Stephen F. Austin 42, Cent. Arkansas 37
Gus Johnson rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns to lead Stephen F. Austin to a soggy 42-37 victory against Central Arkansas on Saturday night.
Johnson, a sophomore, scored on 2-, 66-, 3- and 1-yard runs for the Lumberjacks (2-3, 1-0 Southland Conference). Brady Attaway passed for 296 yards and two TDs, both in the second quarter as Stephen F. Austin took control by outscoring Central Arkansas 20-0.
The Bears (3-2, 1-1) had just 217 total yards and were held to 16 in the second quarter. The Lumberjacks led 35-21 at halftime.
On the water-logged artificial turf, the teams combined for 13 fumbles, eight of them lost. Jonath Woodard returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown to get Central Arkansas within 42-35 with 4:29 remaining, but the Bears netted a combined 6 yards on their last three possessions, and Stephen F. Austin gave up a safety in the final seconds.