Football 10/19/2022 8:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

UCO Visits Washburn

TOPEKA, Kan. – Streaking Central Oklahoma takes its show on the road for just the second time in October as the Bronchos visit Washburn Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The Bronchos are 5-2 on the season and winners of four straight games. UCO is 3-0 at home during the current four-game streak. Central Oklahoma has taken down then No. 2 Northwest Missouri, Lincoln, Northeastern State, and Fort Hays State. Washburn is 4-3 on the season and coming off a heartbreaking loss at Northwest Missouri. WU led 30-29 with 16 seconds left before a game-winning drive and walkoff field goal left the Ichabods on the wrong side of a 32-30 final score.

Central Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Washburn 6-4. The teams never met on the football field until 2011 (Washburn won) but have played every year since. UCO, which won in 2012 and 2014, had a three-game win streak in the series (2017-19) snapped last season with a 29-17 loss to the Ichabods at Chad Richison Stadium.

UCO is averaging 28.6 points per game after seven games in 2022. The Bronchos average 371.7 yards of total offense per game, splitting that mark 212.9 passing, to 158.9 rushing. UCO has the third best rushing average per game in the MIAA this season.

Stephon Brown leads that Central offense. The 6-foot-5 quarterback, who earned MIAA co-Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, has 1,264 yards passing and 280 yards rushing in seven games while accounting for 16 touchdowns. Brown is 103-for-152 passing the ball this season. His 67.8 percent completion rate ranks sixth in NCAA Division II. Brown threw for a career-high 281 yards in Week 6 and followed that with a new career-high 381 yards and three touchdowns in Week 7.

Jaylen Cottrell has 236 yards rushing on 37 carries this season. His 6.4 yards per carry average is the second-best mark in the MIAA. His 83-yard touchdown run in Week 4 against Northwest Missouri is also the longest play from scrimmage this season. Cottrell has two touchdowns. Nasir Kemper has ran the ball 44 times in seven games. He has 186 yards and two touchdowns. Jayce Gardner has 30 carries for 127 yards and also has one touchdown run. Antonio Smith (25-92), Payton Scott (17-87) and Andrew Carney (17-62) have also been regulars. Carney, a true freshman, has two rushing touchdowns this season and Scott also found the end zone on a big, 49-yard score against Northeastern State.

Jacob Delso leads the attack. He has 19 receptions for 279 yards and four touchdowns, including a 53-yard TD catch. Nasir Kemper has also been active in the pass game from his running back position. He is one of four receivers with more than 100 yards this season. He has 17 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Oscar Hammond has 17 receptions for 277 yards. He hauled in an 80-yard TD reception last week and also had a 62-yard reception. Dominique Dunn has nine for 142 yards and caught his first career touchdown last week. Daunte McGee (10-99) also has a touchdown catch. Cottrell (14-42) and Diego Richards (11-50) have also been active in the passing game for the Bronchos. Madison Ridgeway misses three games to start the season but he has five catches for 105 yards and one touchdown over the last four games.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma aims to improve its already good standing in the MIAA. The Bronchos rank third in the league in scoring defense and rushing defense and UCO ranks fourth in total offense. The Bronchos give up 19.1 points per game on an even 339 yards per contest. Opponents pass for 209.3 yards per game against UCO, but just 129.7 rushing yards per game.

Dylan Buchheit leads UCO with 38 tackles this season. The junior defensive back has 150 career tackles. Blake Barron is a close second with 37 tackles while Chase Faber and Connor Johnson are both at 34 tackles this season. Noah West, who has 24 tackles, leads the team with 4.5 sacks and seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage. West ranks fourth in the MIAA in individual sacks. Robert Fuentes has 3.5 sacks, including two last week against Hays.

Central Oklahoma's secondary has also been big this season. The Bronchos lead the MIAA with nine interceptions through seven games. Kobey Stephens and Noah West both have two picks each, while Chase Faber, Emmonte Davis, Tre'Vaughn Craig, Aaron Hamilton and Tavius McDonald all have one interception. UCO also has 24 passes broken up in seven games.

In special teams, Nicky Quevedo and David Vargas have been solid for the Bronchos. Quevedo is 9-for-10 on field-goal attempts this season, missing only a 53-yarder that had the distance but drifted wide left. Quevedo is 4-for-4 from 40+ yards and 7-for-7 from 30+. He also 23-for-25 on extra points and leads the team with 50 points this season. Vargas is averaging 40.2 yards per punt this season. He has pinned the opponents inside the 20-yard line 13 times and has six punts over 50 yards, including a season-high of 55 yards.

Central is scheduled to host Pittsburg State for Homecoming in Week 9. The Gorillas are ranked No. 5 in the country this week and could be the second Top Five team to visit Chad Richison Stadium this season if they maintain that status through this weekend. UCO is scheduled to visit Nebraska Kearney in Week 10 and host Central Missouri in Week 11.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Stephon Brown: QB; 6' 5"; Senior

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

#27 Jaylen Cottrell: RB; 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

#7 Tre'Vaughn Craig: DB; 5' 11"; Junior

#87 Dominique Dunn: HB; 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman

#0 Robert Fuentes: DL; 6' 4"; Senior

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

#21 Connor Johnson: LB; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#24 Tavius McDonald: DB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

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

Players Mentioned

#2 Stephon Brown
: 6' 5"; Senior
: QB

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

#27 Jaylen Cottrell
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB

#7 Tre'Vaughn Craig
: 5' 11"; Junior
: DB

#87 Dominique Dunn
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman
: HB

#0 Robert Fuentes
: 6' 4"; Senior
: DL

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

#21 Connor Johnson
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: LB

#24 Tavius McDonald
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: DB

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