NACOGDOCHES, Texas _ University of Central Arkansas' offense made a triumphant return Saturday and the Bears' defense was dominant in a surprisingly easy 34-7 win over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Homer Bryce Stadium.

UCA (5-5, 3-1), with Eastern Kentucky's loss earlier in the day, earned at least a share of the 2022 ASUN Conference Championship with one game remaining. SFA, a former Southland Conference foe of the Bears but now competing in the WAC, dropped to 5-5 and 2-1.

UCA returned to its form from two weeks ago when it rolled up 733 yards of total offense in a decisive win over North Alabama, but then struggled offensively in last week's 42-14 loss at Eastern Kentucky.

"We had a little wake-up call last week," said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. "I didn't think we played very good. Our preparation (this week) was good, I thought we looked fresh. I think last week we looked a little worn down.  I changed some things in practice this week because I knew SFA was coming off a bye week and they would be fresh.

"And our guys handled it well. I thought Will played efficiently, and obviously Cliff made some plays when he was in there. And I think our offensive line and tight ends are playing at a really high level. They are opening holes and our running backs are hitting them."

The Bears put up 407 yards of total offense and averaged 6.6 yards per offensive play. UCA also got its sixth non-offensive touchdown of the season when junior Jarrod Barnes returned a third-quarter punt 67 yards for a touchdown, his second of the season.

Meanwhile, UCA's defense was busy shutting down an SFA offense that averages 434.8 yards and 38.4 points per game. The Lumberjacks ran 16 more plays than the Bears but finished with just 258 yards of offense. with 115 of that coming on their final four possessions after Barnes' punt return gave the Bears a 34-0 lead.

UCA recorded seven sacks, with sophomore defensive end David Walker, the ASUN leader, accounting for 3.5 (-21 yards) of those.
 

UCA shut down two of SFA's all-time best offensive players in quarterback Trae Self and wide receiver/return specialist Xavier Gipson. Self went 10 of 21 for just 45 yards and was sacked five times. Gipson, and All-American and career receiving leader at SFA, caught three passes for 12 yards, had one kickoff return for 31 yards and one punt return for -1 yards. Selph and Gipson connected for three touchdown passes in SFA's win a year ago.

"That was one of the best (defensive) game plans we've put together all year," said Brown. "They've been playing winning football every week. And that's an explosive offense. You've got Trae Self and Xavier Gipson, about as good a combo as there is at the FCS level, and we held them at bay.

"I thought Cameron Godfrey might have had his best night. I don't about statistically, but he mirrored Xavier Gipson all night, and that was huge. And our front seven won the line of scrimmage and I think that was the key throughout the game."   

UCA sophomore running back Kylin James did a little bit of everything for UCA's offense, rushing 10 times for a career-high 155 yards (15.5 per rush) and caught four passes for 88 yards, including touchdown receptions of 20 yards from Will McElvain and 38 yards from Clifton McDowell. Starting running back Darius Hale, nursing a hamstring, played briefly in the first half but was not needed with James and Trysten Smith carrying the load.
 

The Bears started quickly, driving 62 yards in nine plays on the first possession of the game, with McElvain finding tight end Austin Eldridge with a 3-yard touchdown pass. Senior Hayden Ray followed with a 19-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead in the first minute of the second quarter.

McElvain's touchdown pass to James and a 30-yarder from Ray gave the Bears a comfortable 20-0 lead at halftime. At the break, UCA had 274 yards of total offense compared to just 76 for the Lumberjacks. The Bears then put the game away with two touchdowns in a span of 58 seconds in the final minute of the third quarter.

The 'Jacks avoided the shutout with a short touchdown drive with just 1:38 left to play. 

"From what I understand, EKU lost today so obviously we have at least a co-championship under our belt," said Brown. "And there's something to be said about having a championship season. Our guys can put a trophy in our trophy case and they can have a ring. 

"I don't know about how all the automatic bid stuff is going to work, all that I'm not really worried about. We have a chance to go win it outright next week and that's a big deal to our team. Don't settle for just being at the top, being a co-champion. Let's go win it outright."

UCA closes the regular season at home Saturday against Jacksonville State on Senior Day. Kickoff is 4 p.m. on "The Stripes."