Nathan Brown couldn't wipe out the asterisk Saturday, but he certainly helped the Bears erase all doubt of the best team in the Southland Conference.
In his final performance as a University of Central Arkansas quarterback, Brown pushed his passing totals to 10,558 yards for his career, ran for two touchdowns and was the Bears' leading passer and rusher in leading UCA to a landmark 47-30 victory over two-time defending Southland Conference champion McNeese State, securing UCA outright first place in the league standings.
UCA, which finished its second full season in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision at 10-2 and 6-1, cannot be officially recognized as conference champions because of an NCAA regulation during its reclassification to Division I. But at game's end, they played, "We are the Champions," over the PA system at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.
"I'm not a numbers quarterback," said Brown, who finished his career as the most prolific passing quarterback in state college history. "I've always tried to be the quarterback who wins for UCA. My first year as quarterback (the Bears' last in NCAA Division II), we were Gulf South Conference champions. In my last game, we conquered the Southland Conference. Watch out for UCA in the years to come."
"Nathan Brown is just a winner," said McNeese State coach Matt Viator after the loss knocked Cowboys out of a chance to become the SLC's automatic qualifier. "He's got a knack for getting them in the right rhythm and the right play at the right pace."
Brown fired touchdown passes of 33 yards to Eric Ware and 18 yards to Marquez Branson and finished 19-of-29 for 253 yards. But as impressive were what he did on the ground, rushing for 71 yards on seven carries. His 9-yard run that capped a 60-yard drive in the second quarterback gave UCA a 20-14 lead and a cushion in a nip-and-tuck game. His 35-yard run in the third quarter, a career high in which an official was in the best position to make the tackle, was his career longest and gave UCA a 27-14 lead with 9:36 left in the third quarter.
"That's hard to believe," Brown said of the run. "I just saw an opening and ran like a scalded dog."
Scalded dog?
"Old Russellville term," he said.
When he gazed at the final stat sheet afterwards, UCA coach Conque emphatically tapped his finger on one stat. The Bears were six of six in the red zone. One score was a 22-yard field goal by Eddie Carmona, which followed a career-best 47-yarder on UCA's first possession.
"Games of this nature comes down to taking advantage of opportunities; they did and we didn't take advantage of ours," said Viator, whose team was one of two in the red zone.
The game turned dramatically on two sequences.
On McNeese's first possession of the second half, with UCA leading 20-14, the Cowboys' Steven Whitehead took a pass from Derrick Fourrou, bounced off two defenders and found an opening toward the end zone. UCA defensive back Anthony Gambles, one of the defenders Whitehead bounced off, chased him down and stripped the ball at the 1. The ball bounded into the end zone, where Quad Sanders recovered for a touchback.
"Good strip," Viator said. "And it resulted in a 14-point swing that made have been the real turning point. At least it probably prevented us from being closer at the end."
"Anthony didn't give up on the play, which we teach every day in practice," Conque said. "Quad got downfield and made the play in the end zone that stemmed their momentum."
The Bears, beginning with a 35-yard pass from Brown to James Lovett, then drove 80 yards in six plays, capped by Brown's 35-yard run up the middle to take a 27-14 lead. Brown's touchdown pass to Branson and a 10-yard run by Brent Grimes after linebacker James Lancaster returned a tipped pass to the McNeese 23, produced a 40-21 lead with 1:55 left in the third.
A safety off a bad snap and a 15-yard interception return by McNeese State linebacker Allen Nelson after Brown threw the ball right to him on a miscommunication with his intended receiver, drew the Cowboys within 40-30 with 9:36 left.
Conway's Isaiah Jackson then returned the kickoff 49 yards to set UCA up at the McNeese 37 leading to Grimes 4-yard run that put UCA up 47-30 with 7:26 left.
"I knew it was important to get a good runback," Jackson said. "I knew we had to score and that picked me up. I tried to be patient, then I saw a crease."
"We get back in it with the interception and they return the kickoff about to the 30," said Viator, who noted UCA's T.J. Adams set up Brown's pass to Branson with a 65-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. "They made big plays in the kicking game and that was a big difference. They also stripped us on the 1 and held us (on downs) on the 2. Just too many missed opportunities."
"We knew we had to run the ball well against their defense and we felt we had to win the kicking game," Conque said. "And when Nathan can run for the kind of yards he did, those are bonus yards for us."
And that created a bonus victory on a cold night at the end of the season.
