Central Arkansas at Eastern Washington, Saturday, 4:00
Central Arkansas came into the playoffs following a big 59-23 loss to Sam Houston State. Many thought the relatively untested Bears would struggle in the first round against Illinois State. And that was partially true. The Redbirds held a 17-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but UCA rallied for a 31-24 victory. The offense failed to get anything going on the ground, but quarterback Hayden Hildebrand was able to lead the comeback.
Central Arkansas should not have too much trouble scoring against Eastern Washington. The Eagles have a defense that allowed nearly 450 yards per game this season and Central Arkansas should be able to get more than 31 yards out of Carlos Blackman at EWU on Saturday. Eastern Washington has the most potent passing game in the FCS, averaging over 400 yards per game through the air. Quarterback Gage Gubrud threw for 4,071 yards during the regular season and 1,297 of those yards went to super wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
The Central Arkansas passing defense is not particularly strong and Eastern Washington is going to score a ton of points against the Bears. For Central Arkansas, they will have to get pressure on Gubrud from Jordan Toliver and the rest of the front line and hope Tyler Williams, Jaylon Lofton, Tremon Smith and Brandon Porter can pick off a pass or two and get the Eastern Washington off of the field. Meanwhile, Central Arkansas will need to have a balanced offense, attempt to slow down the game a little, and try to keep up with Eastern Washington offense.
Projected Score: Eastern Washington 45, Central Arkansas 28
See All FCS Playoff Breakdowns
