Game Statistics
ADA, Okla. (Oct. 31) -- There were some spooky moments, but in the end Central Oklahoma was simply too much for East Central on Halloween night here Saturday at Norris Field.
Brandon Noohi piled up 291 yards total offense and threw two touchdown passes, Jason Palmer rushed for 146 yards and a pair of scores and the Bronchos had 15 tackles for loss in subduing the winless Tigers, 42-25.
UCO improved to 3-7 on the year and 2-2 in the Lone Star Conference North Division, while ECU fell to 0-10 and 0-4.
The Bronchos upped a 21-7 halftime lead to 35-13 in the third quarter, but the Tigers rallied to within 35-25 early in the final period before UCO finally put the game away.
“We made a bunch of mistakes that really hurt us, but we also made some big plays on both sides of the ball and got out of here with a good win,” UCO coach Tracy Holland said. “We're looking forward to finishing the season strong and the getting to work on next year.”
Noohi completed 21-of-31 passes for 230 yards while also rushing for 61 yards in nine attempts to lead UCO's 444-yard offensive night. Palmer carried 25 times for 146 yards and had TD runs of three and 18 yards, with Ryan Gallimore catching five passes for 100 yards and a score to lead the receivers.
The Bronchos limited ECU to three yards rushing in 33 tries as tackle Jermelle Cudjo had four tackles for loss, linebacker Terry Hardeman three and linebacker Terrence Hill 2.5. The Tigers did pass for 305 yards, hitting 29-of-49 attempts.
UCO led 21-7 at halftime and pushed that to 28-7 early in the third quarter when Hill crunched ECU tailback Josh Maldanado on a first-down play from the Tiger 11, forcing a fumble that Hardeman picked up at the three and took in for a touchdown.
The Tigers came right back with a 65-yard drive that included 30 yards in penalties against UCO to pull within 28-13 after the missed extra point, but the Bronchos took a comfortable 35-13 lead with an 86-yard TD march
Noohi had key third-down completions of eight yards to Dolphin Davis and 21 to Gallimore to keep the drive alive and Palmer finished it with an 18-yard gallop up the middle.
ECU crawled back in the game with two desperation drives, scoring twice on fourth down plays to make things interesting. The Bronchos stopped two-point conversion tries after both scores, with Hardeman breaking up a pass and Giorgio Durham intercepting another.
That left UCO on top 35-25 with 9:12 still to play and the Tigers got a chance to cut into that lead after forcing a punt, but the Bronchos held on downs and finally put the game away with a 46-yard TD drive.
Palmer's three-yard scoring burst ended that with 3:47 remaining and the Bronchos were home free.
The Bronchos jumped out to a 14-0 lead and dominated the first half, but needed a final-minute touchdown to gain a little breathing room at 21-7.
UCO's defense set up the first score when Maurice Henry picked off a Josh Phillips pass at the ECU 33-yard-line and returned it to the 17.
Two Palmer runs moved the Bronchos to the 11 and on third down from there Noohi found Bryce Davis open at the three, with the sophomore tight end trotting into the end zone for his first career touchdown with 8:00 left in the first quarter.
ECU lost 15 yards on its next possession as Freddie Harris had a sack and Hardeman a five-yard tackle for loss and the Bronchos needed just five plays to cover 59 yards after a short punt.
Palmer had the big play, going up the middle for 40 yards on a fourth-and-one play from midfield and Ben Birmingham capped the quick-strike drive on the next play with a 10-yard scoring scamper. Chris Robbs' extra point made it 14-0 with 4:28 remaining in the opening period.
The Tigers threatened on their next possession, using a 39-yard pass play in reaching UCO's 20 before a Cudjo sack ended up forcing ECU to punt the ball away.
A UCO fumble set up ECU's lone first-half score that made it 14-7, with the Tigers taking over at the Broncho 32 and scoring in a 10-play drive that included two fourth-down conversions.
The Bronchos needed just 30 seconds to cover 56 yards in upping their lead to 21-7 late in the half. Noohi converted a third-and-nine with a 28-yard pass to Daniel Morrell and then tossed a 27-yard TD to Gallimore on the next play.
Noohi scrambled away from trouble on that play before spotting a wide-open Gallimore at the one, with Gallimore gathering in the pass and stepping in for the score with 26 seconds left in the half.
The Bronchos end the 2009 season next Saturday, hosting Northeastern State in the annual President's Cup meeting at 2 p.m.
