Despite a 40-17 loss against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, the UCA Bears still claimed a piece of the ASUN pie with a co-champion title alongside Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky.

UCA ended its 2022 football season with a 3-2 ASUN Conference record and a 5-6 overall record. 

Jacksonville started the game strong, taking a 16-0 lead off a 14-yard rush, followed by a 1-yard rush, both touchdowns claimed by redshirt sophomore running back Ron Wiggins. 

UCA sophomore wide receiver Trustin Oliver snagged the Bears’ first points with a touchdown pass coming from junior quarterback Will McElvain.

The Gamecocks brought the score up to 19-7 with a 25-yard field goal by JSU sophomore kicker Alen Karajic. To add insult to injury, JSU upped the score to 26-7. The Bears tried to recoup points with a 27-yard field goal from senior kicker Hayden Ray, topping the second quarter off at 26-10.

A fumble recovery at the start of the third, courtesy of redshirt freshman receiver Michael Pettway, allowed JSU to jump to 33-10. 

UCA tried to keep up via the team’s final touchdown of the night, earned by sophomore running back Kylin James on a 3-yard run.

Securing the score was redshirt senior quarterback Zion Webb, leaving the final score 40-17.

Coach Nathan Brown was proud of the team despite a frustrating first half of fumbles.

“I think the frustrating part for us tonight was just the first half,” Brown said. “I mean, you have four fumbles, you lose all four of them. We just couldn’t gain any momentum.”

Photo by Madison Ogle

A UCA helmet rests on the ground with a players gloves set on top.

Brown recognized Jacksonville State as a hard-fought team that the Bears were not prepared for. 

“I thought our guys battled. They played hard, they wanted it tonight. We just didn’t execute very well,” Brown said. “I look at just the preparation. I don’t know if there’s something I would change, but Jacksonville State looked a little more prepared than we did.”

JSU ended the night with a perfect ASUN Conference record of 5-0 and a 9-2 overall record. 

Jacksonville State was deemed ineligible for this year’s FCS playoffs, per NCAA rules as their program transitions to the Football Bowl Subdivision level. 

FCS, or NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, is the second highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision level. 

The ASUN issued a statement in September stating that the Gamecocks were not eligible to win the league’s football crown, even though their games counted in the standings, according to an article on jsugamecocksports.com.