Hornets Sting UCO

9/21/2013 10:07:00 PM

Marquez Clark

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EDMOND (Sept. 21) – It was a record-setting night at Wantland Stadium as Central Oklahoma and Emporia State combined for a bushel of video-like offensive numbers, but in the end the Hornets had the only thing that mattered – a win.

ESU established four Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and five Wantland Stadium single-game marks in downing the Bronchos 54-38, with UCO standouts Joshua Birmingham and Marquez Clark each setting a school record.

The two teams combined for 59 first downs and 1,265 yards, including 884 passing.

The Hornets rolled up a Wantland Stadium-best 699 total yards, with quarterback Brent Wilson smashing stadium and MIAA records for passing yards (522), total yards (571) and passing touchdowns (seven). Receiver Ray Ray Davis had a stadium-record 16 receptions for 181 yards and five TDs, breaking that league and stadium mark.

UCO was no slouch offensively, finishing with 566 yards – the ninth-best game in school history.

Quarterback Adrian Nelson was 26-of-42 passing for 362 yards while adding 56 yards rushing to finish with 418 total yards. Clark hauled in a school-record 13 aerials for 236 yards and a touchdown en route to finishing with 338 all-purpose yards, which ranks second on UCO's single-game list.

Birmingham rushed 15 times for 93 yards and three TDs in becoming the school's all-time scoring leader with 318 points.

But in the end, it was another tough loss for the Bronchos. UCO fell to 0-3 on the season and in the MIAA while the Hornets improved to 3-0 overall and in the MIAA.

"We did enough offensively to win the football game and obviously it wasn't enough," head coach Nick Bobeck said. "We're disappointing, but we just have to keep moving forward and keep getting better because nobody in this league is going to give it to us."

ESU went 92 yards in 13 plays on its first possession of the game to take a quick lead, though Kenny Allen blocked the extra point. The Bronchos answered with a five-play, 70-yard drive that Nelson capped with a 48-yard TD pass to Clark and Seth Hiddink added the PAT to give UCO its first lead of the season.

That lasted 13 seconds, which is all it took Wilson to toss a 67-yard scoring pass, and a lost fumble at the ESU 21 led to another quick score that put UCO in a 20-7 hole with 5:11 left in the opening quarter.

The Bronchos made it 20-14 early in the second period after Clark's 21-yard punt return set up a short TD drive that Birmingham capped with a three-yard burst and Hiddink had UCO within 27-17 at intermission when he nailed a 50-yard field goal – the second-longest in school history – three seconds before the break.

The Hornets scored on all four of their third quarter possessions and UCO couldn't keep up, though Birmingham had TD runs of one and seven yards as the Bronchos went to the final stanza down 51-31.

An ESU field goal made that 54-31 before the Bronchos got their final score on Nelson's six-yard keeper.

UCO goes to Washburn next Saturday before returning home Oct. 5 to host Central Missouri.

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