Kearney, Neb. – For just the third time in school history, the Nebraska-Kearney football team gets a crack at a Division I opponent when the Lopers face the Central Arkansas Bears Saturday afternoon.

The game, from Conway, Ark., kicks off at 3:00 p.m.  Live stats and a free live video stream (not America One) are available as is the usual KRNY broadcast.

This contest came about due to Truman State leaving the MIAA for the GLVC (Great Lakes Valley Conference). With Truman dropping off UNK's schedule, the Lopers had an open week to play with.

Other MIAA schools that had Truman on their schedule also found non-conference opponents to play. Or, they left the date open to have a bye week.

UCA is a former Division II member, playing in the tough Gulf South Conference. The Bears, the alma mater of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, made the jump to Division I in 2006 and have recorded back-to-back nine win seasons as a Southland Conference member.

Earlier this year, UCA led Colorado, 24-17, in the 4th quarter before the Buffs rallied to win by 14.

The last time UNK football ventured into the "Natural State" was in 1953, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President and the likes of Eddie Fisher, Les Paul and Stan Freberg were topping the Billboard charts. That fall, the Lopers fell to Arkansas State, 32-0, in Jonesboro.

When UNK was a Division II independent in the 1990's, they played two I-AA (now FCS) members in Southern Utah and Drake (Ia.). The Lopers traveled to SUU and fell, 28-21, in 1994 but posted a 21-14 win over the non-scholarship Bulldogs the following year in Kearney.

UCA (2-3, 0-1) is currently ranked 20th in the FCS and coming off a 59-28 loss to nationally-ranked McNeese (La.) State. The loss to the Cowboys was the Bears first on "The Stripes."

First Security Field at Estes Stadium, with a capacity of 9,000, has been home to UCA football since 1939. Undergoing major renovations in 1998, the Stadium had a purple and grey striped field surface installed in 2011. Hence, UCA plays on "The Stripes."

Senior QB Wynrick Smothers, the 2012 Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year, directs a pass first offense that averages 353 yards per game. The 6-1, 210 lbs. Smothers has tossed eight INT's and nine INT's and has a deep receiving corps to throw to.

The headliners are 6-4, 212 lbs. junior WR Dezmin Lewis (28 recep., 368 yds., two TD's), 5-11 sophomore Blake Gardner (23 recep., 185 yds.) and 5-9 junior back Willie Matthews (20 recep., 117 yds.).
 
Matthews (48 carries, 181 yds., one TD) and 6-0 sophomore RB Blake Veasley (36 carries, 130 yds., three TD's) join Smothers (43 carries, 105 yds.) as the ground leaders. Finally, the line features three sophomore starters.

UCA has five senior defensive starters and, so far, the group is giving up 28 points and 375 yards per game.  The opposition is completing just 59% of its passes and averaging only 148.0 yards on the ground.
 
A strong pass rush has produced 11 sacks for a loss of 71 yards. Seven of those sacks have come from ends Jonathan Woodard (6-6, 27 lbs.) and Markeith Gaines (6-0, 26 lbs.). Gaines also has forced two of the Bears seven recovered fumbles.
 
Senior strong safety Jestin Love (23) and senior backer Radarius Winston (22) lead in tackles with free safeties Marvin Mitchell and Bobby Watkins each having an INT.

On special teams, junior punter Jonathan Harrison is averaging a healthy 40.1 yards per boot with seven of his kicks landing inside the 20-yard line.

Kickers Eddie Camara and Jace Denker are a combined 3 of 7 on field goal tries but the pair is 19 of 20 on PAT's

Next, UCA has returned one blocked punt for a score with 5-9 freshman Jatavious Wilson having brought back a kick 93 yards for a score in the win over Incarnate Word (Texas.) Overall the Bears average a healthy 28.2 yards per kick return.

UNK, ranking fourth in the MIAA in rushing at 214 yards per game, has been solid covering both punts and kicks this year. The Lopers have had a punt blocked for a score but also picked up a fumble on a punt attempt last Saturday vs. Lindenwood and returned it four yards for an unlikely TD.

That marked UNK's third non-offensive score of the fall; safety Boone Anderson and ILB Tyke Kozeal brought back INT's for six points against Washburn and NW Missouri State, respectively.

Offensively, Luke McNitt is expected to start a second straight game at QB. The bruising true freshman ran 24 times for 111 yards and three scores last Saturday while also tossing a 53-yard TD pass to sophomore WR Nate Burns.

Another underclassmen, sophomore Romero Cotton, will also be in the first unit for a second straight week. The 197 lbs. national runner up in wrestling carried the ball 36 times for 215 yards and one score in the 56-6 thrashing of Lindenwood.

UCA will certainly test a young and depleted Loper seconday but true freshman corner Damien Wilson picked off two passes last week with senior corner Yatta Kiles getting his first INT as a Loper.

So far, UNK's seven INT's have been returned for a whopping 178 yards. Note Smothers has thrown three "pick sixes" so far this season.

Next Satuday, the Lopers return home to host Lincoln. The game kicks at 1:00 p.m. and will be the first, and last, time the Blue Tigers come to Kearney. They are leaving, along with SW Baptist,  for the GLVC after this football season.