CONWAY, Ark. _ The  University of Central Arkansas Bears are hoping for better weather and a better outcome when they tee it up Saturday night against the Nicholls State Colonels.

The No. 20 Bears (3-2, 1-1) dropped their first Southland Conference game of the season last week at Stephen F. Austin in a torrential downpour in Nacogdoches, Texas. Rain is in the forecast again for Saturday’s game, but the Bears should be ready for it this time.

The Colonels (1-2, 0-0) are coming off an open date. Their previous outing was a 42-0 victory over Evangel College. Nicholls had its season opener with Oregon State postponed until December because of Hurricane Isaac.

The Bears grabbed a win over then-No. 3 Sam Houston State in their last outing at First Security Field at Estes Stadium. The Bears are the top scoring team in the Southland Conference, averaging 40 points per game.  However, UCA actually trails Nicholls in total offense. The Colonels average 413 yards per game to UCA’s 394.6.

UCA is ranked first in the nation in tackles for loss with 9.8 per game. The Bears also have a league-high nine interceptions, more than halfway to their season total of 17 from last season when they played 13 games.  UCA is also first in the league in kickoff returns (26.3) and second in punt returns (23.1).

An interesting matchup to watch will be the SLC’s top punt returner in UCA’s Jesse Grandy (21.2) against the league’s top punter in Nicholls’ Cory Kemps (44.1).

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Estes Stadium. The UCA Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2012 will be introduced in a pregame ceremony.

Follow all the action at ucagameday.com.