CONWAY, Ark. _  The University of Central Arkansas Bears find the unlikeliest of ways to win football games.

The No. 11 Bears beat Missouri State 27-20 on Saturday night, despite getting just 177 yards of total offense and zero receptions from its top receiver. And won after trailing 20-7 midway through the third quarter. And won with just 11 total yards of offense in the fourth quarter, one in which they still managed to get 14 points from its defense and special teams.

The Bears scored three touchdowns in a span of 2:13 late in the third quarter and early fourth period to record their eighth comeback victory over the past 16 games. Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson had two of the scores, with a 7-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Breylin Smith at the 1:24 mark of the third quarter. He added the final score with a 57-yard punt return with 14:11 to play.

In between, junior linebacker Dre Matthews turned in the play of the game, with a 30-yard scoop-and-score fumble return that tied the game at 20-20 with 14:48 remaining. UCA's defense, stellar all night, forced three consecutive incomplete passes by MSU and Hudson then took the punt to the house, UCA's first punt return for a touchdown since Tremon Smith returned one 47 yards for a score against Arkansas State in 2016.

"We have to wipe the slate clean,' said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. "We did not play a good three quarters. In fact, that was probably one of our poorer performances for three quarters that I've been a part of. But again, it just shows the resiliency of our football team, different guys stepping up, different guys making plays when it mattered. And just believing. At the end of the day, it's about belief. 

"Football never goes to script, it never goes to plan. We talk about that every day. That's why we do different stuff in practice, to practice for games like this. But our guys believed and they found a way to win the game. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see the belief these guys have in our team. We look bad at times. We were down 20-7, on offense we didn't play our best game. Special teams had blunders, but the defense kept us in the game throughout. We know any win is a good win, especially at this point in a season like this, so we're excited about it.'

The Bears struggled for three quarters on offense, accumulating just 166 yards of offense and nine first downs on 47 plays. They only added 11 more yards and another first down in the fourth quarter but were bailed out by opportunistic defense and special teams units. Hudson had four returns for 83 yards and caught four passes for 62 more yards. UCA's No. 1 receiver Lujuan Winningham was shut out as the Bears completed just nine passes for 79 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The Bears also had a punt blocked that MSU returned for a touchdown to give it an early 10-0 lead.

But UCA's defense took command and controlled the visiting Bears for most of the  night. MSU finished with 291 yards of total offense, while quarterback Jaden Johnson, a transfer from Southern Miss, completed 25 of 44 passes for 249 yards but no touchdowns. UCA's defensive unit recorded 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks, forcing four fumbles (Nick Nakwaasah, Logan Jessup, JW Jones, Jalen Bedell) and intercepting a pass (DeAndre Lamont).

"The defense, oh my gosh, what a great game plan,' said Brown. "I thought we had their quarterback off balance all night. They gave him a tough time in the pocket all night. They just did a great job. Coach (Chad) Williams dialed up the right blitzes at the right time and guys made big tackles, big stops when it mattered. And offensively, we made enough plays when we needed to.'

The visiting Bears (0-2), who lost to Top 5 Oklahoma two weeks ago, opened the scoring with a 47-yard field goal by Jose Pizano with 12:04 left in the first quarter. Meanwhile, UCA's first six possessions of the game ended in an interception, a missed 22-yard field goal and four consecutive punts. Senior tailback Kierre Crossley finally broke the ice for the home Bears after a fumble recovery by linebacker Malik Wilson, running in a 4-yard touchdown with 7:38 left in the first half that drew the Bears within 10-7. But MSU tacked on another score, a 3-yard run by Keshun Parker with 4:02 left to make it 17-7 at the break.

UCA ran 28 plays to MSU'S 41 and had just 108 total yards at halftime. 

"They did a great job mirroring Lujuan all night, they took him away,' said Brown. "They did a good job of that. But that's why you have a Tyler Hudson on the other side. Breylin showed some poise, I thought Kierre had some big runs, Cameron Myers had some big runs. And we did enough to win the game.' 

The UCA defense rose up again to end the game after sophomore tailback Cameron Myers fumbled it away at the UCA 26 with 6:21 to play. The Bears held on a fourth-and-4 at the UCA 7, and then again on a fourth-and-2 down at the UCA 28 with 1:28 remaining. UCA took over and ran the clock out for the unlikely victory.

"The scoop and score was the biggest play of the game,' said Brown. "Dre did a great job. We coach that on defense, we coach to strip the ball, try to produce turnovers. But also, I don't want the offense back on the field. People don't realize how fast Dre is. And he did a great job, being athletic and getting his weight down and scooping the ball as opposed to falling on it. And then getting in the end zone. That's huge. 

"You get a momentum-shifting play like that... I think we had a three-minute stretch right there where Tyler had the punt return for touchdown, Dre had the scoop and score and it just turned the game. That's how fast football can change. That's what you preach to your team. If you have a possession or two with time on the clock, anything can happen. And our team definitely believes that.'

Sophomore linebacker Darin Davenport led the Bears with 9 tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss. Matthews, a junior from DeFuniak Springs, Fla., had 7 tackles, inclouding two for loss. Jessup, Jones and Bedell all had 1.5 tackles for loss, with Jones' accounting for minus 20 yards. Johnson finished the night with a net of negative 39 rushing yards on 21 carries.

UCA faces another Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) team next Saturday in three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.