2012 Central Arkansas Bears football team

The 2012 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by 13th year head coach Clint Conque and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 9–3, 6–1 in Southland play to share the conference championship with Sam Houston State. Due to their victory over Sam Houston State, the Bears received the Southland's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the second round to Georgia Southern.

2012 Central Arkansas Bears football
Southland co-champion
FCS Playoffs Second Round, L 16–24 vs. Georgia Southern
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 8
FCS Coaches	No. 8
2012 record	9–3 (6–1 Southland)
Head coach	Clint Conque (13th season)
Offensive coordinator	Brooks Hollingsworth
Defensive coordinator	Matt Williamson
Home stadium	Estes Stadium (Capacity: 8,700)

2012 Southland Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Sam Houston State +^		6	–	1					11	–	4
No. 8 Central Arkansas +^		6	–	1					9	–	3
Southeastern Louisiana		5	–	2					5	–	6
McNeese State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	3					5	–	6
Northwestern State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Lamar		1	–	6					4	–	8
Nicholls State		0	–	7					1	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant As of Final Standings; Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

Media

All Central Arkansas games can be listened to on KHLR 106.7 FM and are streamed online through the station's website.

Schedule

[1]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 PM	at Ole Miss*	No. 24	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	CSS PPV	L 27–49	50,544
September 8	6:00 PM	at Murray State*	No. 25	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	OVC Digital Network	W 42–20	9,848
September 15	6:00 PM	Bacone*		Estes Stadium Conway, AR		W 70–3	9,079
September 22	3:00 PM	No. 3 Sam Houston State	No. 25	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	SLC TV	W 24–21	10,157
September 29	6:00 PM	at Stephen F. Austin	No. 16	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX		L 37–42	7,324
October 6	6:00 PM	Nicholls State	No. 24	Estes Stadium Conway, AR		W 34–14	4,357
October 13	7:00 PM	at No. 19 McNeese State	No. 21	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (Red Beans and Rice Bowl)		W 27–26	12,913
October 20	6:00 PM	Lamar	No. 19	Estes Stadium Conway, AR		W 24–14	9,374
October 27	7:00 PM	at Southeastern Louisiana	No. 14	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	Southeastern Channel	W 34–14	6,795
November 3	7:00 PM	Northwestern State	No. 14	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	SLC TV	W 35–14	11,579
November 17	5:00 PM	No. 24 Eastern Illinois*	No. 10	Estes Stadium Conway, AR		W 48–30	6,754
December 1	1:00 PM	at No. 6 Georgia Southern*	No. 8	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	ESPN3	L 16–24	8,888
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll released prior to game Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Ole Miss

See also: 2012 Ole Miss Rebels football team

#24 Central Arkansas at Ole Miss

1 2 3 4 Total #24 Bears 7 13 0 7 27 • Rebels 14 0 14 21 49 Date: September 1 Location: Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS Game start: 6:06 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:12 Game attendance: 50,544 Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C), Fair, winds SW at 14 mph Referee: Matt Loeffler TV announcers (CSS PPV): Richard Cross and Brett Norsworthy Sources:

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Murray State

See also: 2012 Murray State Racers football team

#25 Central Arkansas at Murray State

1 2 3 4 Total • #25 Bears 14 14 7 7 42 Racers 0 13 7 0 20 Date: September 8 Location: Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY Game start: 6:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 9,848 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Mostly clear, winds 5-10mph Referee: Matt Young TV announcers (OVC Digital Network): Neal Bradley and Paul Bubb Sources:

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Bacone College

Bacone College at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Warriors 0 3 0 0 3 • Bears 21 21 21 7 70 Date: September 15 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 2:53 Game attendance: 9,079 Referee: Buddy Gingras Sources:

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#3 Sam Houston State

See also: 2012 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

The 7th meeting between the Bearkats and the Bears will provide one team with the series lead. Currently the two are 3-3 in head-to-head matches with the Bears having won the first 3 matches and the Bearkats having won the past 3.[2]

#3 Sam Houston State at #25 Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total #3 Bearkats 10 0 0 10 20 • #25 Bears 0 7 3 14 24 Date: September 22 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 3:05 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 10,157 Referee: Mike Dean TV announcers (SLC TV): Randy McIlvoy, Shea Walker, & Erin Cofiell Sources:

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Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2012 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

The Bears look to build on last years win and build upon the 4-2 record they have against the Lumberjacks. However, the Lumberjacks have recent history on their side, having won the 2009 and 2010 matches.[3]

#16 Central Arkansas at Stephen F. Austin

1 2 3 4 Total #16 Bears 21 0 7 9 37 • Lumberjacks 15 20 0 7 42 Date: September 29 Location: Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:42 Game attendance: 7,324 Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), Rainy Referee: Randy Christal TV announcers (Lumberjack TV): Rob Meyers and Max Holmes Sources:

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Nicholls State

See also: 2012 Nicholls State Colonels football team

The Bears have never lost to the Colonels at home, owning a 3-0 record and a 4-2 series lead overall. The Bears have also won 3 straight in the series and 4 of the last 5 games.[4]

Nicholls State at #24 Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Colonels 7 6 0 0 13 • #24 Bears 7 6 14 7 34 Date: October 6 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:37 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:45 Game attendance: 4,357 Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), Overcast and Rainy Referee: Buddy Gingras TV announcers (UCA Gameday): Justin Acri Sources:

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McNeese State

See also: 2012 McNeese State Cowboys football team

The Bears own a 3-3 record against the Cowboys. However, they have won two games in a row and 3 of the last 4 to even the series.[5]

#21 Central Arkansas at #19 McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • #21 Bears 7 3 0 17 27 #19 Cowboys 3 9 0 14 26 Date: October 13 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 12,913 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), Partly Cloudy, winds SSE 17mph Referee: Alan Eck TV announcers (UCA Gameday): Justin Acri Sources:

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Lamar

See also: 2012 Lamar Cardinals football team

The Cardinals head to Conway, Arkansas for the second match against their SLC rival, the Bears. Currently Central Arkansas leads the series 1-0.[6]

Lamar at #19 Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 7 7 14 • #19 Bears 0 17 0 7 24 Date: October 20 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:35 Game attendance: 9,374 Referee: Buddy Gingras TV announcers (UCA Gameday): Justin Acri Sources:

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Southeastern Louisiana

See also: 2012 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

The team the Bears have had the most success against in the SLC is the Lions. The Bears own a 4-1 series advantage and have won two straight as they head into this 2012 contest.[7]

Central Arkansas at Southeastern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 7 7 7 13 34 Lions 0 0 14 0 14 Date: October 27 Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 6,795 Referee: Alan Eck TV announcers (Southeastern Channel): Allen Waddell and Trey Willie Sources:

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Northwestern State

See also: 2012 Northwestern State Demons football team

SLC play ends with the match against the Demons. The rivalry has been unexpectedly close, with the Bears hold a 3-2 series advantage. After winning in 2011, the Bears hope to make it two consecutive wins.[8]

Northwestern State at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 7 7 0 0 14 • Bears 14 14 7 0 35 Date: November 3 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 11,579 Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) Referee: Ken Ray TV announcers (SLC TV): Randy McIlvoy, Shea Walker, and Brooke Bentley Sources:

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Eastern Illinois

See also: 2012 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

Eastern Illinois at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 7 16 0 7 30 • Bears 10 14 10 14 48 Date: November 17 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 5:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 6,754 Referee: Buddy Gingras TV announcers (UCA Gameday): Justin Acri Sources:

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Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
Sports Network	24	25	RV	25	16	24	21	19	14	13	14	10	8	8
Coaches	19	20	20	21	14	20	17	17	14	13	13	10	8	8

References

1. "Central Arkansas announces 2012 football schedule". Arkansas Online. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
2. "Central Arkansas vs. Sam Houston State All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
3. "Central Arkansas vs. Stephen F. Austin All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
4. "Central Arkansas vs. Nicholls State All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
5. "Central Arkansas vs. McNeese State All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
6. "Central Arkansas vs. Lamar All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
7. "Central Arkansas vs. Southeastern Louisiana All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
8. "Central Arkansas vs. Northwestern State All-time results". College Football reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.