Bronchos meet Tarleton State in Corsicana Bowl

11/28/2017 12:13:00 PM | By: Chris Brannick

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CORSICANA, Texas – The University of Central Oklahoma football team is set to play in the inaugural Corsicana Bowl Saturday, Dec. 2 against former conference foe Tarleton State, with kickoff slated for noon at Tiger Stadium.

The Bronchos finished the 2017 regular season 7-4 and won its last five games to get to that point. UCO won 6 of 7 down the stretch after a 1-3 start. Tarleton State is 6-5. The Texans have lost two in a row, and 4 of 6 following a 4-1 start.

"We're excited to get down there and play in the first-ever Corsicana Bowl," UCO head football coach Nick Bobeck said. "The guys will always be able to say they played in the first one. Tarleton is a really good team though, and they've played some really good teams too, so we're going to have to stick to our game plan through and through and really dig down to go down there and get a win."

The game will renew a slight rivalry between the two schools. When Central Oklahoma played in the Lone Star Conference, it played Tarleton State 10 times in a 15-year period. The series was back and forth, with Central owning a 6-4 advantage. The Bronchos won the first meeting between the school's 47-0 and soon took a 4-0 lead in the series. Tarleton won back-to-back meetings in 2002-03 and 2008-09.

Central of course is led by a high-potent offensive attack. The Bronchos average 37.6 points per game, which was second in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association this season. That mark also stood 24th in the nation.

Chas Stallard orchestrates the offense from the quarterback position. The fifth-year senior has nearly every passing record in Central Oklahoma history and is now just looking to add to those marks and walk away a winner.

Stallard is a constant deflector of the attention. Despite having thrown for 7,246 yards in his career – no other player in school history has thrown for 6,000 – the Cleveland, Okla. product is a steady praiser of his offensive line and his receivers.

"Somebody's got to catch the ball, you know?" Stallard said. "I've been fortunate to play with some really talented teammates and I also play behind a tough offensive line that works really hard for me, and the team."

One of the 'really talented teammates' Stallard is referring to would be senior wide receiver J.T. Luper. The 5-foot-9 standout led the country in yards this season. His 101 receptions, 1,544 yards, and 12 touchdowns are all school records. That all led to him being named MIAA Offensive Player of the Year and a unanimous First Team selection.

Luper dazzled this season, totaling 10 or more catches in six games. He had at least 100 yards in seven games, and had more than 200 yards twice. His 12-catch, 230-yard, 4-touchdown performance in a 53-52 win over Emporia State in September sparked the Bronchos to win six of their final seven games this season.

Josh Crockett though also earned All-MIAA honors. The senior wide receiver, another fifth-year player for the Bronchos, has consistently been a threat to catch any pass, and is always a threat to reach the end zone. Crockett this season has 46 catches, 710 yards, and eight touchdowns. He's worked his way up to No. 7 on UCO's all-time list in both catches (125) and yards (1,955).

Central's defense turned up the heat during its five-game win streak. The Bronchos forced nine fumbles this season, recovering six, and intercepted 13 passes. Over the past five games – five fumbles forced, six recovered, and 11 interceptions. Almost all of the Broncho takeaways have come in the second half of the season.

Colton Lindsey led the team in tackles in the regular season and earned Third Team All-MIAA as a result. The junior linebacker made 92 tackles, grabbed an interception, and forced two fumbles, recovering one of them.

Alex Figueroa, also a junior linebacker, earned Second Team All-MIAA honors after his stellar season of 74 tackles, 11.5 behind the line of scrimmage, five sacks, and one interception, one fumble forced, and one fumble recovery.

The duo, and the entire Broncho defense will have their hands full Saturday.

Wide receiver Jeff Thomas, who is the only first-team all-conference player for Tarleton State on offense, led the team with 53 catches for 788 yards and six touchdowns. But TSU boasts a balanced attack. Del'Michael High had 47 catches for 681 yards and also scored six touchdowns. The duo are the beneficiaries of quarterback Zed Woerner's ability to spread the ball around the field.

Woerner, who owns the school record with 70 career touchdown passes, has this season a 167-of-278 stat line that includes 2,213 yards and 20 TD passes.

Tarleton State averages just under 30 points per game (29.8), which is fifth in the Lone Star Conference. The Texans put up 346.6 yards per game, which is seventh-most in the LSC.

Basil Jackson paces the TSU defense. He made 107 tackles this season, 10 behind the line, and three of those were sacks. Jackson also had a forced fumble and one recovered fumble. Defensive tackle Tyrell Thompson was the only defensive player to earn First Team All-LSC though. Thompson made 55 tackles, nine for a loss, and had 4.5 sacks.

Central Oklahoma is looking to win its second bowl game in three seasons Saturday. The Bronchos beat Southwestern Oklahoma State in the Live United Bowl in 2015.

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