SAN ANTONIO, Texas _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears took home another Southland Conference championship at a familiar site on Friday night, thanks in large part to a school record by a sophomore quarterback and a couple of highlight-reel catches from a true freshman.

The 11th-ranked Bears turned that offensive combination into a 52-35 victory over the UIW Cardinals at Benson Stadium and into their second SLC title in the past three years. The Bears wrapped up the 2017 championship with a similar road win over the Cardinals.

The 11th-ranked Bears (9-3, 7-2) earned a share of the conference championship with Nicholls and a spot in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs that start next Saturday. 

Smith, a redshirt sophomore from Conway, completed 25 of 38 passes for 296 yards to break the school mark for single-season passing yards at UCA and now has 3,506 yards. His career-high five touchdown passes also puts him tied for second in a single season with 31 on the year. Hudson, a true freshman from Spring, Texas, caught nine passes for a career-high 161 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of SportsCenter receptions that helped the Bears hand the Cardinals their fifth consecutive loss. The 52 points scored was a season-high for the Bears and avenged a late-season loss to the Cardinals a year ago in Conway.

The Bears, under the direction of second-year head coach Nathan Brown, earned their fifth trip to the FCS Playoffs in nine years. UCA will find out its next opponent and site during the FCS Playoff Selection Show at 11:30 a.m.Sunday on ESPNU. The Bears are projected to be playing at home next Saturday and have an outside chance of receiving a Top 8 seed which comes with a first-round bye.

Smith completed 18 of 26 passes (69.2 percent) for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. After sophomore placekicker Hayden Ray gave the Bears an early 3-0 lead with a 42-yard field goal midway through the first quarter, the scoring spree began as Smith found sophomore Jarrod Barnes from 4 yards out to push the lead to 10-0 in the opening minute of the second period.
   

UIW answered with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jon Copeland to Jaelin Campbell but Smith struck again, hitting junior Joe Hampton with a 9-yard touchdown, capping a 12-play, 77-yard scoring drive and giving the Bears a 17-7 lead. Smith then found Hampton for a 44-yard gain, setting up a 14-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Hudson with just 57 seconds left in the half. It was the first of Hudson's three TDs, which now has him tied with Aaron Fairooz (2005) for second in UCA history with 12, trailing only Ron Mallett, who had 14 touchdown receptions in 1979.

But the Cardinals' Ce'cori Tolds returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to get UIW within two scores, 24-14, at halftime. The Bears piled up 256 yards of total offense on 47 plays in the opening half. UIW had just 133 on 25 plays. The Bears had the ball for 20:14 of the 30 minutes in the first half and totaled 13 first downs to the Cardinals' 6.

The Bears added 28 more points in the second half, with the final scored a nifty 46-yard kickoff return by senior Carlos Blackman on UIW's onside kick attempt with 2:18 remaining in the game. Blackman also had his 30th rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter, which ties him for fifth in UCA history. His kickoff return was his 37th total touchdown, but first ever on a kickoff return.
 

The Bears' Smith and the Cardinals' Copeland combined for 634 yards and seven touchdown passes with no interceptions, The teams, sparked by their respective quarterbacks, combined for 84 points after a 3-0 first quarter. Copeland got UIW within 31-28 with an eight-yard keeper late in the third period, but Blackman scored from 18 yards out and Smith found Hudson once again for a twisting, turning 27-yard touchdown reception that pushed the lead back to 45-28 with 5:30 remaining.

Blackman had 80 yards rushing and finished with 125 all-purpose yards. Junior Kierre Crossley added 55 rushing yards as the Bears controlled the clock in the fourth quarter. Ray kicked a career-high seven PATs for the Bears.

The Bears have won at least nine games for the sixth time since moving to Division I in 2006-07, and the third time in the past four years. A home playoff game on "The Stripes" would be UCA's third in the past four years.