Jason Harris pursues Missouri Western's quarterback in a game during the 2019 season. [UCO Photo Services]

Football 8/30/2021 8:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Football Returns With Thursday Night Opener

Bronchos Playing For First Time Since 2019

EDMOND – This Thursday the tally will read 656. That's the number of days since UCO football last played an official game. With the exception of a three-year hiatus during World War II, Central played football every year from 1904 until the ongoing pandemic left the Bronchos on the sidelines in 2020.

No more.

The University of Central Oklahoma football team opens the 2021 season Thursday with an MIAA matchup against Missouri Western. Kickoff at Wantland Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Bronchos are back.

Central returns to the field opening a new season and some things remain the same. UCO will still play an 11-game schedule that includes 11 games within the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Nick Bobeck returns for his 10th year coaching his alma mater.

Bobeck's staff is new and most of his roster is too, but the Broncho head coach is quick to point out the experience despite the lack of competition.

"Some of our coaches got here in January of 2020," Bobeck said. "So even though they haven't coached a game yet, they've got nearly two years in the program. And there are players like that too. Some of them got here in January of 2020 and some of them sat out the 2019 season as redshirts in this program. They're already in their third year. So even though a lot of the guys haven't been in an official game, we feel good about where we're at with who we have."

One veteran that remains, like Bobeck, is quarterback Keats Calhoon. The lefty from Tulsa showed up at Central in the fall of 2016. He sat out a redshirt season that year, then played sparingly in reserve duty in 2017. He won the starting job in 2018 but a knee injury limited him to just three starts and in 2019, another injury sidelined the accurate arm. With the NCAA not counting time lost in 2020, Calhoon is back and battling for the starting job under center.

He is battling against Stephon Brown, a 6-foot-5 transfer from TCU that poses as a threat to throw the ball all over the field. Brown's ability to run also aids his chances at taking snaps.

The two will throw to a few familiar faces and a few new faces.

Johnny Bizzell IV, Diego Richards and Josh Moore all saw regular reps in 2019, combing for 26 receptions, 375 yards and three touchdowns. Dawson Huddleston also played in all 11 games in 2019 and looks to continue to be an option in the pass game.

Markiese King, Payton Lusk, Sherrod Davis and Jalen Teague all could see their fair share of reps at wide receiver.

Sophomore running back Payton Scott played in six games as a true freshman in 2019 and carried the ball 14 times for 60 yards. He also hauled in five passes for 63 yards. Tucker Pawley, who came to Central in 2018, has seen limited action thus far in his career but should be a regular in the backfield with Scott this fall. The two will also help usher along Jayce Gardner, a freshman from Moore, Oklahoma that was here in 2020 and gained a year of experience through practice as the Bronchos sat out last fall.

Central Oklahoma averaged 34.8 points per game in 2019 and put up 408 yards per game. The bigs up front two years ago aren't too different in 2021. Seth Carmack has 23 career games played in 2018 and 2019 and has started every one of them. Alex Eichler has been at Central for the same amount of time and has 10 games played with two starts. Layne Grantham arrived as a true freshman in 2019 and played in eight games.

Defensively there are similarities.

Derek Loccident arrived at Central in the fall of 2016 alongside Calhoon. He sat out that season, then played seven games at defensive back in 2017. In 2018, he was the leading tackler on the team after the first two weeks of the season before losing his left foot in a train accident. He is back this fall and ready to go. A spring scrimmage earlier this year showed Loccident – now a linebacker – able to compete at a high level.

Joining Loccident in the linebacker group with experience is Jason Harris (six games) and Marlo Hughes (five games). Both were active ball seekers in 2019.

Joseph Roque has 22 games played under his belt at defensive tackle. He leads a group of mostly newcomers up front. Derrick Shaw played in all 11 games in 2019 and the two are expected to be regular contributors this fall.

Daniel Baughman has also played in 22 games at UCO. The junior corner back from Texas, who earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week once in 2019, has 31 career tackles and 11 career passes broken up. He adds one interception and one fumble forced. Baughman also recovered a fumble as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and took it 58 yards for a touchdown.

The only other defensive back with in-game experience at Central is Dylan Buchheit, who played in 10 games in 2019 as a true freshman and made 23 tackles and one interception.

Newcomers Noah West, Michael Slater, Sesi Salt, Robert Fuentes, Mike Pope Jr. and Michael Pope will all be seen regularly on the front lines. Lamontre Huval and Elijah Wright, as well as Bryce Reid, will also be working to get on the field with the linebacker group. Martial Washington and Tre'Vaughn Craig, Johnathan Mosley and Rae'Quan Wicks, as well as John Smith VI will all be working to become familiar faces in the secondary.

Central Oklahoma went 5-6 in 2019 and that included a 50-43 loss to Missouri Western in Edmond. The Bronchos trail the Griffons of St. Joseph, Missouri 7-3 in the all-time series. The two schools played twice prior to Central joining the MIAA. Neither team has won two in a row in the series since MWSU did in 2012 and 2013.

Missouri Western went 9-3 in 2019, averaging 41.2 points per game. The Griffons will look to Anthony Vespo at quarterback. He threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns on 34 of 52 passing in six games in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. The leading receiver two years ago – Devon Holmes – is also back after hauling in 49 passes for 668 yards and four scores in 2019, also his redshirt freshman season.

Linebackers Evan Chohon and Terrance March and defensive backs Kobe Cummings and Devan Burrell all return this fall. Chohon led the team with 94 tackles in 2019. Cummings (64), Burrell (57) and March (47) all look to lead the team in 2021.

Central Oklahoma is scheduled to play 11 games this fall – five at home inside Wantland Stadium and six away from home. The Bronchos are scheduled to play twice on Thursdays this fall. UCO will visit Northeastern State the first Thursday in October to go along with this week's season opener.

UCO travels to Emporia State in Week 2 (Saturday, Sept. 11) and will return home to take on Missouri Southern in Week 3 (Saturday, Sept. 18).

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Players Mentioned

#12 Daniel Baughman: DB; 6' 1"; Junior

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

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

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

#55 Seth Carmack: OL; 6' 1"; Junior

#54 Alex Eichler: OL; 6' 1"; Junior

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

#77 Layne Grantham: OL; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#11 Jason Harris: LB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#80 Dawson Huddleston: WR; 6' 4"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#12 Daniel Baughman
: 6' 1"; Junior
: DB

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

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

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

#55 Seth Carmack
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OL

#54 Alex Eichler
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OL

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

#77 Layne Grantham
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: OL

#11 Jason Harris
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: LB

#80 Dawson Huddleston
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: WR