Central Arkansas Bears
Southland
Central Arkansas went into the final week of the regular season with a chance to win the Southland title. They ended up losing to Sam Houston State, leaving the Bears with an 8-1 record in conference play. But that was more than enough to get Central Arkansas into the playoffs as an at-large with a 9-2 record overall.
2016 Record: 9-2, 8-1
Coach: Steve Campbell
Big Wins: 9/24 at Arkansas State (28-23), 10/15 McNeese State (35-0)
Bad Losses: 9/10 Samford (29-35), 10/19 at Sam Houston State (23-59)
Strengths:
Central Arkansas has been so good this season because of their defense and ability to create turnovers. The defensive line needed to replace Jonathan Woodard and Derek Floyd and did so effectively. No single player has stepped up and been nearly as productive as those two, but Coach Steve Campbell has been able to keep his team productive in the sack department. With that depth and all of the quality options in the front seven, Central Arkansas has one of the best rush defenses in the country. Tyler Williams, Jaylon Lofton, Tremon Smith and Brandon Porter will give up a few yards in the secondary, but they are also a huge reason why Central Arkansas has the best turnover margin in the Southland.
Weaknesses:
Quarterback Hayden Hildebrand has stepped up his production during his junior campaign. He keeps the interceptions down and has two very good wide receivers in Desmond Smith and Jatavious Wilson. The passing offense has the ability to come up big, but it is the stable of running backs that have made the offense rank 14th in the FCS in total offense. Carlos Blackman, Antwon Wells and Keshawn Ledet are all capable backs. This is a good offense, but they need to do their part when it comes to the turnover margin. In the 35-29 loss to Samford, Central Arkansas completely dominated the game. However, they lost the turnover battle three to one and that was a big part of why they lost that game.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Carlos Blackman, RB, 559 yards
Passing: Hayden Hildebrand, QB, 2,668 yards
Receiving: Desmond Smith, WR, 808 yards
Tackles: George Odum, LB, 74
Sacks: Jordan Toliver, DL, 4.0
Interceptions: Tyler Williams, DB, 4
2016 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 213.8 (19th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 243.2 (36, 4)
Total Offense: 457.0 (14, 2)
Scoring Offense: 36.2 (14, 2)
Rushing Defense: 67.8 (1, 1)
Pass Defense: 232.9 (81, 3)
Total Defense: 300.7 (10, 1)
Scoring Defense: 16.8 (7, 1)
Turnover Margin: 1.00 (13, 1)
Sacks: 2.70 (17, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 0.90 (9, 2)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2012 Second Round Lost to Georgia Southern
2011 First Round Defeated Tennessee Tech
2011 Second Round Lost to Montana
*all team stats through 11/12
