Arkansas
Ole Miss Football Week Two Opponent Preview: Central Arkansas Bears Offense
After kicking off the 2022 season against the Troy Trojans at home, the Ole Miss Rebels will welcome the Central Arkansas Bears to Vaught Hemingway Stadium in week two of the college football season.
Just like Ole Miss, Central Arkansas will be taking the field with some new faces on the roster.
2021 starting quarterback Breylin Smith decided to go pro, while backup quarterback Darius Bowers entered the transfer portal following the 2021 season. The Bears also lost their No. 1 receiver to the transfer portal. Tyler Hudson is now a Louisville Cardinal after being named an FCS All-American in 2021.
The Rebels and Bears will kick off at 6 p.m. CT on Sept. 10. On Monday, we did an overview of the Central Arkansas program, now we will dive deeper into the Bears’ offense. Here is a look at the Bears’ offensive playmakers for the 2022 season.
Returning Offensive Leaders
Passing: Will McElvain
McElvain appeared in four games and started in two for the Northern Iowa Panthers in 2021, throwing for 237 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on 41 passing attempts.
Rushing: Darius Hale
Hale: 199 carries, 1,015 yards, 17 touchdowns, averaged 5.1 yards per carry
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Receiving: Christian Richmond
Richmond: 31 receptions, 342 yards, six touchdowns, averaged 11.0 yards per reception
Offensive Transfers
QB Will McElvain (Northern Iowa), WR Nnamdi Adim-Madumere (Minnesota)
Major Storylines
As mentioned above, Central Arkansas lost key contributors on the offensive side of the ball to the transfer portal and the pros. The Bears have replaced 2021 starting quarterback, Breylin Smith, with quarterback Will McElvain who transferred to Central Arkansas after four seasons with Northern Iowa. In four years with the Panthers, McElvain threw for 4,064 yards and 27 touchdowns.
To fill the void left by former No. 1 receiver Tyler Hudson, the Bears also added Minnesota receiver Nnamdi Adim-Madumere via the transfer portal. Adim-Madumere redshirted in 2019 and did not play in 2020 or 2021.
The Central Arkansas running backs room will be led by sophomore running back Darius Hale. In his freshman year, Hale rushed for over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns on 199 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Hale will once again be the bell cow of the Central Arkansas rushing attack after no other running back on the Bears’ roster eclipsed 300 rushing yards in 2021.
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Arkansas
Arkansas basketball drops back out of AP Top 25
The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-3, 0-1 SEC) fell back out of the AP College Basketball Top 25 on Monday.
The drop out of the rankings comes after Arkansas split its games last week. The Hogs took a 92-62 win over Oakland to finish the non-conference slate, but were thrashed 76-52 on the road by No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday to open conference play.
The Razorbacks did, however, receive the second-most votes of unranked teams.
This week isn’t much easier for the Hogs, who will face two teams ranked in the Top 25, though the two games come at home. No. 23 Ole Miss comes to Fayetteville on Wednesday and the Hogs will face No. 8 Florida on Saturday.
All told, there are nine SEC teams in the AP Poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 8 Florida, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 23 Ole Miss.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Razorbacks rank 40th overall (12.5 BPI, 11th in SEC) with a 5.6 offensive and 7.0 defensive rating. Arkansas is projected to finish with an 18.8-12.2 (7.8-10.2 SEC) overall record and it has a 0.2% chance to win the SEC.
Despite the blowout loss on Saturday, Arkansas’ NET ranking actually improved one spot from last Monday. The Razorbacks sit at No. 40, up from No. 43 last week. The Hogs are 1-3 in Quad 1 games, 1-0 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4.
Here is the full AP Top 25 from Monday:
Arkansas
3 area athletes, 1 coach selected for All-Arkansas Preps football team
Arkansas
Texarkana, Arkansas, Board of Directors to appoint assistant mayor, consider runway project | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
TEXARKANA, Ark. — A long-serving city leader will be installed as assistant mayor Monday at the Board of Directors’ first regular meeting of 2025.
Ward 2 Director Laney Harris will take the oath of office in line with a 2023 ordinance that lays out the order directors are appointed to the one-year term of assistant mayor.
The rotation, which began in 2023, is Ward 1, Ward 6, Ward 2, Ward 4, Ward 5 and Ward 3.
Ward 6 Director Jeff Hart, who did not seek reelection in November, was the assistant mayor in 2024.
Harris represented Ward 2 for two terms until 2005 and has been re-elected every four years since 2008.
In other business, the board will consider a resolution authorizing Airport Executive Director Paul Mehrlich to enter a contract with McClelland Engineering for a runway strengthening project at Texarkana Regional Airport. The project is for the 6,602-foot asphalt runway designated as 4-22.
McClelland has given a cost of $502,203.20 for engineering and design. The state of Arkansas will cover $451,982.88 of the fee, with the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, absorbing $22,503.73. The city of Texarkana, Texas, will be left with the remaining $27,716.59.
The two Texarkanas jointly own the airport.
The Arkansas side’s share of the expense was part of its budget for fiscal year 2024, according to meeting documents.
In August 2024, the Arkansas Legislative Council approved $16.7 million for upgrades at the nearly 100-year-old airfield.
“The infrastructure improvements will include the expansion of the runway and taxiways that will enable the airport to take on cargo and maintenance repair overhaul work. The improvements will also equip the airport to support larger aircraft, including the Boeing 777,” according to a news release.
The Board of Directors meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 216 Walnut St.
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