Bronchos Fall To NSU

11/5/2011 6:45:00 PM

Bryce Davis

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EDMOND (Nov. 5) – Northeastern State scored on a trio of big plays and kept the President's Cup with a 35-7 victory over Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at wind-swept Wantland Stadium.

The RiverHawks had touchdown passes of 52, 62 and 64 yards – all coming with a stiff south wind at their back – and rolled up 593 total yards en route to their sixth straight win.

The Bronchos were limited to 326 yards, including just 70 rushing, in falling to 2-8 on the season. UCO ends the 2011 campaign next Saturday, hosting Lindenwood at 2 p.m.

NSU took advantage of the wind to score twice in the opening quarter and took that 14-0 lead into halftime before pushing it to 21-0 with 2:58 left in the third period.

The Bronchos came back with their lone touchdown drive to pull within 21-7 on Ethan Sharp's 16-yard TD toss to Christian Hood with 34 seconds left in the third stanza, but the RiverHawks scored on the first play after the ensuing kickoff to push its lead back to 21 points.

UCO threw two fourth-quarter interceptions deep in NSU territory and the RiverHawks added an insurance score with just over five minutes remaining to clinch their second straight President's Cup win.

Sharp and Landon Greve split time at quarterback, with Sharp hitting 16-of-31 passes for 188 yards with the touchdown and two interceptions while Greve was 9-of-16 for 68 yards.

Senior tight end Bryce Davis had an outstanding outing with six catches for a career-high 105 yards. Running back Joshua Birmingham was limited to 40 hard-earned yards on 21 carries.

The RiverHawks passed for 388 yards and four TDs while rushing for 205 yards and a score.

The Bronchos did pick off three passes, getting interceptions from Dylan Warner, Devoris Dozier and Creadell Pennon. Tucker Cason had a game-high 14 tackles, with Drake Ballew adding 10.

NSU took the lead on its second possession of the game with a 32-yard drive after a short UCO punt, with Johnny Deaton hitting Ryan Dvorak from 27 yards out for the first of his four touchdown passes.

A 62-yard Deaton-to-Jahmai Coleman connection pushed the lead to 14-0 late in the period and that's the way the first half ended.

The Bronchos had to chance to slice into that deficit in the second quarter, but a 71-yard drive came up empty. Sharp's 41-yard pass to Davis gave UCO a first-and-goal at the NSU seven, but three plays netted two yards Chris Robbs' 22-yard field goal try hit off the right upright.

Pennon kept the Bronchos within 14 with an end zone interception on NSU's first drive of the second half and it was still a 14-0 game until a scoring flurry in the final three minutes of the quarter.

The RiverHawks struck first on Deaton's 52-yard TD bomb to McVay that made it 21-0 with 2:58 left in the period and Pennon's 48-yard return on the ensuing kickoff set up UCO's lone scoring drive.

Sharp and Hood teamed up for the two biggest plays of the 48-yard TD march, with the rookie wide receiver first snaring a 17-yard pass down to the NSU 16 on a fourth-and-five play and then grabbing a 16-yard scoring bullet two plays later.

Robbs' extra point made it 21-7 with 34 seconds left in the third period.

And 12 seconds later, it was 28-7.

The RiverHawks took over at their own 36 after the kickoff and on first down from there Deaton completed his third TD bomb, this one a 64-yarder to McVay.

The Bronchos were intercepted at the NSU 14 on two consecutive possessions in the final period, with the RiverHawks following the first of those with a 42-yard TD drive that made it 35-7 with 5:16 left to play.

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