Fresh faces on UCA’s football team got their first taste of Saturday night lights in Estes Stadium during the team’s final scrimmage of their 2022 fall camp, sponsored by Bear Den and UCA Athletics.
“Getting in front of the band and the students and the crowd, really, for the first time is big,” coach Nathan Brown said. “A lot of our young players haven’t had an opportunity to do that. So little extra noise, little extra distractions going on.”
The annual scrimmage is part of Welcome Week festivities, put on by various campus organizations to introduce new students to campus. Student-led organization Bear Den led a pep rally in the stands of the student section with giveaways, chants and dancing.
Freshmen cheered on newcomers to the football team, who played in front of the band, spirit squads and student section for the first time.
“Some of our young guys, it a good chance for them to get out and run plays with people watching them,” Brown said. “It’s an opportunity to get in front of referees again. They hold us accountable to penalties … playing with a tempo, with a sense of urgency.”
Overall, Brown said the Bears played well.
“Guys came out here, and they didn’t look like they didn’t belong. I thought our young guys did a good job of that tonight,” Brown said.
“A couple of penalties that you want back, but I thought our quarterbacks managed the game. They threw through, and they made good reads,” Brown said. “Our receivers caught the ball, and we had an interception on defense with a good play by one of our freshman safeties, Dillon Williams.”
Brown is already looking ahead to the Bears’ first matchup of the season against Missouri State on Thursday, Sept. 1.
As for what the team needs to work on to succeed against Missouri State — sideline management and potent offense.
“Sideline management is important. You don’t work on that as much during practice,” Brown said. “It’s more scripted. So when you have something scripted, a lot of things happen within a game or a scrimmage that you don’t necessarily prepare for in practice.”
“Continue to block and tackle,” Brown said. “We don’t take guys to the ground during practice, so we’re gonna have to do a good job, especially in our first game against Missouri State.”
The scrimmage is a real opportunity to see how the Bears will perform, according to Brown, and they showed positive signs ahead of the season.
“I like where we’re at. We’ve got some really talented players. A lot of inexperience in some places, but I think we’re very talented,” Brown said.
Jeromy Hunt, President of Bear Den, led the student section in chants and giveaways- fulfilling the organization’s goals of fostering school spirit and fun. Hunt shared that the organization hopes to branch out and include different pockets of campus during this year’s football season.
“Bruce Street [tailgate] is pretty much known for a lot of Greek life and alumni that come, where there’s not much of a place for students that aren’t involved in Greek-led organizations or don’t want to talk to alumni,” Hunt said.
Bear Den plans to make space for students who want to tailgate but don’t feel they have a group to fit into.
“What we’re starting to do this year is not only will our tailgate be for our members, but we’re going to expand and open up … it will be for all students that don’t have a specific place to go,” Hunt said. “Every student should have an atmosphere, and we want to spread that atmosphere.”
The UCA Bears will play the Missouri State Bears Thursday, Sep. 1, at Estes Stadium at 7 p.m.
