McElvain, Hale help Central Arkansas beat Austin Peay 49-20

Updated Oct. 1, 2022 10:39 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CONWAY, Ark. (AP) — Will McElvain threw four touchdown passes, Darius Hale added two rushing TDs and Central Arkansas scored 42 second-half points to beat Austin Peay 49-20 Saturday night.

McElvain completed 20 of 31 passes for 261 yards with an interception and completed at least one pass to nine different receivers. Hale finished with 12 carries for 50 yards.

On the game's opening drive, Austin Peay failed to convert a fourth-and-1 play from its own 34 and five plays later McElvain hit Christian Richmond for a 14-yard touchdown with 11:38 left in the first quarter and Central Arkansas (2-3, 1-0 ASUN) led the rest of the way.

Maddux Trujillo kicked a 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter and a 23-yarder just before halftime to make it 7-6 but McElvain connected with Myles Kitt-Denton for a 44-yard touchdown just over a minute into the third quarter, Hale scored on a 1-yard run that made it 21-6 fewer than 2 minutes later and Jarrod Barnes returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown to give Central Arkansas a 28-6 lead with 10:18 left in the third quarter.

Austin Peay's Kam Thomas had a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter to make it 28-13.

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