FCS program Central Arkansas walked off the field with their seventh victory of the season thanks to a last second Hail Mary completion against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday evening.
Trailing 24–21 with three seconds to play, Bears quarterback Will McElvain took the shotgun snap, evaded the pass rush to his left and heaved a prayer towards the end zone.
After the ball was batted through the air by the goal line a couple different times, wide receiver Jarrod Barnes came up with the football in traffic and broke the plane of the goal line for the touchdown.
PURPLE & GREY HAIL MARYYYYYYYYY CENTRAL ARKANSAS WINS!! pic.twitter.com/83D4y4UdA5
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) November 12, 2023
Thanks to the miracle ending, Central Arkansas picked up a crucial United Athletic Conference victory to move to 7–3 overall and 4–1 in league play.
The winner of next Saturday’s game between Central Arkansas and 8–2 (5–0) Austin Peay will advance to the FCS playoffs by virtue of the UAC’s automatic playoff bid.