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CEDAR CITY, Utah _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will make their first trip to the state of Utah on Saturday to take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in United Athletics Conference (UAC) action.

The Bears and Thunderbirds will kick off at 7 p.m. (CST) from Eccles Coliseum, with live coverage on ESPN+ as well as The Bear 91.3 and The Point 94.1.

UCA is 1-0 in the UAC after a 52-17 victory over Abilene Christian last week in Conway, a game the Bears dominated for the final three quarters. UCA scored 38 consecutive points after falling behind 10-7. The Bears racked up 594 yards of total offense, including 380 on the ground. Junior running back ShunDerrick Powell provided much of that rushing yardage with a career-high 256 yards on just 23 carries (11.1 per carry).

UCA's defense was also on point, allowing the Wildcats just 232 yards of total offense, and only 43 on the ground. The Bears also recovered a pair of fumbles, including one in the end zone by linebacker Jake Golday for one of the Bears' seven touchdowns.

The Thunderbirds, under the direction of second-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald, are coming off their first win of the season, a 37-17 victory over winless Western Illinois in front of a crowd of 6,504 in their home opener at Eccles Coliseum. SUU broke a 17-17 halftime tie and outscored the Leathernecks 20-0 in the second half.

The Thunderbirds had 338 yards of total offense and held the Leathernecks to 276, including -7 yards on the ground. SUU  quarterback Justin Miller completed 24 of 35 passes for 242 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The SUU defense intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble.

SUU's early season schedule was solid, with losses at FBS Arizona State (24-21) and BYU (41-16) as well as a 23-21 loss to FCS Top 20 UC Davis two weeks ago. The Thunderbirds went 5-6 in Fitzgerald's first season, a year after going 1-11 and losing their final eight games of the 2021 season.

This year, the Thunderbirds rank fifth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 66.8 yards per game on the ground. UCA counters with the No. 2 rushing offense in FCS, putting up 280 yards per game rushing. Miller has completed 68 of 124 passes (54.8 percent) for 924 yards, an average of 231 per game, with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

UCA's Will McElvain is 70 of 105 (66.7 percent) for 742 yards, with seven touchdowns and one interception. SUU runs for only 81 yards per game, led by Braedon Wissler with 49 attempts for 132 yards (30.5 per game). Powell averages 158 yards per game, second best in FCS. His 632 yards trails only UT Martin's Sam Franklin (653), who has 25 more carries.

The Bears return home next week for three consecutive games, beginning with a matchup against Southeast Missouri on  Oct. 7.