POCATELLO, Idaho _ The University  of Central Arkansas Bears went all the way across the country and picked up the victory head coach Nathan Brown said they were desperately needing on Saturday afternoon.

UCA put up 418 yards of total offense _ 389 of those in the final three quarters _ and rolled to a 31-16 victory over the Idaho State Bengals at Holt Arena. The Bears (1-2), who had lost to a top 5 FCS team in Missouri State and Top 25 Ole Miss in the first two weeks of the season, forced three turnovers and got three touchdowns from sophomore running back Darius Hale to pull away from the Bengals (0-3).

"That was a big day, a big win for us,' said Brown. "Like I've been saying, I think this team just needed to experience the thrill of victory, and what a feeling it is. And I just told them, teams don't just come across the country and win games like this, especially against Big Sky Conference teams. That's a big deal. It's a long way. This is not something we routinely do. 

"So I'm proud of our guys, they dealt with a lot of adversity the first two weeks with a tough schedule. But they got rewarded tonight. And that was obviously from good play, good coaching and players going out there and making plays."

The Bears generated very little offense in the first quarter and trailed 3-0 but found their groove in the second period, outscoring the Bengals 14-0 with a pair of quick, efficient scoring drives. Sophomore running back Darius Hale capped both of them with touchdowns, the first on a 2-yard run at the end of a 9-play, 80-yard drive, the second on a 13-yard reception from Will McElvain to close a 5-play, 70-yard effort.

McElvain finished the half completing a stellar 13 of 15 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, and also added a key 16-yard scramble during the second scoring drive. The first drive was set up when junior linebacker Corley Hooper intercepted ISU quarterback Hunter Hays in the end zone.  Hooper, defensive end Logan Jessup and defensive tackle Caden Brown combined for four of UCA's six tackles for loss in the opening half.

The Bears quickly padded their lead early in the third quarter when sophomore safety Tamuarion Wilson smothered Hays deep in ISU territory, forcing a fumble that Hooper scooped up at the 3 and took it in for the 21-3 lead less than four minutes into the half. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Bradley Clark then recorded a timely sack deep in ISU territory that forced a punt. The punt went out of bounds and covered just 28 yards, setting the Bears up at the ISU 45.

A key 14-yard pass from McElvain to Tyion Berry set up Hale's third touchdown of the day, a 1-yard plunge that stretched the lead to 28-3 and put all the momentum on the Bears'  sideline.

UCA got another interception from redshirt freshman Sean Smith deep in UCA territory to squelch another Bengals' drive, but the Bears returned the favor on the other end with a sack and fumble by McElvain at the ISU 30 to end the third quarter. The Bengals were not through, going 53 yards in five plays, with Benjamin Omayebu scoring from three yards out to cut the deficit to 31-16 with 5:08 to play.

The Bears, aided by a 12-yard scramble on third and 11 by McElvain, ran the clock out to earn their first victory of the season. ISU scored just two touchdowns, both coming in the fourth quarter.

Hale, the ASUN Freshman of the Year last season, finished with 16 carries for 112 yards, and had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving score. McElvain, a junior transfer from Northern Iowa, completed 24 of 29 (82.7 percent) passes for 259 yards in his best outing as a Bear. Transfer receiver John David White caught a career-high seven passes for 103 yards, while running back Kylin James had five for 51 yards.

"Will can do that, and we knew coming into this game that is should be a high-percentage game for him," said Brown. "And Will took advantage of it. I thought our receivers played well and made some tough catches. But he (McElvain) played with poise, he played like the guy we knew we recruited. And it helped having that running game going with Darius and Kylin (James) and Trysten (Smith)."

UCA sophomore punter Chandler Caughron punted five times for a 44.6-yard average, pinning the Bengals deep numerous times.

UCA's defense, from the second quarter on, controlled the line of scrimmage. The Bears finished with eight tackles for loss for minus 27 yards and had a pair of interceptions from Hooper and redshirt freshman cornerback Sean Smith. Tamuarion Wilson and Demetrias Charles topped the UCA tackle charts with eight apiece, while Hooper had seven and Jessup six. Wilson had a pair of tackles for loss and forced a fumble. Hooper and Jessup both had 1.5 tackles for loss.

"I thought our defense had a great game plan," said Brown. "They have and athletic quarterback, he made a lot of plays alive, especially in the first half. But we got him down nore often in the second half. (Defensive coordinator) Coach (Matt) Kitchens and that defensive staff, they played three good weeks, whether the first two weeks looked like it or not. 

"They played three good weeks, and this is going to be a special, fun group to watch. We have the pass rush, I feel like our second level guys, headed by Corley Hooper, is pretty good. And Cameron Godfrey and T-Bird (WIlson) and that crew can do it on the back end."

UCA continues its three-game road trip, playing at Southeast Missouri next Saturday in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Kickoff is 2 p.m.