UCA report

Bears' season of firsts

UCA Coach Steve Campbell is shown in this file photo.
UCA Coach Steve Campbell is shown in this file photo.

At least a few say they saw it coming.

With their 34-0 victory over the Abilene Christian Wildcats on Saturday at Estes Stadium in Conway, the University of Central Arkansas Bears completed their first undefeated Southland Conference football season and their first outright Southland championship.

UCA senior left tackle Cade Camp said when Coach Steve Campbell talked to the team shortly after it was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs at Eastern Washington last season, he said players who returned for 2017 would have an opportunity to play for a conference and national championship.

With the conference victory Saturday, UCA earned a first-round bye through the playoffs and will open at Estes on Dec. 2 against the winner of the first-round New Hampshire-Central Connecticut State game, scheduled for Saturday at New Hampshire.

"He met with us and said that this would be the year to do it, so this is what we expected," Camp said. "It's obviously worked out really well, and we should have four more games left, hopefully."

A fourth game would be for the national championship, scheduled for Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Offensive coordinator Nathan Brown said UCA's run through the regular season was ideal preparation.

"Coach Campbell has established a mentality and a culture, and it's almost gotten to the point that people kind of make a joke of it, but it's one game at a time for us," Brown said. "I think we've been playing toward a tournament-style process throughout the whole year, and that started with Game 1 of the conference season."

"Our expectations are high," Campbell said. "Now, in order to do that, we have to win the first one, but we do have expectations of definitely making a run at a national championship, and we've had that as a goal since we started workouts after the Eastern Washington game last year."

Bye-week schedule

Throughout the season, Central Arkansas has followed the same schedule: Sundays came with minimal practice time, film review of the previous game, and a look ahead at the next opponent. The team took its mandatory day off on Mondays and used the next four days to prepare for Saturday games.

Since UCA has a bye through the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs, its next game is scheduled for Dec. 2 at Estes Stadium in Conway against the winner of Saturday's first-round game between New Hampshire and Central Connecticut State.

UCA Coach Steve Campbell replaced the mandatory day off with three days off -- Thanksgiving Day, today and Saturday. His team practiced Monday through Wednesday morning and will return for a full practice Sunday, followed by the practice schedule common to the regular season.

"We'll use this week to get rested up and a little bit healthy," Campbell said. "We need it. We've played nine in a row. After that, this Sunday, to get them back into the swing of things and get them going after the Thanksgiving break, we'll have a good, full practice."

Wind reflections

There were plenty of stars on the field in the Central Arkansas Bears' 34-0 victory over the Abilene Christian Wildcats at Estes Stadium on Saturday, but the figurative headline-grabber for many was the strong and constant wind that blew from the north throughout the game.

Gusts occasionally surpassed 50 miles an hour and made southern flights of hats and hot-dog wrappers a common sight from the grandstands. But a pass that overcame the wind stole the show early and gave UCA momentum that would not be overcome.

Following a holding penalty against UCA and two wind-proof handoffs from senior quarterback Hayden Hildebrand to freshman Kierre Crossley, Hildebrand and offensive coordinator Nathan Brown saw that ACU's defense was stacked to stop the run.

Senior slot receiver Brandon Cox faced the one-on-one coverage of a safety who had no chance to match his speed.

Despite the wind that blew directly into his quarterback's face, Brown called for a deep pass to Cox for the second official play from scrimmage. The result: A 78-yard touchdown that gave UCA a 7-0 lead with a total of 58 seconds played.

"In my coaching career, that was the most severe wind I've ever been a part of," Brown said. "From an offensive standpoint, and coaching quarterbacks, there's nothing worse than wind."

UCA Coach Steve Campbell said the play should help make Hildebrand, the Southland Conference player of the year, a top contender for NCAA FCS player of the year.

"That wind's gusting up to 40 and 50 miles an hour, and the third play from scrimmage we call a go ball, and he don't blink," Campbell said. "Boom, puts it right on the money into a gust, 78-yard touchdown, and it's 7-0, strike up the band. Forget the statistics. To me, that's player-of-the-year stuff."

Sports on 11/25/2017

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