2007 Central Arkansas Football Preview
CONWAY, Ark. - The 2007 edition of the University of Central Arkansas Bears football team will bear little resemblance to the 2006 version, at least on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bears lost a much-decorated senior class of 21, one of the best in school history, with five of those in NFL camps this summer. The class included record-setters on offense and perennial playmakers on defense. The defense lost nine starters while the offense lost only four.
The task in front of the head coach Clint Conque and his staff is to rebuild the defense, maintain the consistency of a talented offense, and do it all against a full Division I schedule.
OFFENSE
The UCA offense will once again be in the capable hands of quarterback Nathan Brown, a two-year starter who has a 14-3 record as a starter. Brown has started since the sixth game of his freshman season when he led the Bears to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Brown, who missed three games early last season with a broken bone in his hand, completed 157 of 242 passes (64.9 percent) for 1,858 yards and 18 touchdowns in the Bears’ first year in Division I. For his career, he has thrown for 4,268 yards in his career, placing him seventh on the school list with two seasons remaining.
Brown’s backup will be the same as a year ago in sophomore Robbie Park, who started the three games Brown missed. Park, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin, completed 48 of 94 passes for 550 yards last season.
The running back position is loaded with senior Ross Brown and sophomores Brent Grimes and Leonard Ceaser. Brown, the 2006 starter from Gosnell, Ark., rushed for 823 yards and 8 touchdowns. Grimes, in his first season as a Bear out of Baton Rouge, La., added 341 yards and 3 touchdowns and provided a solid one-two punch a year ago.
Ceaser, a sophomore from Monroe, La., saw spot duty last year but may be as talented as either of the other two backs and will provid speed around the corners.
Fullback duties will fall to senior Charles Twilley, who split time between tight end and fullback last season, and sophomore Nick Cowger, who moves over from linebacker. Twilley caught 18 passes for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns and will be a weapon out of the backfield.
The receiving corps, minus record-setter Aaron Fairooz and second-leading receiver David Robinson, will be young and somewhat inexperienced. Junior Eric Ware of Little Rock is the most experienced returnee, with 20 catches for 239 yards a year ago. Other returnees who saw significant action last year are senior Cedric Logan, a transfer from the University of Arkansas and sophomore Preston Echols.
The tight end position will manned by two talented players in transfer Marquez Branson (6-3, 242) from East Mississippi Community College and junior Marc Winston (6-5, 264), another Arkansas transfer who played in 11 games last season.
The Bears’ offensive line lost a trio of experienced starters in Justin Jones, David Farr and Ronnie Lee, but return two two-year starters in juniors Brad Gordon (6-1, 295) and Jeremy Ford (6-1, 282). Sophomore Lane Friewald (6-7, 316) moves over from the defensive line to man one tackle spot and sophomore Will Merritt (6-5, 280) should take over the other spot. Sophomore Casey Thurber (5-11, 276) will get the nod at center.
DEFENSE
A lot of new faces will be on display on the defensive side of the ball, beginning with an entirely new linebacking corps. Gone are Quentin Maxfield, Ryan Taylor, Kelvin Horne, Calvin Dumas and Lance Boykins, who combined for 171 tackles.
Taking their place will be sophomore Corey McMurrian, who played in all 11 games last season, junior transfer Mike Neal (6-0, 227) and sophomore James Lancaster, who played 10 games a year ago. Backups will be redshirt freshman Stephen DeGrate, Andrew Summersett and Tok Opeloye.
The defensive secondary has several returning players but only one starter. Senior cornerback Tristan Jackson (5-9, 192) is the lone returning starter after posting a team-high six interceptions (which would have led the Southland Conference) and 51 tackles, fourth on the team. Jackson is also UCA’s punt returner after averaging 10.6 yards per return a year ago.
Senior cornerback Dathan Johnson (5-9, 176) has started off and on throughout his career and had 22 tackles and an interception in 2006. Jarrod Dale (6-3, 214), a sophomore safety from Memphis, played nine games a year ago and is projected to be the strong safety, while sophomores Zach Hyatt (6-0, 192) and Phillip Johnson (6-0, 194) will battle for the free safety spot.
Oklahoma State transfer Chijuan Mack, who caught 11 passes as a receiver last season, has moved to the secondary for 2007.
Up front, the Bears lost a trio of stellar defensive ends, along with an established starter at tackle. The lone returnee in the defensive front is sophomore Uriah Perry (6-0, 276), a sophomore from North Little Rock who played in all 11 games as a redshirt freshman. Joining him at noseguard will be senior Kendrell Barksdale (6-2, 274) and his brother Lendrell (6-2, 280), along with sophomore Kit Coleman (6-3, 295) at tackle.
Taylor Scott (6-4, 256), a sophomore from Little Rock, saw action in nine games a year ago and should ably fill one defensive end spot. The other end should be junior transfer Quad Sanders (6-2, 240), who comes to UCA from Itawamba Community College. Junior transfer Tim Holloway and sophomore Josh Fay should also see action at end.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Bears return most of their special teams personnel, including senior placekicker/punter James Paul. Paul, from Jacksonville, Ark., owns the school record for single-season extra points made (57) and is fifth in career PATs (95) and seventh in career field goals (17). Paul’s 39.6 career punting average is fifth-best in school history.
Jackson is back to return punts while Ceaser or one of several newcomers will probably return kickoffs.