Gorillas Too Much For UCO

9/14/2013 10:13:00 PM

Joshua Birmingham

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EDMOND (Sept. 14) – Powerful Pittsburg State ruined Central Oklahoma's home opener with an impressive offensive display in handing the Bronchos a 65-24 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association beating here Saturday night.

The No. 16-ranked Gorillas jumped out to a quick 20-0 lead, rolled up 599 total yards – 361 of that rushing – and had a Wantland Stadium-record 35 first downs in dropping the Bronchos to 0-2 on the season and in the league.

UCO was stopped on a fourth-and-five play at the PSU 30-yard-line on the opening possession of the game and the Gorillas (2-0, 2-0) went 70 yards in five plays to take early control on quarterback Anthony Abenoja's 15-yard run.

The deficit grew to 20-0 by early in the second quarter, 34-3 at intermission and 51-10 after three quarters as PSU won for the fifth straight time in the series.

The Bronchos had plenty of offensive success of their own in finishing with 431 yards, but it wasn't nearly enough.

Running back Joshua Birmingham once again led UCO, picking up 152 yards on just 17 carries with TD runs of 16 and 73 yards as he tied the all-time school scoring record of 300 points.

Adrian Nelson completed 19-of-33 passes for 194 yards and a TD while also rushing for 42 yards. Marquez Clark had eight receptions for 99 yards and a score to lead the receivers and he added four kickoff returns for 106 yards.

Nelson's 22-yard scramble keyed UCO's game-opening drive that reached the PSU 30, but his fourth-and-five pass from there was incomplete and the Gorillas wasted little time in moving down for the go-ahead score.

The Bronchos forced PSU to punt on its next possession, but the Gorillas scored the two times they had the ball to go up 20-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter before UCO put together its lone scoring drive of the opening half.

Nelson ran three times for 21 yards in a 10-play, 54-yard drive that ended in Seth Hiddink's 34-yard field goal that cut the lead to 20-3, but PSU used a long kickoff return and interception to set up short TD drives the rest of the half in taking a 34-3 lead into the locker room.

The Gorillas made it 41-3 on their opening drive of the second half before Birmingham answered with an electrifying 73-yard scoring gallop -- his ninth career TD run of 50-plus yards. That did little to slow PSU, however, which pushed its lead to 51-10 by the end of the quarter.

It became 58-10 early in the final period before UCO scored the final two TDs.

Birmingham had a 16-yard scamper to cap a 68-yard drive and Nelson hit Clark with a 21-yard TD pass to end a 66-yard scoring march.

The Bronchos are home again next Saturday, hosting Emporia State at 6 p.m.

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