Ray gives stalled Bears a kick

University of Central Arkansas Coach Nathan Brown often this season has talked at length about his offense's propensity to leave points on the field, particularly near the opposing team's 20-yard line.

That penchant showed up in bunches during last week's 33-24 victory at Missouri State, but the Bears have a reliable Plan B in place.

Kicker Hayden Ray has been UCA's go-to-guy when things don't go as intended offensively. The Bryant native has fought through a preseason leg injury to nail 11 of 15 field-goal attempts, including a season-long 47-yarder. He's also hit 13 of 14 extra-point kicks.

"He's about as consistent as they come," Brown said. "Inside the 20, he's usually automatic. He's going to put points on the board when you need him to.

"The problem is, you don't want to see and need him very much. You want to be able to punch it in on offense and get seven points when you have that opportunity."

The 33 points against Missouri State were the second most UCA (3-3) has scored this season. But of their six official scoring drives, only two resulted in touchdowns. The Bears' other touchdown came via a pick-six by defensive back Deandre Lamont.

To make matters worse, UCA had eight series where it drove to at least Missouri State's 34.

"It's deflating," Brown said about his team not being able to put the ball in the end zone consistently. "When you get a big turnover or get yourself in good field position, you have to take advantage. We just haven't done that enough on offense this year.

"Taking three points as opposed to seven is not going to be a recipe to win games. But we're lucky to have a consistent kicker like Hayden who puts points on the board when you need him."

Statistically, UCA (3-3) is one of the best in the FCS at scoring in the red zone. The Bears have come away with points on 18 of their 21 trips inside their opponents' 20. That 85.7% scoring clip is fifth among the 15 FCS teams that are playing football this fall.

However, UCA has scored touchdowns on just 11 of those 21 drives.

Ray hit four field goals, including three in the third quarter, that helped UCA turn a 24-17 deficit into a 26-24 lead against Missouri State.

Ray, a preseason All-Southland Conference pick, led the league in field-goal accuracy a year ago after hitting 15 of his 17 kicks. The former all-stater, who broke the Arkansas high school record for field goals in a season with 19 in 2016, was set on having an even bigger year in 2020 before an injury clouded his outlook.

The 5-11, 160-pound right-footer said he strained his groin two weeks prior to UCA's season opener vs. Austin Peay. He said the pain subsided during the Bears' 24-17 victory in Montgomery, Ala., but returned days later.

"It's crazy because for some odd reason, [the groin] felt perfectly fine for that game," said Ray, who went 3 for 3 against the Governors. "But of course, we stayed in Alabama that week and during practice, it was hurting super bad. I'm stubborn when it comes to football, and I always want to go down swinging.

"So in that next game against UAB, I wanted to give it a shot, and I missed two 45-yarders. I was like, 'You know what, I'm done.' I was just hurting myself. We had a perfectly healthy kicker in Chandler Caughron, and he ended up going in the game and did a really good job."

Ray admitted that when he returned for the next game -- and first meeting against Missouri State -- he got down on himself after missing an early field goal.

"The kicking game is such a big mental game, and I missed one that I would normally hit," he said. "It kind of got in my head. Missouri State, they were really hard rushing on special teams that entire game on punts, field goals, everything. They even did it in this last game we had with them.

"I would see them come off the edge, and it got to me. I actually ended up missing an extra point, too. But I was able to recuperate with myself and get back to just relaxing and doing what I've been doing since I got here."

Redemption was on his mind last week when he saw Missouri State again. The only miss out of his five attempts was one that was hit against a stiff wind. But the Bears might be mired in a three-game losing streak going into this weekend's game at Eastern Kentucky had Ray not made his other four kicks.

"I don't think people realize how much [Ray] helps your confidence as a play-caller," Brown said. "If you're the offensive coordinator and you're calling plays, to know that if you get close or in the red zone, you've got three points in your back pocket. When you've got a consistent kicker, that's a difference-maker.

"It allows you to be a little more aggressive, and it allows your quarterback to know that he doesn't have to force anything on third down. It's a huge security blanket for our offense to have a kicker like him."