CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas had a season low for total offense and were shut out in the second half Saturday in dropping a 27-14 decision to Stephen F. Austin on Senior Night at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.

The Bears (5-5, 4-3), playing without three starters on the offensive side, struggled against the quality defense of the Lumberjacks. UCA failed to score in the second half for the first time this season after entering the game with a 152-116 scoring advantage in the second halves through nine games. The Bears were held to a season-low 304 yards of total offense, and just 113 yards coming in second half.

'Very frustrated,' said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. "I told the team after the game, this one is on me. I thought they played hard, they practiced well this week. I think one thing I usually do a good job of as head coach is second-half adjustments and having a feel for the second half. And I just didn't do a very good job of that tonight.

"Whether it was getting the right play called, or just getting the guys motivated in a timely fashion, and I didn't do a very good job of that. It's late in the year, you have to figure out how to get an edge in a game, and you've got two good football teams battling each other. I just didn't do enough, and I take the blame for this loss.'

The Lumberjacks, with their fourth consecutive victory of the season but first over the Bears since 2012, jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the game when Trae Self hit Xavier Gipson with a 73-yard touchdown pass following a failed fourth-down attempt by the Bears at the SFA 26. UCA answered that score with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Breylin Smith to Tobias Enlow in the final minute of the first quarter to tie it at 7-7.

SFA got a 42-yard field goal from mChris Campos, his first of two, with 10:21 left in the second quarter but UCA responded with a 5-play, 65-yard drive, capped by freshman Darius Hale's 10-yard touchdown run, that give the Bears their only lead of the game at 14-7 with 8:30 to play in the half.

SFA did the rest of the scoring, getting a 6-yard touchdown pass from Self to Gipson with just 12 seconds left in the half, then a 7-yarder from the same combination on their first possession of the third quarter, good for a 24-14 advantage. UCA's final three possessions of the game ended in a fumble, a punt and a turnover on downs inside the SFA five on what appeared to be a UCA touchdown pass that was nullified by penalty. 

SFA finished with 486 yards of total offense, including 261 passing from Self, who was 18 of 31. Gipson caught six passes for 99 yards and three scores.

"Giving up that touchdown right before halftime, I thought that deflated us a little bit,' said Brown. "Tough loss but I was pleased with the way out guys battled up until the last second. And you appreciate that. You can sit there and talk about injuries and guys that didn't play, but it is what it is. You have to get the next guy ready and find a way to win football games, and we weren't able to do that tonight.' 

UCA sophomore receiver Tyler Hudson broke another school record, becoming the single-season receiving leader at UCA. Hudson caught five passes for 48 yards, giving him 1,213 yards, surpassing the mark of Aaron Fairooz, who had 1,197 yards in 2005. Hudson broke the career mark for receiving yards a week ago and now has 3,033 for his career.

"We just didn't create any explosive plays in the pass game,' said Brown. "I think that was the big thing. We had some explosive plays in the run game but we were just never really able to shake loose with the ball down the field. And that's something we're accustomed to, especially this year.'

The Bears were without two starting offensive linemen in Cameron Webb and Bakarius Collier, and were also missing one of the top receivers in school history in Lujuan Winningham, out with a sprained ankle. Winningham has 53 receptions for 840 yards and five touchdowns on the season, and 26 career touchdown receptions.

"We got shutout in the second half and we're not accustomed to that,' Brown said. "Over the last three or four years, we've been a really good second-half team, but we didn't do enough tonight.'

UCA closes the 2021 season on the road next weekend, taking on Tarleton State for the first time. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Stephenville, Texas.