No. 1 Bearcats Too Much For UCO

9/27/2014 5:45:00 PM

Josh Crockett

Game Statistics

EDMOND (Sept. 27) -- Central Oklahoma's overworked defense finally succumbed to Northwest Missouri's relentless attack in the second half as the top-ranked Bearcats pulled away to a 36-13 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association victory Saturday afternoon at Wantland Stadium.

The Bronchos repelled several NWMSU advances in the first half and trailed the defending national champions just 13-6 at intermission, but the Bearcats were simply too much in the final two quarters when they took control of the game.

NWMSU racked up 356 of its 616 total yards in the second half and scored 23 unanswered points to open up a 36-6 lead before UCO notched its lone touchdown of the day midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bronchos were without their top three offensive weapons -- quarterback Chas Stallard, running back Jake Gandara and wide receiver Marquez Clark – and struggled throughout against a stout Bearcat defense that featured a formidable front seven and recorded five sacks.

UCO finished with just 169 total yards, its lowest output since 2007, and had minus-14 yards rushing in 22 attempts. T.J. Eckert was 11-of-33 passing for 183 yards, with Christian Hood pulling in seven aerials for 126 yards.

Linebackers Chass Glaspie (14 tackles) and Malcolm Howard (12 tackles, one interception) led a defensive unit that was on the field for 94 plays. NWMSU had a huge 38:27-21:33 advantage in time of possession.

The Bronchos fell to 3-1 on the season and in league play, while the Bearcats improved to 4-0 and 4-0 in running their winning streak to 19 in a row.

"We fought hard, but our defense was on the field too much and they just wore us down in the second half," head coach Nick Bobeck said. "We couldn't get any offensive rhythm established and obviously they had a lot to do with that because they're a great defensive football team.

"But we can't hang our heads and feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to bounce back and come back ready to get to work Monday."

UCO stunned the Bearcats on the first play from scrimmage when Hood made a one-handed catch of an Eckert pass for a 34-yard gain to the NWMSU 41-yard-line.

Eckert had a 13-yard scramble minutes later to give the Bronchos a first down at the 11, but the drive stalled and UCO settled for Seth Hiddink's 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead four minutes into the game.

The Bearcats answered quickly with a 75-yard touchdown drive to take the lead for good, though the extra point bounced off the left upright.

NWMSU threatened again on its next possession, but Adrian Mack and Levonte Douglas came up with a third-and-goal stop at the two to force a 19-yard field goal that the Bearcats hit off the right upright to leave the lead at 6-3.

A 69-yard TD drive pushed NWMSU's advantage to 13-3 early in the second quarter before Howard's interception off a tipped pass led to a 36-yard Hiddink field goal that got UCO within 13-6 with 5:49 left in the half. Eckert's 26-yard pass to Josh Crockett was the key play on that 37-yard drive.

The Bronchos came up with two fourth-down stops in the final minutes of the half to stay within that seven-point margin at the break, but it was all NWMSU in the second half.

The Bearcats used a four-play, 75-yard TD drive to make it 20-6 with 3:48 left in the third quarter, added a safety less than a minute later and scored again early in the final period to go up 29-6.

A quick-strike 68-yard scoring march upped NWMSU's lead to 36-6 with 9:47 left to play before the Bronchos came back with their best offensive possession of the day.

Erick completed 5-of-6 passes for 89 yards to overcome a six-yard sack in a seven-play, 83-yard drive. Hood caught three of those for 63 yards, including a big 41-yarder, and Crockett got the touchdown with a nice over-the-shoulder grab from eight yards out.

That made it 36-13 with 7:18 remaining and the Bearcats finished their dominating second half by running out the clock.

UCO is back in action next Saturday, traveling to Kearney, Neb. to take on league rival Nebraska-Kearney.

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