CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears return to action on Saturday, taking on the McNeese State Cowboys in Southland Conference play in Lake Charles, La.
        
    UCA (4-1, 3-0) is coming off its only open date of the season and now faces a stretch of six consecutive games, with four of those on the road.

    "The open date came at a good time for us,' said UCA head coach Steve Campbell. "We had a couple of guys who were a little banged up from the first five weeks of the season. We had a couple of shoulders and a couple of ankles and things here and there. So last week was really good to give those guys a chance to get in the training room and get those things well.

    "And now we're about to play a very good McNeese football team. They are a very, very formidable football team. Outstanding on defense, second in the league to us in total defense. And offensively, they are third in the league in total offense. They are very good on both sides of the football with a lot of great talent.'

    Campbell said McNeese has a little different philosophy on offense this season under new head coach Lance Guidry, the Cowboys' former defensive coordinator.

    "McNeese has always been a really hard-nosed, downhill, running-the-football type team,' Campbell said. "This year they are lining up in a lot of the same sets with some of the same players, and they are still very effective at running the football. But what they are doing this year, their quarterback (Arkansas State transfer James Tabary) has already thrown for more yards than they threw for all of last year. They can really throw the football this year.

    "The quarterback is very efficient, does a great job of protecting the football, very accurate. They've got some outstanding receivers. They have some guys on the outside that can go. They have a really good receiving corps.' 
    
    UCA, ranked 22nd and 23rd in the two national FCS polls this week, sits in a virtual tie for first place in the conference standings with Sam Houston State (4-0). The Cowboys, who lost at Southeastern Louisiana last week on a last-second touchdown pass, dropped out of both polls this week. McNeese State leads the overall series with UCA 5-4 and is 3-1 in games played in south Louisiana. However, the Bears won the last time they played there, in 2012, when Eddie Camara kicked a game-winning 47-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in a 27-26 victory.

    "Our guys are very excited about the opportunity to go down there and play these guys,' said Campbell. "We have a lot of respect for McNeese and for what they've been able to accomplish over the years. In the Southland Conference, it's week to week. That's why we talk to our players about one week at a time, one game at a time. Put blinders on and just focus on what we have this week.

    "You better be ready each and every week in this conference. Everybody has a good football team. This is a very tough conference.'

    Two weeks ago, the Bears went on the road and dominated Abilene Christian 58-27 in Abilene. UCA rolled up 502 yards of offense _ a season-high 329 on the ground _ and scored touchdowns via the rush, pass, kickoff return and interception return. The Bears' defense held ACU to just 253 total yards of offense, and just 55 on the ground.

    UCA's defense is No. 2 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in rush defense, allowing only 54.8 rushing yards per game. The Bears are No. 1 in the SLC in total defense and scoring defense and are No. 2 in red-zone defense.

    Saturday's game will be and ESPN3 broadcast with a 6 p.m. kickoff.