Football 9/12/2022 8:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Visits Missouri Southern in Week 3

Bronchos and Lions Both 1-1 And Looking For Win Streaks

JOPLIN, Mo. – Central Oklahoma visits Missouri Southern Saturday for an MIAA matchup between a pair of teams that are 1-1 after two weeks of football. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Central Oklahoma is 1-1 following a come-from-behind 21-13 victory over Emporia State in Week 2. UCO scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter to get first-year head football coach Adam Dorrel his first win at Central. Missouri Southern is 1-1 following a Week 2 win over Northeastern State.

"The guys had a great response in Week 2 and now it's about finding consistency in our approach," Dorrel said. "We learn from our mistakes and we learn from our success. We need to have a good week of practice and focus on executing the game plan on Saturday."

UCO lost 35-0 in Week 1 at Missouri Western but responded in a big way, winning its home opener last week against Emporia. The Bronchos tripled their offensive output, rushing for three times the yards in Week 2 versus Week 1, and nearly doubling their passing yards.

Stephon Brown led Central Oklahoma's offense to a big turnaround in Week 2. He totaled 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns to go with 154 passing yards and one more touchdown.

Brown is 26-for-38 for 180 yards and one touchdown and has 27 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns after two weeks of play this season.

Brown utilized a new weapon in Central's win over Emporia State.

Nasir Kemper, a transfer from Oklahoma, caught six passes for 92 yards and one touchdown in Week 2. He has 14 carries for 52 yards and nine receptions for 95 yards and one score after two weeks of play.

Antonio Smith Jr., who didn't play in Week 1, posted 14 carries for 61 yards in Week 2. The true freshman from Tulsa had a long rush of 12 yards against Emporia State.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma has given up over 450 yards in both outings, but made big improvements in Week 2 and only surrendered two scores. One of those came on an 80-yard busted play.

The Bronchos are getting help defensively from up and down the lineup. Connor Johnson leads the team with 13 tackles after two weeks and Blake Barron has 11. Returning All-MIAA picks Noah West and Dylan Buchheit have 11 and 10 stops respectively, and Rae'Quan Wicks also has 10 tackles, giving UCO a well-rounded leaderboard. West has a sack in each game this season.

Kobey Stephens, who has six tackles in two games, has Central Oklahoma's only turnover. He picked off a pass in Week 1 at MWSU. Stephens has also been a key figure in the return game for the Bronchos, posting 132 yards on four kickoff returns this season. He's averaging 33 yards per return with a long of 40.

While UCO has only forced one turnover, the Bronchos have stopped all six fourth-down attempts by their opponents, including holding Emporia to 0-for-5 on fourth down in Week 2.

Missouri Southern hosted Nebraska Kearney in Week 1 and fell short against the nationally-ranked Lopers, who made a playoff run in 2021. MSSU dropped the opener 24-7. The Lions bounced back in Week 2 with a 30-13 win at Northeastern State.

MSSU has put up 187 yards and 415 yards of offense in two games while allowing 375 and 286 total yards. The Lions totaled 82, then 191 rushing yards and had 105, then 224 passing yards.

Nathan Glades has 34 carries for 180 yards and three touchdowns in two games. He has a long rush of 56 yards. Chris Boudreaux leads the receivers with five catches for 122 yards.

Dawson Herl is 23-for-45 with 253 yards in two games at quarterback. MSSU has also used Akeem Gilmore (2-for-2, 45 yards) and Luke Sampson (3-for-5, 31 yards) sparingly at QB.

Central Oklahoma owns a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series against Missouri Southern. The Bronchos are looking to avenge a loss in 2021 in Edmond. UCO had a six-game win streak against MSSU snapped in Week 3 last year, falling 14-10 to the Lions, who scored the game-winning touchdown with 41 seconds left in the game.

Southern won the first two meetings after Central joined the MIAA in 2012. UCO won the next six, and scored more than 50 points in four of those contests, before losing last year.

Central Oklahoma will return to Chad Richison Stadium in Week 4 after making the trip to Joplin this weekend. UCO hosts Northwest Missouri Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#37 Blake Barron: LB; 5' 10"; Junior

#32 Antonio Smith Jr.: RB; 5' 11"; Freshman

#33 Nasir Kemper: RB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#37 Blake Barron
: 5' 10"; Junior
: LB

#32 Antonio Smith Jr.
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: RB

#33 Nasir Kemper
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB