Central Arkansas ready for full SLC schedule

[blackfordpu]

SLC Notebook: Central Arkansas ready for challenge of full SLC schedule

SHSU goalkeeper tabbed conference player of the week
By Cody Stark
Assistant Sports Editor

Central Arkansas took the Southland Conference by storm last season, beating two of the top teams in its first year in the league.

The Bears only played Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin because the 2006 conference schedule had already been worked out when UCA joined the Southland.

This season, Central Arkansas gets its first real taste of a full league tilt. The Bears’ tussles began last weekend with a down-to-the-wire battle at Northwestern State.

The Demons used a 35-yard field goal as time expired to escape with a 31-28 victory in Natchitoches, La. It was a heartbreaker, but the Bears still showed they have a team that can compete for a title despite losing nine starters on a defense that would have led the SLC in points allowed per game (20.1) and ranked third in total defense (320.7 yards a game).

“We have a full schedule with an extremely young team,” Bears head coach Clint Conque said at the Southland’s media days in July. “Going back to last year, you get one chance to make a first impression, and I think we did it the right way. It’s extremely difficult to go to Huntsville, Texas, and Nacogdoches, Texas, and win those games on the road.

“That being said, we had a lot of great players that either moved on to the NFL or graduated. But it set the stage for these younger guys for the future.”

http://www.itemonline.com/sports/local_ ... 32615.html

[putter]

Sounds like Central Arkansas will be a quality program for the Southland! Good for them

[BlazerDawg]

VSU chased them out of D-II and the Gulf South Conference.