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CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will welcome an old rival to "The Stripes" on Saturday when the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks make their way to Conway for the third time in the past four meetings.

The No. 20/25 Bears (4-2) will take on the Lumberjacks (3-3) at 4 p.m. on Hall of Fame Weekend. The game will be a non-conference matchup between the United Athletic Conference schools because it ws already scheduled prior to the formation of the league last summer.

The Bears have won three straight games this season, including a dramatic comeback win over Southeast Missouri last weekend at Estes Stadium. UCA, 2-0 in UAC play, outscored SEMO 32-3 in the fourth quarter after trailing 30-6 entering the period for a 38-33 victory.

The Bears beat Southern Utah 29-27 in a UAC game the previous week, and started the three-game winning streak with a 52-17 league win over Abilene Christian.

UCA and SFA met 14 times while both were members of the Southland Conference, beginning in 2006. Overall, the Bears hold a 12-4 advantage in the series, including last year's 34-7 win in Nacogdoches, Texas. However, the Lumberjacks won in their last trip to Conway, a 27-14 victory in 2021.

SFA, 0-2 in the UAC, enters Saturday's game off a long road trip to St. George, Utah, last Saturday in which the 'Jacks fell to Utah Tech 37-31. SFA lost a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter as UT won the fourth period 20-10. Both teams put up 450 yards of total offense, with SFA getting 223 on the ground and 228 through the air. SFA quarterback Brian Mauer completed 21 of 38 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Williams added 147 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Against SEMO, UCA quarterback Will McElvain threw for a career-high 397 yards and four touchdowns, with sophomore wide receiver Myles Butler catching two of the touchdown passes among his seven catches for 117 yards. The Bears scored on all five fourth-quarter possessions, including all four of McElvain's touchdown passes.

Junior running back Kylin James scored the final game-winner on a 9-yard run with just 19 seconds remaining. Junior safety TaMuarion Wilson sealed it with an interception in the end zone as time expired. The Bears finished with 497 yards of total offense and averaged 7.4 yards per play.

UCA will have its first open date next Saturday before hosting Tarleton State on Oct. 28 to close out an entire month of home games.

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND:
    The Class of 2023 of the UCA Sports Hall of Fame will be inducted Saturday morning at the Hall of Fame Brunch at the Student Center Ballroom. The class of eight will also be recognized on the field during a pregame ceremony.
    The newest class includes: Melanie Bryant - softball; Charlie Combs - football; William Franklin Jr. - football/track; Daniel George - soccer; Megan Herbert - basketball; Saville (Turp) Johnson - football/basketball/baseball/track; Arch Jones - administration, and Tom McConnaughey - football.