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FLORENCE, Ala. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will return to Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala., for the first time since 2004 on Saturday to take on the North Alabama Lions in a United Athletic Conference contest.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+, The Bear 91.3 and The Point 94.1

UCA and UNA were rivals in the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference from 1993-2005. The Bears and Lions played 14 times during that period, including twice in the 2005 season. UCA won the regular-season matchup 29-26 in double overtime in Conway, then dropped a 41-38 overtime game to the Lions in the quarterfinals of the D-II playoffs.

The teams resumed their rivalry last year as members of the ASUN, and now as UAC foes. The Bears used a record-setting offensive performance to came out on top last year, winning 64-29 at Estes Stadium. UCA rolled up a school-record 733 yards of total offense, including 456 rushing yards overall and 255 on just 19 carries (13.4 per carry) from then-sophomore running back Darius Hale.

Ironically, UNA's leading rusher in that game, ShunDerrick Powell, is now at UCA. Powell, from Hoxie, Ark., ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears before transferring closer to home as a junior. This season, Powell has 882 rushing yards and ranks first in the nation in yards per rush at 8.0 per carry. 

The No. 25 Bears, coming off a home loss to Tarleton State last Saturday that broke a four-game winning streak, are 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the UAC. UNA is 3-6 overall and 1-4 in league play. The Lions, under first-year head coach Brent Dearmon, played No. 20 Austin Peay close last week, losing 49-39 on the road. Dearmon was previously the offensive coordinator at Arkansas Tech from 2015-17, as well as at Kansas, Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic.

The Lions average 25 points and 421 yards of total offense per game, while UCA averages 35 points and 441 yards of offense. UNA sophomore quarterback Noah Walters has thrown for 2,069 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, with 10 interceptions and a completion percentage of 59.3 percent. Walters is also UNA's second-leading rusher with 315 yards on the ground.

UCA's Will McElvain has completed 65 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,770 yards, with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Bears have three regular-season games remaining, including the UNA game, at home next Saturday for Senior Day against Eastern Kentucky, followed by the season finale at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18.