Football 10/4/2023 11:05:00 AM Chris Brannick

Bronchos, Bearcats, Battle In Week 6

Central Oklahoma Visits Northwest Missouri State Saturday Afternoon In MIAA Play

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Central Oklahoma hits the road again in Week 6, taking on Northwest Missouri State Saturday afternoon in Maryville, Missouri. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

While Week 5 was homecoming for the Bronchos, Week 6 is too in a way. UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel returns to his hometown to coach against his alma mater this week. Dorrel has coached for 25 years and Saturday will be the first time to coach in Maryville on the visitor's sideline. Dorrel won his 100th career game as a head coach during his first season with the Bronchos in 2022 and now has a 103-48 career record as a head coach. The Maryville, Mo. native played for and coached at Northwest Missouri, winning three national championships as the head coach. He spent six seasons coaching at Abilene Christian before coming to UCO. Dorrel also has a 65-13 career record in the MIAA.

UCO is putting up 435.0 yards of offense per game, splitting that mark between 237.0 passing yards per game and 198.0 rushing yards per game. The Bronchos rank second in the MIAA in rushing and fourth in passing, and rightfully so, third in total offense. UCO's ground game has set the stage for an improved passing attack. Central has increased its team rushing yards in each of the last four weeks. The passing game had increased in each of the first four games of the season before a slight dip in last week.

Stephon Brown returned to the starting lineup in Week 5 and put together another big performance at quarterback for the Bronchos. The 6-foot-5 dual threat QB went 13-for-15 passing with 196 yards and a touchdown, and he added 15 carries for 75 yards. Brown's all-around performance put him even closer to reaching the Top 10 in school history for total offense in a career. Brown has 3,103 career passing yards and 1,025 career rushing yards. His 4,128 yards of total offense is only 167 yards shy of the No. 10 spot on the list.

Trevon Woolfolk has been the centerpiece of the UCO running game through five weeks of play. The junior from Fort Valley, Georgia has four 100-yard rushing games in five weeks, and has 535 total yards rushing. Woolfolk has run for 101, 67, 124, 137, and 106 yards this season. He averages 7.0 yards per carry. Woolfolk ranks second in the MIAA in yards, yards per game, and is third in TDs. Woolfok has the fourth most carries in the league, and his yards per carry average is fifth highest mark in the MIAA.

Terrill Davis has a team-high 26 receptions through five games this season. The sophomore from Choctaw, Oklahoma also has a team-high 314 yards receiving. Davis found the end zone for the first time in his career last week on a 37-yard touchdown reception. Oscar Hammond adds to the mix. He is second in both receptions and yards with 17 catches for 240 yards. He has a team-high two receiving touchdowns. Jacob Delso (13-187) is also a key contributor. Two newcomers, Darius Melton and Christian Romero, both find themselves with 10 receptions for 146 yards entering Week 6. UCO has 11 different players with a catch this season, and all of them have two catches.

The Bronchos are fifth in the MIAA in run defense, giving up 133.4 yards per game. Central's defensive play has been led by Connor Johnson, who has 32 tackles. Rae'Quan Wicks is second on the team with 26 stops. Johnathan Mosley (22), J.K. Moore (21) and Jack Puckett (20 tackles) also are regulars in finding the ball and making a stop. UCO has six players with at least a half-sack. Puckett leads the way with two while Reed Lindsey has 1.5 sacks. Johnson and West both have one sack. Kalvin Hutchings and Zhyon Bell both have a half-sack through five games this season. In pass defense, the Bronchos have 31 pass breakups in four games, with Moore (six) and Stephens (five) leading the way.

Nicky Quevedo, who earned All-American honors a year ago, is 6-for-8 on field-goal attempts this fall. Most notably, he kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired last week to win the game for the Bronchos. It was the first walkoff field goal for UCO in more than 20 years. 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 58.9 yards per kick with four touchbacks. David Vargas and Miller have been handling punting duties. With 16 punts, Vargas averages 43.1 yards per punt with a long of 58 yards. He has three touchbacks, four fair catches, and has put four inside the 20-yard line. Vargas also has three punts of at least 50 yards. Miller has two punts for 91 total yards, an average of 45.5 per punt.

Northwest Missouri is 2-3 on the season and not nationally-ranked. Both are shocking statements considering the dominance of the program in the 21st century. This season, NWMSU is sixth in MIAA in scoring both offense (29.4 PPG) and defense (23.0). Northwest is also sixth in total offense (411.2 yards per game) and fourth in total defense (343.0). Jay Harris, a sophomore running back, is the only rusher in the league with better numbers than Woolfolk. Harris has 111 carries for 568 yards. He has eclipsed 100 yards in all five games.

Central Oklahoma trails 10-4 in the all-time series against Northwest Missouri. The teams played four times as non-conference games, twice in the 80s and twice in the 90s, with the road team winning each game. Since UCO joined the MIAA in 2012, the Bronchos have won two games, both in Edmond. UCO won in 2018 and 2022.

Central Oklahoma returns home in Week 7 for its only home game in the month of October. UCO is hosting Lincoln in what will be a non-conference game. Central will spend the next two weeks after that 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

#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

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

#30 Jack Puckett: LB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

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

Players Mentioned

#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

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

#30 Jack Puckett
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: LB

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