BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University football team returns to action Saturday in one of the Southland Conference's premier games. The Cardinals (3-3/2-2 SLC) host Central Arkansas Saturday at 6 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium. The Bears are third in the conference standings just ahead of LU.
 
Both teams enter Saturday's game in similar positions looking to rebound from tough conference losses. LU dropped a tough game at Northwestern State and UCA comes to Beaumont after a close battle against league-leading McNeese State.
 
Saturday's matchup will not only be a game between two of the Southland's top teams, but fans will also have their eyes on the game within the game. Although known as the Cardinals, LU brings the nation's leading rusher into the game – Kade Harrington (185 ypg). The Cardinals lead the Southland in in rushing averaging better than 270 yards per game, while UCA is second in the league at stopping the run. The Bears are one of only two Southland schools who surrender less than 100 yards per contest (96.8 ypg). LU is second in the league with 18 rushing touchdowns, while Central Arkansas has only allowed seven rushing scores all seasons.
 
The offense-defensive matchups will be fun to watch throughout the game. LU has the league's second-ranked scoring offense, while the Bears have the SLC's second-best scoring defense. It is a similar situation for total offense. Big Red is sixth in the league in passing, but UCA as struggled against the pass this year allowing just under 270 yards. On the flip side, the Bears also bring one of the league's top offenses to town ranked just behind the Red and White in total offense (415 ypg).
 
The UCA defense is led by senior Jonathan Woodard. One of the nation's top defensive ends, Woodard is among the team leaders in sacks and tackles for losses, despite facing numerous double teams throughout the year.  Woodard is one of six UCA players who have at least four tackles for losses on the season.
 
"Central Arkansas is a very good football team," said head coach Ray Woodard. "Jonathan Woodard is one of the best lineman in the league, if not the best. They have a really good defensive front. They are very aggressive on the line, and they don't make mistakes. This is a very good, physical team that is coming here this weekend."
That presents another interesting 'game within a game.' While the Bears defense has received a ton of attention throughout the season, the Cards offensive front is starting to turn some heads as well. The Cardinals lead the SLC, and are tied for sixth nationally in pass protection having surrendered only three sacks on the season.
 
In addition to facing one of the nation's toughest schedules, Big Red has run into some bad luck with the timing of their opponents. If you include the season opener against Bacone, LU has played four teams that are coming off an open weekend. Before the regular season is over that number will balloon to five.
 
"We were obviously down after the Northwestern State loss," said Woodard. "As a coach, you never want your guys to be okay with a loss. Like all teams we had some things not go our way but we didn't handle those situations as well as we normally do. It has been our goal this week to make sure we put that loss in the rearview mirror. We can't get caught thinking about the Demons, when we step on the field against Central Arkansas.
 
"We talked about their defense, but you can't overlook UCA's talent on offense. They have the league's No. 2 running back, some very talented receives and they can move the ball up and down the field. We have our work cut out for us Saturday," added Woodard.
 
Originally scheduled to be aired on ESPN3, Saturday's game was also added to the ESPN College Extra lineup. In addition to watching the game online, fans can see Saturday's game on DirecTV (Ch. 790), AT&T Uverse (Ch. 616) and Verizon Fios (Ch. 323).
 
-LU CARDINALS-