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  RICHMOND, Ky. _ Two of the hottest teams in the ASUN Conference will meet on Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium.

The University of Central Arkansas Bears (4-4, 3-0) take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (5-3, 1-1) in a key conference matchup at 4 p.m. (CT) .

The Bears have won two straight to remain in first place in the ASUN. The Colonels are also on a two-game winning streak after a 28-23 upset of Top 25 Southeast Missouri last week on the road.

UCA and EKU will be playing for the fourth time in three years, with all of the meetings going down to the wire. EKU has won two of the three matchups, including last year's 38-35 win in Conway. The Colonels overcame a 35-13 deficit to earn the victory.

The Bears are coming off their most complete game of the season, a convincing 64-29 victory over North Alabama on Homecoming at Estes Stadium. UCA piled up an NCAA Division I-era record 733 yards of total offense, including 456 on the ground. Sophomore Darius Hale led the way with a career-high 255 yards on just 19 carries (13.4 yards per carry). Hale has rushed for at least 170 yards in UCA's past three games. 

Over the past four games, the Bears have averaged 53.2 points. EKU leads the ASUN at 36.1 points per game, while UCA is a close second at 36.0. The Bears have the more prolific offense, if only slightly. UCA averages 443.2 yards per contest compared to 434.0 for EKU.

The Colonels are led by junior quarterback Parker McKinney, who shared the ASUN Offensive Player of the Week with Hale on Monday. The 6-foot-3, 208-pounder from Coalfield, Tenn., completed 35 of 42 passes for a career-high 398 yards and ran for two touchdowns against SEMO. The week before, EKU outlasted North Alabama 56-53 in a shootout at home.

After EKU, the Bears have two regular-season games remaining at Stephen F. Austin (Nov. 12) and at home against Jacksonville State on Senior Day on Nov. 19.

The game will be carried live on The Bear 91.3, The Point 94.1 and ESPN+.