Football 10/12/2023 2:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

UCO Welcomes Lincoln Saturday Afternoon

Bronchos Host Blue Tigers In Non-Conference Contest With Departing MIAA School

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma returns home for the only time in October this week as the Bronchos host Lincoln. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Central, which is 2-4 on the season, plays three road games this month, including each of the next two contests. Saturday, the Lincoln Blue Tigers (0-6) come from Jefferson City, Missouri. The game will be a non-conference contest with the MIAA school. Lincoln is leaving the conference at the end of this year.

Central Oklahoma is averaging 25 points per game through six games this season. The Bronchos average 413.3 yards of total offense per game, splitting that mark between 237.6 passing yards and 175.7 rushing yards per game. UCO also averages 23.1 first downs per game. Defensively, Central Oklahoma is giving up 32.5 points per game through six games this season. Opponents average 411.5 yards per game, with 246.3 coming through the air and 165.2 yards per game on the ground.

Trevon Woolfolk has been the centerpiece of the UCO running game through six weeks of play. The junior from Fort Valley, Georgia has four 100-yard rushing games in six weeks, and has 573 total yards rushing. Woolfolk has run for 101, 67, 124, 137, 106, and 38 yards this season. He averages 6.4 yards per carry. Woolfolk ranks second in the MIAA in yards and yards per game, and is third in TDs. Woolfok has the fourth most carries in the league.

Dawson Herl transferred to Central Oklahoma from Missouri Southern in January and the junior quarterback has seen his time increase as the season moves along. Herl has played in five games, but has really run the offense in two of those contests. He is 46-for-84 (54.7 pct.) with 584 yards and two touchdowns. Herl started at Emporia State earlier this season and threw for 363 yards, the 15th-most in one game in school history. He also played a bulk of the snaps in Week 6 threw for just under 200 yards.

While Stephon Brown has battled injuries and missed one game entirely and parts of two others this season, the 6-foot-5 dual threat QB has continued to climb up the charts at UCO. Brown has 3,121 career passing yards and 1,026 career rushing yards. His 4,147 yards of total offense is only 148 yards shy of the No. 10 spot on the Central Oklahoma career Total Offense Top 10.

Terrill Davis has a team-high 29 receptions through six games this season. The sophomore from Choctaw, Oklahoma also has a team-high 351 yards receiving. Davis found the end zone for the first time in his career in Week 5 with a 37-yard touchdown reception. Oscar Hammond adds to the mix. He is second in both receptions and yards with 22 catches for 307 yards. He has a team-high two receiving touchdowns, which is half of Central's total output.

Jacob Delso (16-210) is also a key contributor. Darius Melton, who has the fourth receiving TD for the Bronchos, has 14 catches for 181 yards, and Christian Romero has 10 receptions for 146 yards entering Week 7. UCO has 12 different players with a catch this season, and all of them have two catches.

Connor Johnson leads Central Oklahoma with 35 tackles in six games played. The junior from Tulsa also has four tackles in the backfield. Six other Bronchos have at least 20 tackles. Johnathan Mosley (28), Rae'Quan Wicks (28), J.K. Moore (27), Jack Puckett (25), Zane Adams (22) and Grant Lohr (21) are all regulars finding the ball for UCO.

Puckett leads the Bronchos with 2.5 sacks this season. The redshirt freshman from Bixby recorded a half-sack at Central Missouri before getting sacks at Emporia State and at Northwest Missouri. Puckett has a sack in each road game and no home games this season. Reed Lindsey has 1.5 sacks, Johnson and Noah West both have one, and Hunter Largent, Zhyon Bell, and Kalvin Hutchings all have a half-sack on the season.

Moore and West have one interception each and both returned those for touchdowns. Moore did from 54-yards out in Week 1 against Nebraska Kearney and it proved to be the difference in Central's 24-21 win. West did from 20-yards out last week at Northwest. The two interceptions are the only turnovers forced by UCO this season.

Nicky Quevedo, who earned All-American honors a year ago, is 6-for-8 on field-goal attempts this fall. Quevedo has made two from 30-39 and four from 20-29. Quevedo has also handled kickoff duties for the most part. He's averaging 60.9 yards per kickoff with five touchbacks.

Grayson Miller also helps and is averaging 59.0 yards per kick with six touchbacks. David Vargas and Miller have been handling punting duties. With 17 punts, Vargas averages 42.1 yards per punt with a long of 58 yards. He has three touchbacks, four fair catches, and has put five inside the 20-yard line. Vargas also has three punts of at least 50 yards. Miller has six punts for 264 total yards, an average of 44.0 per punt.

Central Oklahoma leads the series 5-0. It started in 2012 and paused after 2013 when Lincoln left the MIAA. The Blue Tigers returned in 2019 and no one played in 2020. UCO won in 2021 and 2022 and this will be the last meeting for the forseeable future as Lincoln departs the MIAA yet again. The average score in five all-time meetings is UCO 56.4, LU 19.6.

Central Oklahoma will spend the next two weeks away from home, visiting Northeastern State (Oct. 21) and Fort Hays State (Oct. 28). In November, UCO hosts Washburn before wrapping up the 2023 season at Pittsburg State.

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Players Mentioned

#57 Zane Adams: DL; 6' 1"; Junior

#46 Zhyon Bell: LB; 6' 1"; Senior

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

#8 Terrill Davis: WR; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#1 Jacob Delso: WR; 6' 0"; Junior

#23 Oscar Hammond: TE; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#91 Kalvin Hutchings: DL; 6' 4"; Senior

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

#97 Hunter Largent: DL; 6' 2"; Junior

#25 Grant Lohr: LB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#57 Zane Adams
: 6' 1"; Junior
: DL

#46 Zhyon Bell
: 6' 1"; Senior
: LB

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

#8 Terrill Davis
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: WR

#1 Jacob Delso
: 6' 0"; Junior
: WR

#23 Oscar Hammond
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: TE

#91 Kalvin Hutchings
: 6' 4"; Senior
: DL

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

#97 Hunter Largent
: 6' 2"; Junior
: DL

#25 Grant Lohr
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: LB