CONWAY, Ark. _ University of Central Arkansas head coach Clint Conque said the road to a Southland Conference football championship usually runs through Lake Charles, La., or more specifically, the McNeese State Cowboys.
The Bears will test that theory on Saturday when they take on the Cowboys at 7 p.m. at Cowboy Stadium in a battle of Top 25 teams. UCA enters the game at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play and ranked No. 17 in one poll and No. 21 in the other. McNeese State is 15th and 19th with a 4-1 overall mark and a 1-1 league mark.
The teams will be battling for the “Red Beans and Rice Bowl” trophy, which the Bears have won the past two years. The overall series between the teams is tied at 3-3. Ironically, the home team has won every game.
When the Bears finished first in the SLC with a 6-1 record in 2008, it included a 47-30 victory over the Cowboys in the regular-season finale. Currently the Bears are a half game behind league leader Southeastern Louisiana (2-0) and a half game ahead of third-place McNeese.
UCA is coming off a 34-14 victory over Nicholls State at First Security Field at Estes Stadium. McNeese State was idle last week after beating Northwestern State 30-22 at home on Sept. 29. The Bears will be the first ranked opponent for the Cowboys this season. UCA beat then-No. 3 Sam Houston State back on Sept. 22.
McNeese State has two coaches who were on the UCA staff last season in running backs coach Slade Nagle and defensive backs coach Chris Hampton. Conque coached for three years at McNeese State in the last 1980s.
The Bears feature one of the top passing offenses in the SLC, averaging 263.7 yards per game. McNeese State has the top run defense (63.6 yards per game) and the No. 2 overall defense (302.4). UCA junior quarterback Wynrick Smothers is second in passing (251.0) and total offense (284.7), while senior receiver Jesse Grandy is second in receptions per game (5.5) and senior Dominique Croom is second in receiving yards per game (70.0).
Grandy is also No. 2 in both punt returns (18.3) and kickoff returns (29.5). Junior linebacker Justin Heard is second in tackles for loss (8) as UCA leads the nation in that category (8.8 per game).
Kickoff is 7 p.m. Follow the action at ucagameday.com.
