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We've gone from NAIA to Division 1 in 15 years. Do you think that happens if we are getting our asses kicked in the AIC?

Some of you need to have a little bit more perspective. UCA is having a fantastic year, alumnus donors are increasing (not be the amounts we would like, but they are going up), the stadium is 75-80% full each game and we are getting more attention now than we ever have. I remember going to games in the 90s and 2000s and there were maybe a few thousand in the stands. If the team wasn't winning, you could hear kids playing backyard football under the bleachers.

Yes, winning is probably the reason for a lot of this. Do you want to be on the level of the razorbacks? That's not going to happen in this lifetime.

Perspective is determined by who's eyes you are looking through. I played from
1976-1980 and I remember the stadium being full for most home games. The
west side was smaller but it would be packed. I agree that there have been great
strides made over the years but it seems that the fans still look upon the actual
game being played inside the stadium as not worthy of their attention. The greeks
come out in force to tailgate...which is wonderful but when the game starts, they
load up their stereo's and couches and head on down the road.

When the Bears were in the AIC there was a state wide interest for the games between the schools. Travel was easy and and there was a sense of pride for
your school.

Then UCA moved up to D2 and joined the Gulf South and nobody knew or cared
about Valdosta, North Alabama, Delta State, West Georgia or West Alabama until
the rest of the old AIC teams joined the league. UCA made the D2 playoffs and
had a good run in 2005 I believe. Moved to Division 1 in 2006 and joined the
Southland, which is year in and year out considered a middle of the pack conf.
at the FCS level.

The Bears have proved they can compete with a lot of so called bigger programs
but it doesn't equate to butts in the seats and it is hard to comprehend why.

No realistic Bear fan is expecting UCA to draw numbers compairing to the SEC
schools or P5 or G5 programs, but UCA should be able to fill Estes Stadium to
the brim every time they play there.

i guess we need to get the band back together and join the GAC.

I'm sorta confused though, xbear said we've been winning for 40 years and the alums still turn their back and now Foot is saying the stands were filled to the brim and there was statewide attention for all the games. Which is it?

My initial thought was that the goal was to get to the level of the NDSUs and the James Madison's of the world. To do that we need to win and make huge runs into the playoffs. We've made the playoffs 4 times since we left the NAIA (close to 20 years minus the probationary periods). That's not enough to start moving the needle to the level I mentioned above. It's going to take a lot of time, but considering where we've come from, I just don't understand what everyone is expecting. UCA has made tremendous strides. Keep winning and the attention will build along with the familiarity of our opponents.

Foot was on the field and I didn't play but from my view from the stands the stands were full...,when we played Tech.

Most of the rest of the games, including national championship games in 85&86, there might have been 2-3K there.

I know those on this board are all proud of how far the program has come in the last few years. There are many reasons to be proud, DIV 1 status, "the stripes", suites, national attention, our Coach and A.D., and as one who does not live in the state, a chance to watch the Bears on a network most weeks. My point was simple, continued winning will help but there has to be more we can do. Those of you who are Purple Circle members know we struggle to increase membership, the same can be said with season ticket sales. Perhaps it's the "rigged media", perhaps we are thought of as only Conway's team, maybe it's apathetic alumni or maybe we need better marketing. My point was the Bears have been winning a long time and it's my belief that they deserve a larger, more supportive fan base.
(FYI, I looked up the Bears record for the last 41 years, including 2016 YTD,
317-134-11, 16 conference championships, 3 national championships, only 4 losing seasons and an average of 7.7 wins per year). What alumni wouldn't be proud to support a program like that?

I'm sorry for the confusion. UCA has made big strides in attendance. My point was
that even though the Bears play at the Division 1 FCS level and have had a lot
of success, the attendance in my opinion is not anywhere near where it should be
for a program with the history of winning like UCA. The program is perceived to
be not worthy of attention by a big majority of fans and the media...

Pretty awesome and impressive class of seniors............thanks to each of them and proud they are fellow Bears.......



"317-134-11, 16 conference championships, 3 national championships, only 4 losing seasons and an average of 7.7 wins per year). What alumni wouldn't be proud to support a program like that?"

This old Bear is certainly proud of this program..............

I am hoping for a big turnout tomorrow at Estes Stadium. Senior Day and a
most likely home playoff spot is on the line. This team deserves our butts in
the seats...

BPSG
_________________
GO BEARS

Nope. Empty stadium. Deer season.

Bear Country,

Huge game, hope you're wrong

My prediction on the turnout 8,500

Maybe 7,000. I think the afternoon helps to be honest. Allows people to come to the game and head back before it gets to late (sorry to say).

We've jumped around quite a bit on this thread, but I'm proud to be an alumnus of UCA. We're going to beat Nichols and head into Huntsville with a fist full of steam and take this conference. I'm pumped about this team more so than any other simply because the defense is sooooo good. Any one who has played or followed sports knows that a defense always travels.

Go bears

Lets look at the past 3 years attendance for the game that coincides with the season that will have 280,000 hunters in the woods.

2015- 6100
2014- 5100
2013- 5400
2012- 6700

Thats ticket sales not actual attendance. Knowing that along with the fact the Game and Fish want more deer killed due to that disease AND there is a game somewhere else I will say actual butts in seats will equal 4000 tops. Hope im wrong and its packed. Our guys deserve it.

Could be a very tough game..........Nicholls record is deceiving.......5-2 in SLC play..........5-4 overall.........they could easily be 6-3 or 7-2..........

I'll go with Bears by 27-17........keys to game seem to be offense needs to get going early, defense play another stellar game and punt team needs to keep Colonels deep in their end..........

Nicholls............pass 211/game vs 249 for opponents.......rush 149 vs 138..........17 sacks vs 18..............outrushed SHS 127-77........but gave up 419 yd passing....HBU rushed for 345 and 530 total offense in a 33-30 losing effort..........at McNeese rushed 31 vs 71 and threw for 341 vs 376..in the 41-40 OT loss to South Alabama rushed for 161 v 208 and passed for 69 vs 302.......+7 TOs for season including 14 INTs by Nicholls.....


http://www.geauxcolonels.com/news/2016/11/9/football-colonels-visit-no-13-central-arkansas.aspx?path=football


#FIRSTFIVE
• The Nicholls Colonels (5-4, 5-2 SLC) travel north this weekend to face No. 13/13 Central Arkansas (8-1, 7-0 SLC) on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 2:30 p.m. CT in Estes Stadium. The game will be broadcast on American Sports Network and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM. Both teams rolled to victories last week as Nicholls defeated Lamar, 35-10, on Thursday before UCA came away with a 34-14 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.

• Nicholls put together an overpowering performance against Lamar as the Colonels rushed for a season-high 235 yards and held the Cardinals to -14 yards on the ground. QB Chase Fourcade threw for one touchdown and ran for two more, and FB Mason Boudreaux rushed for two as Nicholls defeated LU for the second straight season. Freshman Kyran Irvin rushed for a career-high 102 yards on just six carries, highlighed by a 78-yard rush in the third quarter.

• Nicholls and Central Arkansas are meeting for the 11th time, with UCA holding a commanding 8-2 lead. UCA has won the last seven matchups, including a 34-31 victory last season in Thibodaux. The last meeting in Conway was in 2014 and the Bears came away with a convincing 52-18 win. Nicholls has never won at UCA, posting an 0-4 record.

• While the Colonels' recent turnaround has been a total team effort, two true freshmen have played a huge role in the success and the duo has not gone unnoticed. DL Sully Laiche was recognized as one of the nation's best rookies as he was named to the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List on Oct. 25. This Tuesday, QB Chase Fourcade was one of six players to be added to the list, pushing the total to 23 freshmen.

• Nicholls continues to roll in conference play, posting a 5-2 record with two games left on the slate. The five wins matches the 2005 championship team's mark for the program's most since Nicholls joined the league in 1991. It is also the first time the Colonels have won five games in a season since 2007.


BY THE NUMBERS

-14 - Nicholls held Lamar to -14 yards rushing last week on a total of 27 carries. The Colonels registered a pair of sacks against LU, and the visitors also had several bad snaps that led to the lowest output for the rush defense since a 10-yard effort in 2007 against Azasu Pacific

1st - The Colonels are the No. 1 team in the FCS when it comes to fourth-down conversions. Nicholls has went for it on fourth-down 12 times this season and converted 10 (83.3%)

9/9 - The Colonel defense has recorded an interception in every game this season. On the year, Nicholls has 14 interceptions to rank ninth in the FCS

25 - The 25-point win over Lamar was the third largest margin of victory for the Colonels in Southland competition. Nicholls led 35-3, which would have been the second largest margin, before Lamar scored with 3 minutes remaining in the game

912 - Senior WR C.J. Bates will need just 88 yards to reach 1,000 yards for receiving for his career. Bates has accumulated 912 yards in just two seasons and is just outside the program's top 10 career list, with David Johnson holding the 10th spot at 1,096


SCOUTING UCA

• Central Arkansas (8-0, 7-1) enters the matchup as one of the top teams in the nation, ranking 13th in both major FCS polls. The Bears' lone loss came against No. 22/21 Samford, 35-29.

• UCA features the FCS' 16th-rated rushing offense at 223.7 ypg, led by Carlos Blackman with 497 yards. Antwon Well also has over 400 yards, and four other players, including QB Hayden Hildebrand, have at least 190 yards.

• The Bear defense is not only one of the best in the Southland, but it ranks in the top 10 of the FCS in several categories -- rushing yards (1st/60., points allowed (5th/16.0), 3rd-down conversions (5th/26.8%), fumbles recovered (5th/11), total yards (7th/281. and sacks (10th/26).

• The Bears have dominated their conference slate so far, winning by an average of 26.6 points. UCA will play undefeated Sam Houston next weekend to conclude the regular season.


ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...

• Nicholls is 3-3 all-time on Nov. 12, with its last outing coming in 2011 against Lamar in a 34-26 loss in Thibodaux. The Colonels have never lost a road game on this date, posting a 2-0 record.

1977 -- Southeastern La. -- L -- 14-17 -- H
1983 -- Central Florida -- W -- 37-14 -- A
1988 -- Northern Arizona -- W -- 23-5 -- H
1994 -- North Texas -- L -- 17-31 -- H
2005 -- Southeastern La. -- W -- 38-28 -- A
2011 -- Lamar -- L -- 26-34 -- H


ALL-TIME SERIES VS UCA

Series Record: Central Arkansas leads 8-2
in Conway: UCA leads 4-0
First Meeting: 8/31/00 @ NICH; NICH 52-44
Last Meeting: 11/14/15 @ NICH; UCA, 34-31 (RECAP)
Most Points Scored (combined): 96, 2000
Most Points Scored by NICH: 52, 2000
Most Points Scored by UCA: 52, 2014


LAST OUTING
Thursday, Nov. 3
Nicholls 35, Lamar 10

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University football team held Lamar to -14 yards rushing while the offense rushed for a season-high 235 yards in a convincing a 35-10 victory Thursday night at John L. Guidry Stadium. (RECAP)


NICHOLLS-UCA CONNECTIONS
Central Arkansas is led by Steve Campbell, who was an assistant coach at Nicholls from 1993-95. He and Coach Rebowe were both a part of the staff in '95... Colonel defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki joined the coaching staff in 2015 after leading UCA's secondary in 2014.

MOUNT RUSH NO MORE
The Colonel rush defense has performed at a high level in Tim Rebowe's two seasons, holding opponents to less than 100 yards in five games. In the last outing, Nicholls limited Lamar to -14 yards rushing, which was the lowest total since a 10-yard effort against Azusa Pacific in 2007.

- -14 vs. Lamar ('16)
- 30 vs. HBU ('15)
- 71 vs. McNeese ('16)
- 77 vs. Sam Houston ('16)
- 84 vs. UIW ('16)

PY2K
Freshman QB Chase Fourcade has 1,887 passing yards on the season and is looking to become only the sixth Colonel to record 2,000 in a single season. The feat has been accomplished six times, with Doug Hudson passing for 2,348 and 3627 yards in back-to-back seasons (1985-86).

UP NEXT
The Colonels will Black Out John L. Guidry Stadium as they take on rival Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, Nov. 17 in the annual River Bell Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Huge GAMEDAY!