tackles.
Tremon Smith paced the UCA defensive unit with 8 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss.
QUOTES
QUARTERBACK TAYLOR LAIRD ON THE GAME PLAN
"All week we've been talking about how your true colors show when you face adversity. So, we wanted to come out knowing that we'll make plays and they'll make plays and not getting down when they do make plays. Obviously, they're a good team, so we had to keep our heads held high."
LAIRD ON RESPONDING AFTER THE OPENING INTERCEPTION
"That's one play and it was the very first play, and there will be about 60 more, so I knew I couldn't get too down for too long. I turned it around pretty quickly and kept my head held high. I have to give shouts out to my receivers and offensive line; they all played their butts out tonight."
HEAD COACH LARRY KENNAN ON FACING FOUR CONSECUTIVE RANKED OPPONENTS
"We planned on playing them better than we did, winning the game, and making T-shirts that said 'Co-Champs' because we beat the conference champions, but that didn't happen. It's been a brutal schedule."
KENNAN ON THE UPCOMING SEASON-FINALE AGAINST PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
"We won't practice with pads on. We'll do walk-throughs. The guys know how to hit with pads on. As long as they know what to do, they'll be fine."
UP NEXT
UIW will close out the season at 6 p.m. on Thursday against Prairie View A&M at Benson Stadium.
STAY TUNED
The Southland Conference will announce all-conference selections at the conclusion of the regular season.
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.
