Headlining the list were transfer players Austin Haywood and Jacoby Walker. Haywood, a tight end, comes to UCA after two seasons at the University of Oklahoma. He will have two years of eligibility left. Walker, a quarterback, transferred from the University of Arkansas. He will have three seasons of eligibility left.

UCA also signed transfer Courtney Whitehead from the Air Force Academy. Whitehead will not be eligible this upcoming season because of the transfer of credits but he will have three years of playing eligibility remaining, beginning in 2013.

UCA also signed 20 high school players.

In all, the Bears signed five defensive linemen, three wide receivers, three linebackers, two offensive linemen, two cornerbacks, two safeties, two tight ends, one running back, one quarterback and two athletes.

Here is a complete list of the signees. We also included a video of interviews with Conque, defensive coordinator Matt Williamson, Walker and Haywood at the end of the story.

Signees:

• TE - Austin Haywood - 6'5'', 252 lbs. - Moore, Okla. / University of Oklahoma
• QB - Jacoby Walker - 6'2'', 216 lbs. - Houston, Texas / University of Arkansas
• WR - Courtney Whitehead - 6'2'', 195 lbs. - Athens, Texas / Air Force Academy
• OL - Justin Carpenter - 6'4'', 290 lbs. - Lonoke, Ark. / Lonoke High School
• ATH - Cody Dauksch - 6'1'', 215 lbs. - West Memphis, Ark. / West Memphis High School
• CB - Prince Ene - 5'10'', 180 lbs. - Houston, Texas / George Bush High School
• RB - Wes Foster - 5'11'', 195 lbs. - Clarksville, Ark. / Clarksville High School
• DL - Dawson Hadnot - 6'1'', 265 lbs. - Garland, Texas / Garland High School
• TE - Bo Harper - 6'4'', 235 lbs. - Monroe, La. / Ouachita Christian High School
• CB - Haywood Jeffires III - 6'0'', 198 lbs. - Pearland, Texas / Glenda Dawson High School
• WR - Jameson Johnson - 5'10'', 175 lbs. - Houston, Texas / Tomball High School
• OL - Lance Kloker - 6'5'', 275 lbs. - Owasoo, Okla. / Owasso High School
• LB - Jazz Mason - 6'1'', 210 lbs. - Memphis, Tenn. / Arlington High School
• DE - Bailey McIver - 6'4'', 235 lbs. - Sheridan, Ark. / Sheridan High School
• DT - Nathan O'Connor - 6'3'', 275 lbs. - Allen, Texas / LoveJoy High School
• S - Darius Reed - 6'2'', 185 lbs. - Houston, Texas / George Bush High School
• WR - Desmond Smith - 6'1'', 186 lbs. - Bentonville, Ark. / Bentonville High School
• OLB - Kamane Thomas - 6'1'', 195 lbs. - Missouri City, Texas / Elkins High School
• DE - Tony Truong - 6'2'', 236 lbs. - Carrollton, Texas / Creekview High School
• S - Aum' Arie Wallace - 6'1'', 185 lbs. - Little Rock, Ark. / Pulaski Academy High School
• ATH - Dillion Winfrey - 5'8'', 174 lbs. - Bryant, Ark. / Bryant High School
• DE - Tony Winslow - 6'3'', 231 lbs. - Kingwood, Texas / Kingwood High School
• LB - Ricky Wyatt - 5'11'', 233 lbs. - Monroe, La. / Neville High School

Head Coach Corliss Williamson said he expects the Demons to be a focused team tonight. The Bears defeated the Demons 77-73 last month in Natchitoches, La., but the Bears need to be ready for a tough team tonight, Williamson said.

"We have to be focused and not just rely on the fact that we're at home and think we're going to win," Williamson said. "We have to come out and play a complete, solid game."

The Bears are 7-12 overall and 2-5 in conference play heading into tonight. While they have struggled on the road, the Bears are 5-3 at the Farris Center this season. The Demons come into tonight's game leading the East Division of the Southland Conference at 12-9 overall and 5-2 in conference play.

Bears senior guard Mark Rutledge said he expects the Demons to be "hungry" tonight.

"They're going to be coming in really looking to get that win back," Rutledge said. "We expect a dogfight."

The Bears rallied from a 20-14 halftime deficit to score 31 unanswered points from all areas of the field. They put the first touchdown on the board with an eight-yard rush by Terence Bobo. That was quickly answered by the Demons, who scored the next 10 points, before Nathan Dick hit Brett Soft for a 29-yard score and a 14-10 lead. NSU scored on a touchdown pass and field goal before the half ended to take the 20-14 lead.

It was all UCA in the second half.

The Demons fumbled the opening kickoff and it was picked up and returned by Al Lasker for a 20-yard score and a 21-20 Bears lead. Dick threw two touchdowns in the third quarter, a 25-yarder to Dominique Croom and a one-yard strike to Thomas Hart for a 35-20 lead. UCA gained more total yards in the third quarter then they did in the entire first half (130).

 “In the first half, we played about as badly as we possibly could," Bears head coach Clint Conque told ucasports.com. “We had dropped passes, penalties, we didn’t tackle well, and we couldn’t get off the field on third down. They had 18 minutes in time of possession and 2-to-1 in yards. We just needed to come out and do what we do. We caught the football, we made some big plays, and obviously the kickoff was a big momentum lift for us."

The Bears held the Demon offense to just 103 yards in the second half. The defense finished the game with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown by Marcus Peters. Seth Allison led the Bears with 10 tackles and two sacks and Frank Newsome added seven, including two for a loss. Dick went 18 of 34 passing for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’m very proud of our coaching staff and our entire team how we competed in the second half," Conque said. “Give Northwestern State credit, they came out and did what they wanted in the first half. That’s the worst half of football we’ve had this season. We were fortunate to only be down six. But give out defense credit, we really shut them down in the second half."

The Bears face off with Texas State this weekend in Conway. The Bears need one more victory to have a shot at their first NCAA FCS playoff berth.

ORU said it will leave the Summit League to join the SLC on July 1 and will begin conference competition with the 2012-2013 season.

The Golden Eagles are the natural replacement for UTSA as UCA's travel partner. The Golden Eagles will participate in 15 of the Southland's 17 sponsored championships, including men's basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field. On the women's side, Oral Roberts will compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball.

ORU will be the first Oklahoma-based institution in the Southland Conference's 48-year history. It also will be the league's first private institution since charter members Trinity University and Abilene Christian University departed the conference in the early 70's.

“It’s really a win-win situation for us,” said Brad Teague, UCA’s athletic director. “Oral Roberts brings prestige to the conference with a long-standing history of competitive teams and championships in several sports. It gives the league a solid, well-respected Division I institution with a national reputation.

“And we are not isolated on the northern edge of the conference any more. Oral Roberts fits right into our scheduling model and will create a seamless transition in our scheduling. We had been working hard on on scheduling since UTA left and we couldn’t have found a better fit with their proximity and the sports they offer."

The game featured 857 yards of offense between the schools but the game was decided by a Bears defensive stop on fourth and goal at the seven yard line with just over a minute remaining.

UCA scored the winning touchdown with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard pass from Nathan Dick to Dominique Croom to grab their first lead of the game. An extra point was blocked earlier by Nicholls State, giving the Bears just a six-point lead. The Bears grabbed an interception midway through the quarter but was unable to produce and the teams traded punts.

The Bears had the ball late in their own territory and tried to convert on a short fourth and one with a quarterback sneak but was unsuccessful. That turnover gave the Colonels the ball with just 33 yards to go and within a touchdown and extra point of winning the game.

A roughing the passer penalty moved the Colonels to their 10 yard line where the Bears held them for three plays. On fourth and goal from the seven and the game on the line, Seth Allison and Jestin Love combined on a hit on the Colonel receiver keeping him well short of the touchdown and icing the victory for the Bears.

"The defense made the one play it took to win the game," UCA head coach Clint Conque told ucasports.com after the game. “It’s a game of inches. We came up an inch short on our fourth down, and they come up a couple of inches short on theirs. Credit our defense for a big stop."

The Bears offense played well and kept pace with the rapid scoring by Nicholls State and answered them every time. Dick completed 25 of 33 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns and added 35 rushing yards. He also scored on the ground.

Jackie Hinton rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries to lead UCA on the ground. Dominique Croom caught five passes for 82 yards and the game-winning score. Jesse Grandy hauled in five receptions for 58 yards. Defensive end Jermayne Lett led the charge for the Bears defense with eight tackles, including 4.5 for loss and three sacks.

The Bears are at home this week in conference action against McNeese State in the annual "Red Beans and Rice Bowl."

The Bears are coming in fresh off a 38-28 victory over two-time defending Southland Conference champions Stephen F. Austin last weekend at home. The Bears managed to find the endzone several different ways last Saturday, earning two Bears conference awards.

Receiver/returner Isaiah Jackson took home the Special Teams Player of the Week for his 91-yard kickoff return for a score and linebacker Seth Allison was awarded Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts with eight total tackles, including 7 solos, and  he returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. Marcus Peters, cornerback,  also returned a fumble 55 yards for another Bears score.

Nathan Dick was also back last week running the offense after missing the previous week with a concussion. He played well going 17 of 22 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns including a 58-yard bomb to receiver Jesse Grandy. Jackie Hinton rushed for a career-high 129 yards on 20 carries to even out the Bears offensive attack.

The Colonels enter the weekend looking for their first win since their season opener. They're coming off a 38-12 defeat last weekend at Texas State. Their first win came 42-0 at home against  Evangel University before they hit the road for three consecutive losses.

The Colonel offense is ranked last in the conference averaging just 250.4 yards per game. However, the Bears defense is allowing a conference-worst 472.6 yards per game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Thibodaux, La.

The series was originally scheduled to begin Thursday but was rained out. The schedule change prompted a doubleheader Friday and pushed game three to Saturday.

The first game of the doubleheader Friday produced a whooping 32 runs between the two teams. Through five innings, the Bears (19-21, 9-12) were down 12-2 but fought back to take a 14-12 lead in the eighth inning. That run started in the sixth inning where they produced seven runs to reduce the lead to 12-9.  Ethan Harris blasted a grand slam during the inning to score four of the runs. The Mavericks (23-18, 12-9) mounted their comeback with eight runs in the ninth inning and won, 18-14.

The Bears had seven players with multiple hits and a total of 17 hits for the game. The Mavericks edged the Bears with 19 hits.

Jonathan Houston

The second game Friday night began 30 minutes after the first ended and provided the Bears' only win of the weekend. Dustin Ward gave a solid eight innings of pitching for the Bears in the 9-1 win. In the third inning, Travis Snider smashed a three-run homer and Jonathan Davis added a solo shot in the fourth for an 8-1 advantage.

The Mavericks controlled game three from the start with a five-run second inning culminating in a 8-4 victory. Bryan Wilson took the loss, allowing five runs and seven hits through two innings. Jonathan Houston had an RBI triple in the first to give the Bears a 1-0 lead but the Bears couldn't capitalize on base runners and left the bases loaded in the second and sixth innings.

The first game is at 6 p.m. today. The next game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday and the final game is at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Bears (16-17, 6-9 conference) are coming into the matchup off an impressive series win last weekend against conference leader Texas State University. That series started with an 8-3 loss but the Bears turned it around in the next two games, winning 6-5 and 13-7.

Ryan Angus was key for the Bears in the dramatic second game of the series, pitching eight solid innings and allowing four runs off just five hits and taking the game into extra innings. Tied 5-5 in the 11th inning, Doug Votolato singled and Jonathan Davis bunted his way to first, moving Votolato to second. Votolato stoled third before Jonathan Houston stepped up for the Bears and took his first pitch to right center, scoring Votolato and ending the game.

The Bears never trailed in the third game. They scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Home runs by Bryan Willson in the third inning gave the Bears a 5-0 lead and Houston's three-run shot put them up 8-3 after four innings.

The Colonels (16-17, 6-9 conference) are coming into this weekend's series on a winning streak. They have put together five consecutive conference victories and won eight of their last 11 games. They swept Northwestern State University last weekend and took two of three from the University of Texas at Arlington the weekend before.

Jonathan Davis

Friday's game features a great matchup of talent for each team. The Bears are sending Davis, the Southland Conference Hitter of the Week, to the plate against the fifth-best pitcher in the conference, Seth Webster.

Davis, who ranks sixth in the conference with a .378 batting average and fifth in both slugging percentage (.611) and on-base percentage (.472), faces Webster's 1.90 ERA.  Webster has allowed just 11 earned runs in 51 innings this season and has thrown nine innings in each of his last three outings which  includes two complete game victories.

The Bears (14-16, 4-8 conference) are coming off a much needed win this past Tuesday in which they dominated UAPB, 13-2, in a shortened run-rule victory. The Bears dominated every inning of the game, scoring three runs in the first, one in the third, three in the fourth, and blasting the Golden Lions for six in the fifth inning.

The Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in that fifth inning and mananged all 12 runs on just 11 hits. Jonathan Davis again led the team going 2-3 at the plate, scoring three runs, and stealing three bases.

Texas State comes in at 19-9 on the year and leading the conference with a 10-2 record. They played Wednesday night in Fayetteville against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and lost, 6-5. Their last four losses have all been by a single run.

The Bobcats dominated the series with the Bears in Texas last year winning all three games by scores of 14-2, 7-3, 11-4.

Michael Pair

The Southland Conference is made up of 12 teams. The complete list is available here. Texas State and Stephen F. Austin (9-3 conference) are leading the conference. The Bears are ranked ninth with just four conference wins.

Armstrong was named the conference Pitcher of the Week after going 3-1 in both conference and non-conference action. Bryant, the catcher, was named the conference Hitter of the Week after she hit .533 with a .933 slugging percentage and batted in 10 runs.

Over three games, Armstrong threw 14 consecutive shut-out innings.  She also took a no-hitter deep into the game, throwing six hitless innings in her one-hit, 12 strikeout effort against Nicholls State last Saturday. Armstrong struck out 33 for the week, vaulting her to the school career leader for strike outs (365) in less than two seasons.  She is also leading the conference with 153 strikeouts and 162.2 innings pitched.

During that time, Bryant had an on-base percentage of .611 and she connected for three doubles and her seventh home run of the year. Bryant leads the conference in three offensive categories - batting percentage (.456), RBIs (33), and hits (52).

Pitcher Kelsie Armstrong

The Bears, now 17-20 overall and 7-8 in conference action, went 5-1 on the week, sweeping both UAPB and Nicholls State.  They return to conference action this weekend at Texas State.