The UCA football team is preparing to kick off their conference season against Tarleton State Sept. 13. 

“They’ve got a lot of carryover from last year, ” coach Nathan Brown said. 

“For us, we know what to expect on their end — We have three new coordinators on offense, defense and special teams, so it’ll be a little bit of a challenge for them. They have two games to come up with a game plan against what we do systematically, but we feel really good about it, Brown said. 

The Bears opened up their season against Missouri, where they lost 61-6. 

“You’re on national television on the SEC Network opening Thursday night at college football, that’s a huge deal for the University,” Brown said. 

“The results weren’t what we wanted, but I thought our guys competed and they played hard and did a lot of good things, and if you use that in the right way and use it to motivate you in the correct way, you’ll see improvement from games like that,” Brown said.

The Bears have made some changes this past offseason, specifically with their offense, where Brown now calls the plays. 

Sophomore running back Landon Chambers said, “As far as coach Brown stepping in, it’s been great. You can tell the chemistry has been up. Everybody’s been on the board, everybody’s bought in.” 

Another change for the UCA Bears is the transfers they had come into the program. Although transfers happen every year, the Bears brought in a new quarterback from MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University) Luther Richesson. 

“He has done great up to this point,” Brown said. 

“We’ve gotten a sample size of what he can be — Two games into his career at UCA, and I thought he’s played well in both games. He’s got a ton of talent and a ton of upside, there’s no question about that. So the expectation level for him is going to continue to rise as we go through the season, “ Brown said. 

Another transfer that came over from Henderson State that is now a UCA Bear is senior defensive lineman Gary Owens. 

“The intensity is raised, but I like this smooth transition,” Owens said.

“I think we are looking very nice right now,” Owens said. 

“The chemistry is getting really high — we came together during the spring and summer and built a little bond, so I think we are looking forward to some nice things. 

As for the current state of the roster, Brown said “I think we’ve got a lot of talent, we’ve got a good mix of veterans and young players in the program. With that being said, you bring in a good set of transfers, and a new freshman class every year, but I feel really good about where we’re at,” Brown said.