Football 11/3/2021 9:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Welcomes Nebraska Kearney For Home Finale

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma football team returns to Chad Richison Stadium in Week 10 and hosts Nebraska Kearney. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Bronchos are 4-5 this season and looking to snap a two-game losing streak. UCO had a three-game win streak heading into its last home game two weeks ago, but a wild ending to that Homecoming affair and a six-point loss at Pittsburg State last weekend leaves the Bronchos looking to find their way back into the win column. Nebraska Kearney is 7-2 this season. The Lopers are enjoying a historic season. UNK is ranked No. 25 in the country. Kearney is coming off its second loss of the season last week at Northwest Missouri.

Defensively, the Bronchos allow 23.2 points per game on 366.9 yards per game. Opponents manage 222.1 passing yards and 144.8 rushing yards per game against UCO.

Dylan Buchheit has led the Central defense all season. The sophomore from Moore, Oklahoma has a team-high 70 tackles, which ranks 11th in the MIAA. He splits his tackles near evenly at 38 solo stops with 32 assisted tackles. Buchheit also has two interceptions – one returned for a touchdown – and three passes broken up to go with one fumble forced and one fumble recovered.

Elijah Wright and Lamontre Huval, UCO's duo of starting linebackers, are second and third on the team in tackles respectively. Wright has 46 stops, including three behind the line of scrimmage, to go with one QB hurry, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble. Huval has 40 stops, including three behind the line of scrimmage, to go with four passes broken up.

Michael Slater, 33 stops, has a team-high 11.5 tackles for a loss this season and also has 2.5 sacks. Robert Fuentes, with three sacks, leads the Bronchos in that category. Derrick Shaw and Darius Hawkins each have 28 tackles this season. Hunter Largent is next with 27 tackles and has three of those behind the line of scrimmage including 2.5 sacks.

Jayce Gardner is eighth in the MIAA in total rushing yards this season. He leads the Bronchos with 494 yards on 97 carries this season. Gardner, a freshman from Moore, Oklahoma, is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season and has four rushing touchdowns. Gardner's 23 receptions are the third most on the squad and he has 137 yards receiving.

Keats Calhoon has stepped up his game over the last few weeks. The lefty quarterback is 102-for-162 with 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns. His 63.0 percent passing rate is the sixth best mark in the MIAA. Stephon Brown, who is 57-for-100 with 527 yards and one touchdown, also has 85 carries for 358 yards and eight touchdowns. The junior quarterback has gained 474 total yards rushing this season and his eight rushing scores are the second most in the MIAA behind Kearney's Davis.

Calhoon, and Brown too, have both benefitted in the passing game from Markiese King. A junior from Dallas, King leads the team with 603 receiving yards. He has 32 receptions for an 18.8 yards per catch average. King has also hauled in five touchdown passes – four over 50 yards – and has one rushing touchdown.

Josh Moore adds 31 receptions. He has totaled 399 yards in the passing game this season. Gardner's 23 receptions are the third most on the squad and he has 137 yards receiving. Daunte McGee (19-160) and Johnny Bizzell IV (11-98) are both also active targets for both Calhoon and Brown.

Central Oklahoma owns a 6-3 lead in the all-time series between the two schools. UCO first met Kearney in the 1979 NAIA Playoffs and the Bronchos left Nebraska with a 42-22 victory. The teams also met twice in the 1990s and alternated wins. Once both schools found their way to the MIAA, the Bronchos won 49-0 in 2014 and 36-24 in 2015. Since the 2015 meeting, it's been an every-other-year win for Central.

Nebraska Kearney is 7-2 this season and averages 34 points per game. The Lopers put up 456.7 yards of offense per game, splitting that near evenly between 246.8 rushing yards per contest and 209.8 passing yards per game. Defensively, UNK allows 405.1 yards per game and opponents are scoring 25.1 points per game against the Lopers. UNK is led by quarterback T.J. Davis, who is 94-for-147 with 1,754 yards passing and 17 touchdowns. He also has 177 carries this season for a total of 813 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Central Oklahoma will close the gates to Chad Richison Stadium following Week 10's matchup against Nebraska Kearney. The Bronchos finish the 2021 regular season on the road. UCO will travel to Warrensburg, Missouri next weekend to face off against the other Central, Central Missouri. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Johnny Bizzell IV: WR; 6' 0"; Junior

#10 Dylan Buchheit: DB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#18 Keats Calhoon: QB; 6' 1"; Junior

#20 Jayce Gardner: RB; 5' 11"; Freshman

#30 Lamontre Huval: LB; 6' 2"; Senior

#1 Markiese King: WR; 5' 8"; Junior

#68 Hunter Largent: DL; 6' 2"; Freshman

#85 Daunte McGee: HB; 6' 5"; Junior

#0 Josh Moore: WR; 5' 10"; Senior

#93 Derrick Shaw: DL; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Johnny Bizzell IV
: 6' 0"; Junior
: WR

#10 Dylan Buchheit
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: DB

#18 Keats Calhoon
: 6' 1"; Junior
: QB

#20 Jayce Gardner
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: RB

#30 Lamontre Huval
: 6' 2"; Senior
: LB

#1 Markiese King
: 5' 8"; Junior
: WR

#68 Hunter Largent
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: DL

#85 Daunte McGee
: 6' 5"; Junior
: HB

#0 Josh Moore
: 5' 10"; Senior
: WR

#93 Derrick Shaw
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: DL