UCA Bears Football Players Report for Conference Title Defense Duty

CONWAY, Ark. – The UCA Bears football team began the defense of their Southland Conference title on Friday when they reported to campus for the opening of fall camp. Practice No. 1 is set for 3:45 p.m. Saturday. You can read the Sporting Life Arkansas UCA Bears football preview, including a discussion of the team in our Football Preview available for free download here.

The Bears finished 9-3 overall last season and 6-1 in the SLC, finishing as co-champions along with Sam Houston State, which UCA beat 24-20 on Sept. 22 in Conway. UCA reached the second round of the NCAA Division I Playoffs for the second consecutive season.

“The anticipation for the opening of fall camp may be at a high here since we’ve been in the Southland Conference,” said UCA Bears football coach Clint Conque, the winningest coach in UCA history with 98 victories. “The players have shown a great commitment and investment during the summer with their training and conditioning. Now it’s time to go to work. We have to stay on point and stay focused on the process.”

UCA opens the 2013 season on Thursday, Aug. 29 when its hosts Incarnate Word at First Security Field at Estes Stadium. The UCA Bears are 11-0 on “The Stripes” since installing the purple and gray striped turf in 2011. UCA will follow the season opener with three straight road games, at Colorado on Sept. 7, at Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 14 and at Missouri State on Sept. 21.

The full UCA Bears football schedule is here as a download from Sporting Life Arkansas.

The UCA Bears football team begins Southland Conference play at home against McNeese State on Oct. 5.

“There is a lot of confidence among our players heading into fall camp,” Conque said. “I think the success we’ve had around here, particulary the past few years, has everyone ready to go. Anytime you return a quality quarterback like we do, along with many other headline players on both sides of the ball, there’s always going to be a lot of confidence surrounding the program.”

A league-high nine Bears were named to the 2013 preseason All-SLC team, and 12 were honored overall. UCA was picked second in both the coaches’ and sports information directors’ preseason SLC polls.

Senior quarterback Wynrick Smothers, the 2012 SLC Offensive Player of the Year, and sophomore defensive end Jonathan Woodard, the 2012 SLC Freshman of the Year, both return to lead the Bears this fall. Other first-team preseason selections were senior linebacker Justin Heard, senior defensive backs Jestin Love and Radarius Winston, senior defensive lineman Matt Hornbuckle, junior receiver Dezmin Lewis, junior lineman Cole Caruthers and junior placekicker Eddie Camara.

Second-team selections include: senior offensive lineman Dominique Allen, junior lineman Kyle Stouffer and senior defensive back Marcus Peters.

The Bears won six conference games last season for the third time since 2006, the only school in the SLC to do that.  UCA was 6-1 in 2008, 2011 and 2012.