CONWAY, Ark. _ The 17th-ranked University of Central Arkansas Bears survived a lightning delay, three turnovers and a feisty Murray State team on Saturday to grab a 26-13 victory at a soggy First Security Field at Estes Stadium and give first-year Bears head coach Nathan Brown his first victory.

Sophomore quarterback Breylin Smith completed 24 of 31 passes for 301 yards, with nine of those completions going to senior receiver Lester Wells for 158 yards, both career highs.  

The Bears (1-1) led 20-13 late in the second quarter when nearby lightning caused a 1:13 delay with 3:31 left in the first half. The sloppy conditions only got worse in the second half with UCA adding a 1-yard touchdown run by junior Carlos Blackman for the only score in the final 30 minutes. UCA reached MSU's 8 in the final minute of the game before letting the clock run out.

UCA finished the night with 444 yards of total offense despite losing a pair of fumbles and an interception. The Bears' defense held the Racers (0-2) to just 265 yards of total offense, including just 56 on the ground. UCA recorded 10 tackles for lost yardage, with senior tackle Eric Jackson leading the way with 2.5 for -10 yards. Senior linebacker Raphael Garner had a team-high 9 tackles, including 2.0 for loss and added a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

Junior safety Juan Jackson and sophomore cornerback Robert Rochell also caused MSU fumbles. Jackson also intercepted a Drew Anderson pass in the end zone that thwarted a potential second-quarter scoring drive for the Racers.
 

The Racers, who lost 49-10 to Southern Illinois in their opener last week, opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal from Gabriel Vincente with 12:13 left in the first half. Smith capped a 51-yard, eight-play scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:36 left in the quarter for a 7-3 lead, one they would never relinquish.

Vincente connected again from 24 yards after UCA's defense held in the opening minute of the second period after Jackie Harvell broke up a third-down MSU pass. UCA answered with Blackman's first one-yard touchdown but the extra point attempt was blocked after a delay of game and a poor snap. It was UCA's longest scoring drive of the night, consuming 72 yards in 11 plays. The Bears finished with a huge advantage in time of possession with 35:13 to MSU's 24:47.

Smith hooked up with Wells for a 25-yard touchdown strike with 7:56 left in the first half just before the weather delay. Wells, a senior from Natchez, Miss. and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, had 7 receptions for 131 yards in the first half alone.

MSU junior James Sappington hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Anderson with just :08 remaining in the first half to get the Racers within 20-13 at the break.
 

UCA's defense controlled the second half, limiting the Racers to just 68 yards of offense. MSU's five second-half drives ended in a fumble and four consecutive punts.The fumble was forced by Jackson at the Bears' 2 after a pass completion to Sappington, with junior cornerback Trai Moseley recovering in the UCA end zone for a touchback. MSU was just 4 of 17 on third-down conversion attempts for the game.

UCA gained 143 yards on the ground after just 82 in a loss at FBS Tulsa the previous week. Blackman had 62 yards on 20 carries and sophomore Kierre Crossley added 56 on just 10 attempts. Junior tight end Luke Ross caught a career-high four passes for 15 yards, the first receptions of his career after converting from linebacker.

The Bears, who improved to 34-7 at home on "The Stripes" since the field was installed in 2011, open Southland Conference play next Saturday on the road in Hammond, La., against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. SLU (0-2) lost 31-0 to No. 11 LSU on Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.