Football 10/3/2022 10:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

President's Cup On The Line Thursday

Central Oklahoma Hosts Rival Northeastern State At Chad Richison Stadium

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma hosts Northeastern State Thursday night in MIAA action at Chad Richison Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Central Oklahoma is 3-2 on the season and has an official win streak. The Bronchos followed their 23-14 win against then No. 2 Northwest Missouri with a 45-3 rout of Lincoln this past weekend.

Northeastern State is 1-4 on the season with its lone win coming against Lincoln two weeks ago.

"It's a rivalry game so it's going to be intense and competitive," UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel said. "This is obviously my first time to coach in the rivalry, but I know the guys are fired up about this game every year. It should be fun. We need to stay focused and keep playing the way we have been at home and in the last couple of weeks."

The matchup has been contested 80 times since the early 1900s with UCO holding a 51-27-2 advantage in the series. The two schools began competing for The President's Cup in 1998 and UCO has a 15-9 lead in the series since then. The winner holds the cup until next year's game. Central Oklahoma has won seven in a row in the series since 2014.

While head coach at Northwest Missouri, Dorrel won all five meetings against Northeastern State from 2012-16.

Central Oklahoma alternated wins in the first four weeks of this season, losing on the road in Week 1 and Week 3 while winning at home in Week 2 and Week 4. The Broncho victory in Week 5 was the first road win of the season. Now UCO looks to defend Chad Richison Stadium once again.

UCO is averaging 22 points per game through five games played and the Bronchos allow 21 points per contest. Central has outscored its opponents 110-105 in five games.

Central averages 326.2 yards of total offense per game, splitting that mark 183.4 in the passing game to 142.8 in the run game. UCO's defense gives up 368 yards per game with a 228-140 pass-run split.

Stephon Brown has led the UCO offense so far this season. The 6-foot-5 quarterback is 64-for-101 passing with 717 yards and five touchdowns this season. He also has 55 rushes for 215 yards and three scores.

Brown has spread the wealth in the passing game with 15 different players catching a pass this season.

Nasir Kemper leads the team with 14 receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Jacob Delso has 13 receptions with a team-high 234 yards and he also has two touchdowns. Delso had 100 yards on four catches last week at Lincoln, including touchdown grabs of 33 and 53 yards.

Diego Richards (11-48), Oscar Hammond (10-118) and Jaylen Cottrell (10-31) also lead the team in the passing game. Daunte McGee (8-87) also has one touchdown.

Cottrell has been the most productive running back through five games. The redshirt freshman from Lexington, Oklahoma has 29 carries for 207 yards and two touchdowns. His 83-yard touchdown run against Northwest Missouri in Week 4 is the longest play from scrimmage in the MIAA this season.

Kemper has 28 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown. Andrew Carney has 13 for 49 yards and two touchdowns. And Jayce Gardner has nine rushes for 45 yards and one score.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma uses more than two dozen players per game. The Bronchos have managed 28 tackles for a loss in five games and UCO has eight sacks on the season.

Blake Barron's 32 tackles leads the team. Dylan Buchheit has 31 tackles, one for a loss, and also has a pass broken up. Connor Johnson has 26 stops and Rae'Quan Wicks 25. Chase Faber (23) has 2.5 tackles for a loss, one interception and one PBU. Noah West (21) has 5.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high three sacks.

In the special teams game, Central Oklahoma has seen solid performacnes from its kickers. David Vargas is averaging 41.2 yards per punt with a long of 55 this season. Nicky Quevedo is 4-for-5 on field-goal attempts with a long of 43. His only miss would have been a school record 53-yarder. The kick this past weekend had the distance but hooked left.

Kobey Stephens has been the primary kickoff return man for the Bronchos this season. The sophomore defensive back has 11 returns for 272 yards for an average of 24.7 per return.

Northeastern State is averaging 19 points per game through five games played this season. The Riverhawks allow 33.2 per contest. NSU averages 274.6 yards of total offense per game with a 152.8-121.8 pass-run split. Northeastern allows 390.8 yards of offense per game.

Central Oklahoma will spend the next two weeks at home. The Bronchos host NSU Thursday night in the only game in the MIAA not being played on Saturday. UCO will then get a nine-day prep period before hosting Fort Hays State Saturday, Oct. 15.

UCO finishes the 2022 season at Washburn (Oct. 22), vs. Pittsburg State (Oct. 29) for Homecoming, at Nebraska Kearney (Nov. 5) and against Central Missouri (Nov. 12) in the season finale.

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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

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

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

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

#96 Nicky Quevedo: K; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#3 Kobey Stephens: DB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#40 Noah West: DL; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#15 Rae'Quan Wicks: DB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#96 Nicky Quevedo
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: K

#3 Kobey Stephens
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: DB

#40 Noah West
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: DL

#15 Rae'Quan Wicks
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: DB