Football 10/31/2023 6:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Hosts Washburn In Final Home Game

UCO Celebrating Military Appreciation Game & Senior Day

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma opens the gates at Chad Richison Stadium one last time in 2023 when the Bronchos host Washburn Saturday at 2 p.m.

UCO is 4-5 on the season with a 3-5 record in the MIAA. Washburn, of Topeka, Kansas, is 1-8 on the year and 0-8 in the MIAA.

A Senior Day celebration will precede kickoff when nine Bronchos will be recognized before they play their final home game. UCO is also honoring all veterans and active-duty service members and their families with Military Appreciation Game.

UCO wraps up the 2023 season Nov. 11 at Pittsburg State.

Saturday, the Bronchos look to get back in the win column after a tough outing in Week 9 at Fort Hays State. The Bronchos pushed their scoring average right up to 30 points before being shutout last week. UCO is averaging 27.3 points per game heading into this weekend.

Central also averages 410.4 yards of total offense per game. The Bronchos split that average with 244.1 yards passing and 166.3 yards rushing per game. UCO ranks fourth in the MIAA in passing, fifth in rushing, and eighth in scoring offense.

Defensively, UCO gives up 29.6 points per game on 392.3 yards of offense per game. Opponents average 228 yards passing and 164.3 yards rushing per game against the Bronchos.

Dawson Herl and Stephon Brown have led the Broncho offense this season. Herl is 86-for-144 passing with 1,209 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brown is 78-for-122 with 891 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown is also the second-leading rusher for the Bronchos, with 64 carries this season for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Herl is fourth on the team with 24 carries for 108 yards and one touchdown.

The duo has combined for 2,408 total yards of offense and they are responsible for 16 touchdowns.

Terrill Davis and Oscar Hammond lead the receiving corps with plenty of help from Jacob Delso, Darius Melton, Christian Romero, and Jaylen Cottrell. With 15 UCO players catching a pass, those six have 10 or more.

Davis leads the team with 35 receptions for 482 yards and three touchdowns. Hammond has 33 catches for 463 yards and four touchdowns.

Delso (25-339), Melton (19-265), Romero (15-222), and Cottrell (10-72) have all been regulars in the passing attack.

Trevon Woolfolk leads UCO's rushing attack. The junior back from Georgia has carried 41.5 percent of all of Central's rushing plays this season. He has 127 carries for 749 yards and nine touchdowns. Woolfolk has five 100-yard games this season and three games with two rushing touchdowns.

Payton Scott falls in between Brown and Herl in the rushing totals this season. The sixth-year senior has 28 carries this season for 138 yards and one touchdown. Andrew Carney (25-104-1) and Cottrell (16-104-1) also factor into the run game for the Bronchos.

On the defensive side of the ball, Connor Johnson leads the way for the Bronchos. The sophomore linebacker has a team-high 52 tackles this season. He also leads the Bronchos with 8.5 tackles for a loss. Johnson has two sacks and an interception as well.

Zane Adams, a junior defensive lineman, has 44 tackles, three in the backfield, and one sack. Jack Puckett, a redshirt freshman linebacker, has 43 stops, eight in the backfield, and a team-high 3.5 sacks this season.

Rae'Quan Wicks leads the secondary with 40 tackles. J.K. Moore's two interceptions lead the team, while Johnson, Johnathan Mosley, Emmonte Davis and Noah West all have one interception. Moore, Mosley, and West all have interceptions returned for a touchdown this season.

Nicky Quevedo has added 24 points kicking field goals this season. The junior is 8-for-11 with a long of 40 on the year. He is 5-for-5 inside 30 yards.

Grayson Miller and David Vargas both have 17 punts for the Broncho special teams this season. Vargas began the year in the role and has 716 total yards, 42.1 per punt, with a long of 58. Vargas put five inside the 20 and has three touchbacks. Miller has 698 yards, 41.0 per punt, with a long of 55. He has four inside the 20 and no touchbacks.

Miller also handles kickoff duties for the Bronchos. On 31 kicks, Miller averages 57.4 yards per kick with 11 touchbacks. Quevedo also has 16 kickoffs, averaging 60.9 per kick, with five touchbacks.

The Bronchos are looking to snap a two-game losing streak to Washburn this weekend. UCO owns a 6-5 lead in the brief all-time history. The series only began in 2011, when Washburn won. The Bronchos got their first win in the series in 2012, upsetting a No. 4-ranked Washburn squad. WU won again in 2014 before Central won five of the next six meetings. Since skipping the 2020 season, Washburn has won the last two.

Washburn comes to Edmond Saturday with a 1-8 overall record. The Ichabods beat Lincoln earlier this season in what has been a non-conference game for MIAA schools playing the soon-to-be departed school. That came back in Week 3 and Washburn has lost six in a row since then.

Washburn ranks ninth in the league in scoring (22.9 points per game), and seventh in rushing (127.0) and passing (218.9) yards per game. The Ichabods also rank 10th in the league in points allowed per game (37.9), and 11th in run defense (193.3), but are fifth in pass defense (231.8).

Central Oklahoma went 5-1 at home in 2022 and the Bronchos could move to 4-1 at home in 2023 with a win Saturday. Central Oklahoma will make its final road trip of the season next weekend at Pittsburg State.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#18 Andrew Carney: RB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#20 Jaylen Cottrell: RB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#14 Emmonte Davis: DB; 6' 1"; Junior

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

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

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

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

#2 Johnathan Mosley: DB; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

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

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

#18 Andrew Carney
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: RB

#20 Jaylen Cottrell
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: RB

#14 Emmonte Davis
: 6' 1"; Junior
: DB

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

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

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

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

#2 Johnathan Mosley
: 6' 1"; Junior
: DB