CONWAY, Ark. _ A stadium record crowd of 12,755 came to see the new purple and gray turf at First Security Field at Estes Stadium on Thursday night.
The 18th-ranked University of Central Arkansas Bears sent them home happy with a 38-14 victory over the Henderson State Reddies in the season opener for both teams on a field that The Sporting News called “the coolest field in college football.’
The record crowd topped the mark of 12,620 set against Nicholls State in 2007. The fans got to experience the unique turf first hand as the overflow crowd made its way into the north end zone early in the first quarter.
Senior quarterback Nathan Dick completed 27 of 36 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns as the Bears rolled up 429 yards of total offense. UCA scored on both of its possessions in the first quarter, on a 21-yard pass from Dick to senior Derrick Steele and a 4-yard run by junior running back Terence Bobo.
The Bears settled for a 14-0 halftime lead, after holding the Reddies to 120 first-half yards. Redshirt freshman kicker Eddie Camara started his career off right with a 42-yard field goal that caromed off the right upright and fell through for a 17-0 lead with 1:45 left in the third period.
Camara, a transfer from Arkansas, was perfect in his first game at UCA, hitting his only field goal attempt and going five for five on point-after attempts.
UCA pushed its lead to 31-7 with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Dick to transfer receiver Al Lasker early in the fourth quarter. The Reddies, longtime foes in the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (NAIA) and later in the Gulf South Conference (NCAA Division II), avoided the shutout with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Nall to Jazz Scott midway throught the period.
UCA tacked on another touchdown on a 31-yard burst up the middle by redshirt freshman Roosevelt Turner on his first career carry. Israel Valentin scored with 1:23 left for the Reddies on a 9-yard run to set the final.
Dick, the preseason first-team All-Southland Conference quarterback, combined with sophomore Wynrick Smothers to complete passes to 10 different players. Junior transfer Jesse Grandy caught a team-high 7 passes for 76 yards, while junior Dominique Croom hauled in 6 for 79 yards. Bobo topped the running game with 43 yards on 12 carries. UCA played without starting running back Jackie Hinton, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
Smothers was 4 of 4 for 41 yards in fourth-quarter action.
Defensively, the Bears spread the wealth, with no player recording more than 6 tackles. Senior linebacker Jessie Sims from Baker, La., had an active night with four tackles, including one for a 3-yard loss, and an interception in the third quarter.
For the Reddies, Jarvis Smith had 87 rushing yards, while Nall completed 18 of 34 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Charles Gonsalves missed his only field goal attempt, bouncing it off the left upright in the second quarter.
UCA travels to Ruston, La., next weekend to face Louisiana Tech, an FBS school. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Joe Aillet Stadium.
