2020 Southland Conference football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Sam Houston State $^		6	–	0					10	–	0
No. 20 Southeastern Louisiana		4	–	2					4	–	3
No. 23 Nicholls		3	–	3					4	–	3
Incarnate Word		3	–	3					3	–	3
Lamar		2	–	4					2	–	4
McNeese State*		2	–	4					3	–	4
Northwestern State		1	–	5					1	–	5
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Note: Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, and Stephen F. Austin played only in the fall and opted out of the spring season. Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Stephen F. Austin			–						6	–	4
Tarleton State†			–						5	–	3
Central Arkansas			–						5	–	4
Presbyterian†			–						4	–	3
Eastern Kentucky			–						3	–	6
Dixie State†			–						2	–	3
Houston Baptist			–						1	–	3
Abilene Christian			–						1	–	5
Campbell			–						0	–	4
North Alabama			–						0	–	4
Note: † – Dixie State, Presbyterian, and Tarleton State played only in the spring. All other teams listed played only in the fall. Presbyterian was in a scheduling agreement with the Pioneer Football League, which it fully joined in July 2021.

The 2020 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bears were led by third-year head coach Nathan Brown and played their home games at Estes Stadium.

The Southland Conference released their original preseason poll in July 2020. The Bears were picked to finish first in the conference, prior to their schedule split from the rest of the league.^[1] In addition, thirteen Bears were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Central Arkansas*	190 (12)
2	Sam Houston State	170 (4)
3	Nicholls	169 (6)
4	Southeastern Louisiana	157
5	McNeese State	113
6	Incarnate Word	104
7	Abilene Christian*	101
8	Stephen F. Austin*	60
9	Houston Baptist*	59
10	Northwestern State	49
11	Lamar	38

(*) These teams opted out of playing in the revised spring 2021 Southland schedule, and instead played as Independent in the fall of 2020.

2020 Central Arkansas Bears football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 3 Breylin Smith Jr QB 7 Hunter Loyd Fr QB 10 Luke Hales Jr QB 17 Darius Bowers  So QB XX Hunter Eskola  So OL 60 Jordan Banks Fr OL 61 Sanderson Hines Jr OL 63 Toby Sanderson Sr OL 64 Riley Dod Fr OL 66 Jalan Henderson Fr OL 67 Chandler Knandel  Fr OL 69 Jesse Boshears  Fr OL 70 William Mayo Fr OL 71 Josh George So OL 72 Bakarius Collier Fr OL 73 Parker Ray So OL 75 Will Burgess Jr OL 76 Caleb Jones So OL 77 Derek Haupt Fr OL 78 Jaylin Hendrix Jr OL 79 Justin Lairy Fr RB 20 Marshun Douglas  Fr RB 21 Kierre Crossley Sr RB 23 Trysten Smith Fr RB 27 Derrick Wise Fr RB 28 Cameron Myers So RB 35 Corbin Humphrey So RB XX Michael George So TE 19 Sam Camargo Sr TE 32 Justin Morris Sr TE 35 James Clayton Fr TE 41 Joshua Nix Sr TE 43 Garrett Thomas  Fr TE 47 Austin Eldridge So TE 83 Riyada Anada So TE 85 Jack Short Sr TE 89 Haze Denton Fr WR 1 Tyler Hudson So WR 2 Jarrod Barnes Jr WR 5 LuJuan Winningham Jr WR 6 Dwight Blakey Sr WR 8 Tobias Enlow Sr WR 13 Myles Kitt-Denton Fr WR 80 Chris Howard  Fr WR 81 Christian Richmond So WR 82 Chris Hightower Fr WR 84 Brandon Myers Jr WR 86 Noah Bush So WR 87 Mitchell Perkinson Jr WR 88 Jared Long Fr WR XX Paul Amick So WR XX Robert Springer  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 4 Cameron Godfrey So DB 7 Nick Nakwaash  Fr DB 9 Robert Rochell Sr DB 11 Christian Cain Jr DB 12 Steve Mackey Jr. Jr DB 14 Leandre Rucks Sr DB 16 Davis Harrison Sr DB 22 Wesley Anusiem Jr DB 25 Chris Kershner Sr DB 26 Tamaurian Wilson Fr DB 29 Justin Meadows Sr DB 31 Kameryn Cuevas Jr DB 33 Deandre Lamont Jr DB 34 Laquez Embry Fr DB 36 Jackie Harvell Jr DB 37 Donte Jones  Fr DB 38 Simeon Dorson So DB XX Derrick Thompson So DB XX Quin Tucker So DE 50 J.W. Jones So DE 92 Jamal Mull Fr DE 93 Marquez Casey So DE 94 Nathan Grant Sr DL 42 Taurean Mays  Fr DL 49 Azuka Mgbemena Sr DL 55 Jalen Bedell Jr DL 86 Austin Norris Sr DL 90 A'Javius Brown Sr DL 91 Logan Jessup So DL 95 James Kitt  Fr DL 97 Caden Brown Jr DL 98 D'Mani Gibson Fr DT 99 Alejandro Ramirez So LB 15 TJ Campbell Jr LB 18 Malik Wilson Jr LB 24 Darin Davenport So LB 39 Trenton Dunn Sr LB 40 Kendarrius Moore Fr LB 43 Jy'Kevious Hibbler Fr LB 45 Dre Matthews Jr LB 51 Nicholas Gonzales  Fr LB 52 Dwain Hunt  Fr LB 54 Colson Simpson  Fr LB 56 Demetrius Charles  Fr OLB 30 DJ Reed Sr OLB 46 Victor Hill Sr OLB 96 Jeremiah Gray So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class DS 48 Justin Keijers So DS 59 Will Siler Jr P 44 Seren Hughes-Ford So K 53 Hayden Ray Jr K 57 Chandler Caughron  Fr	Head coach Nathan Brown (Central Arkansas) Coordinators/assistant coaches Brooks Hollingsworth (Central Arkansas) Assistant head coach/tight ends Ken Collums (Central Arkansas) Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Chad Williams (Southern Miss) Defensive coordinator/linebackers Gunnar Boykin (Southern Miss) Offensive line/recruiting coordinator Tony Davis (Troy) Defensive line Ryan Howard (Central Arkansas) Wide receivers/special teams Jacob Sisk (Central Arkansas) Safeties Chaz Scales (Arkansas State) Cornerbacks Nelson Gunnell (Central Arkansas) Running backs Tayler Polk (Mississippi) Outside linebackers Dalton Withrow (Central Arkansas) Director of equipment operations Stephanie Crain Assistant to the head coach [3] Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Central Arkansas had a game scheduled against Missouri, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4] Due to the Southland delaying conference play until Spring 2021, Central Arkansas is playing as an independent for the 2020 season. Since they are playing more than 3 games during the fall, Central Arkansas will not participate in conference play in the spring.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29[a]	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 13 Austin Peay*	No. 11	Crampton Bowl Montgomery, AL (FCS Kickoff)	ESPN	W 24–17	2,000
September 3	7:00 p.m.	at UAB*	No. 11	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	ESPN3	L 35–45	12,716
September 26	7:00 p.m.	Missouri State*	No. 11	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN3	W 27–20	2,000
October 3	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 North Dakota State*	No. 11	Fargodome Fargo, ND	ESPN+	L 28–39	471
October 10	6:00 p.m.	at Arkansas State*	No. 11	Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, AR	ESPN3	L 27–50	4,561
October 17	7:00 p.m.	at Missouri State*	No. 11	Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO	ESPN3	W 33–24	5,489
October 24	2:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky*	No. 11	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	ESPN3	L 28–31	2,932
October 31	3:00 p.m.	Missouri Western*	No. 11	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN3	W 52–10	2,452
November 14	3:00 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky*	No. 11	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	ESPN3	W 37–25	2,000
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Source:^[9]

Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff: Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total No. 13 Governors 7 3 0 7 17 • No. 11 Bears 0 6 7 11 24 Date: August 29 Location: Crampton Bowl Montgomery, AL Game start: 8:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:36 Game attendance: 2,000 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), Partly Cloudy, winds NE 3 mph Referee: Bob Johnson • Umpire: Steve Coullias • Linesman: Ritchie Godfre • Line judge: D. LaFontaine • Back judge: Brian Kovach • Field judge: Pat Jordan • Side judge: Cedric Clark TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie, Mike Golic Jr., and Lauren Sisler Sources:

Uniform combination: white helmet, white jersey, white pants w/ purple accents

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Central Arkansas at UAB

1 2 3 4 Total Bears 7 14 0 14 35 • Blazers 14 14 3 14 45 Date: September 3 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:45 Game attendance: 12,716 Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C), Clear, winds SW 5 mph Referee: Jonathan Noli • Umpire: John C. Mitchell • Linesman: Gary Calip • Line judge: Jonathan May • Back judge: Tom Healey • Field judge: Victor Sanchez • Side judge: Raymond Tate • Center judge: Chris Burnette TV announcers (ESPN3): Curt Bloom and Chad Pilcher Sources:

Uniform combination: white helmet, white jersey, white pants w/ purple accents

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Missouri State at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total MOST Bears 0 17 3 0 20 • UCA Bears 0 7 6 14 27 Date: September 26 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 7:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 2,000 Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Winds SSE 2 mph; Mostly Clear Referee: Ed Bourgeois • Umpire: David Williams • Linesman: Tony Wright • Line judge: Todd Allen • Back judge: Brendon Barnes • Field judge: Keith Claiborne • Side judge: Trey Castleberry TV announcers (ESPN3): John Liddle, Shea Walker, and Taylor Verrico Sources:

Uniform combination: white helmet, purple jersey, purple pants w/ white and gray accents

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Central Arkansas at North Dakota State

1 2 3 4 Total Bears 3 3 14 8 28 • Bison 0 10 8 21 39 Date: October 3 Location: Fargodome Fargo, ND Game start: 2:34 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:31 Game attendance: 471 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Indoors Referee: Matt Gallagher • Umpire: Tony Day • Linesman: Calvin Diggs • Line judge: Ivan Cardona • Back judge: Justin Staehr • Field judge: Stacy Jameson • Side judge: Phil Ayeni • Center judge: Jason Nickleby TV announcers (ESPN+): Brian Shawn, Lee Timmerman, and Ryan Gellner Sources:

Uniform combination: white helmet, white jersey, white pants w/ purple accents

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Central Arkansas at Arkansas State

1 2 3 4 Total Bears 3 10 0 14 27 • Red Wolves 2 21 20 7 50 Date: October 10 Location: Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, AR Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:45 Game attendance: 4,561 Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Winds NE 13 mph; Cloudy and Rainy Referee: Trennis Livingston • Umpire: Jason Yates • Linesman: Jim Kelley • Line judge: Carl Gioia • Back judge: Wayne Johnson • Field judge: Charles Green • Side judge: Brett Toney TV announcers (ESPN3): Roger Twibell, Pete Cordelli, and Cori Keller Sources:

Uniform combination: grey helmet, white jersey, white pants w/ purple accents

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Central Arkansas at Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total UCA Bears - - - - 0 MOST Bears - - - - 0 Date: October 17 Location: Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge: • Center judge: Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Uniform combination:

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Central Arkansas at Eastern Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total Bears - - - - 0 Blazers - - - - 0 Date: October 24 Location: Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge: • Center judge: Sources:

Uniform combination:

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Missouri Western at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Griffons - - - - 0 Bears - - - - 0 Date: October 31 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge: • Center judge: Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Uniform combination:

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Eastern Kentucky at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Colonels - - - - 0 Bears - - - - 0 Date: November 14 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge: • Center judge: Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Uniform combination:

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Central Arkansas at Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total Bears - - - - 0 Ragin' Cajuns - - - - 0 Date: November 21 Location: Cajun Field Lafayette, LA Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge: • Center judge: Sources:

Uniform combination:

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Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
4	130	Robert Rochell	CB	Los Angeles Rams