CONWAY, Ark. — ShunDerrick Powell excelled on the field, rushing for 140 yards across 19 carries, as the 13th-ranked Central Arkansas Bears managed to hold off a challenging effort from West Georgia, securing a nail-biting victory at 34-33 on Saturday.

The Bears initially dominated the game, establishing a 34-10 advantage before West Georgia made a significant comeback, scoring three touchdowns along with a field goal in a frantic last quarter-and-a-half.

With just 27 seconds left on the clock, quarterback Quincy Casey connected with Dylan Gary for a 4-yard touchdown pass, narrowing Central Arkansas’s lead to just one point, 34-33. However, the Wolves chose to go for a two-point conversion, but Casey’s pass to Tyion Berry was off the mark, resulting in a failure to complete the play. Central Arkansas then recovered the ensuing on-side kick, effectively sealing the victory by running out the remaining time.

Earlier in the game, West Georgia, trailing 14-10, posed a serious threat just before halftime. However, Dillon Williams intercepted a pass from Casey and returned it a staggering 90 yards for a touchdown, pushing Central Arkansas ahead 21-10.

Casey ended the night with a performance that included 26 completed passes out of 50 attempts for 299 yards, alongside four touchdowns, but the interception proved to be a crucial error.

Both Central Arkansas and West Georgia have a historical rivalry that stems back to their days in the Gulf South Conference during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and they had not faced each other since 2003.

This season marks West Georgia’s first in the United Athletic Conference and its inaugural year at the Division I level. Overall, Central Arkansas maintains a slight edge in the all-time series, leading 5-4.