Football 9/28/2023 10:16:00 AM Chris Brannick

Homecoming Game Saturday Afternoon

Central Oklahoma Hosts Missouri Southern Saturday In MIAA Play At Chad Richison Stadium

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma hosts Missouri Southern Saturday for Homecoming, kicking off at 2 p.m. from Chad Richison Stadium for the MIAA affair.

UCO welcomes MSSU to Edmond looking to stop a three-game slide. The Bronchos are 1-3 on the season. After winning the opener August 31, Central has dropped three in a row. Southern has the opposite thing going. The Lions of Joplin, Missouri lost their opener on the last day of August but come to Edmond with a 3-1 record.

"They're a well-coached team," UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel said. "They do a lot of things right and they don't make a lot of mistakes. They do a good job of limiting big plays. It's going to be a tough game."

UCO is also looking to stop a bit of a slide against Missouri Southern. The two schools played for the first time ever in 2012 when Central Oklahoma joined the MIAA. Southern won the first two meetings, but the Bronchos followed with six consecutive victories from 2014-19. MSSU has won the last two meetings.

One of the key reasons why was the quarterback play of Dawson Herl, who transferred from MSSU to UCO last spring. The junior quarterback made his first start for the Bronchos last week and threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for one more score. Herl was 2-0 against UCO while at Southern and threw for 352 and four touchdowns.

In his first start last week, Herl was solid. He connected with nine different receivers, six of whom had multiple catches. Herl's 363 yards are the 15th-most by a Broncho ever.

Terrill Davis led the receiving corps with six catches for 100 yards. He also added 74 yards on special teams. Christian Romero made three catches for 69 yards, Jacob Delso had five for 54, and Darius Melton and Oscar Hammond both caught touchdown passes.

Davis has a team-high 21 receptions through four games this season. The sophomore from Choctaw, Oklahoma also has a team-high 223 yards receiving. Davis has yet to find the end zone in his career. His would've-been first career touchdown was called back on a penalty two weeks ago against Missouri Western.

Hammond has 15 receptions, Delso 13, and Romero 10. Delso's 187 yards are second to Davis. Hammond has 178 yards and Romer, 146. Melton also has seven catches for 104 yards.

The run game has been a big part of UCO's offense in four games this season and Trevon Woolfolk has been the reason why.

Woolfolk has 60 carries for 429 yards and four touchdowns through four games played. He has three 100-yard performances, including two in a row. Woolfolk's 137 last week is a season high. He is first or second in the MIAA in every rushing category.

Stephon Brown, who did not play in Week 3 due to an injury, also has 38 rushes for 116 yards and three touchdowns. The senior quarterback has 583 yards passing and one more touchdown there too. Brown is inching closer to the Top 10 for career total offense. He has 3,857 yards of total offense in three seasons, with 2,907 passing yards plus 950 rushing yards. Brown is 438 yards shy of No. 10 in school history.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma has leaned on stopping the run. The Bronchos are fifth in the MIAA in run defense, giving up 125.5 yards per game. Central's defensive play has been led by Connor Johnson, who has 23 tackles from his linebacker position. Johnson has 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Johnathan Mosley is second on the team with 18 tackles, J.K. Moore and Kobey Stephens both have 16 tackles, and Grant Lohr and Rae'Quan Wicks have 15 tackles each.

Jack Puckett (10 tackles) lead the Bronchos with two sacks. Noah West (11 tackles) and Reed Lindsey (seven) both have one sack. Hunter Largent and Zhyon Bell also have been in on a QB sack this season.

In the pass defense, UCO has not been strong at forcing turnovers. Moore had a 54-yard pick-six in Week 1 that essentially won the game for the Bronchos. Central Oklahoma has not forced another turnover other than that in four games. The Bronchos do have 25 pass breakups in four games, with Stephens leading the way with five.

On special teams, David Vargas has been strong through four games. The senior punter has 16 punts for 690 yards, an average 43.1 yards per punt. That mark ranks third in the MIAA. He has three of 50 yards or more, including a long of 58 yards.

Nicky Quevedo is 3-for-5 on field goals this season, going 1-for-1 from 20-29 yards and 2-for-3 from 30-39 yards.

Missouri Southern brings to Edmond a fifth-ranked offense in the MIAA and a second-ranked defense. The Lions, which score 28 points per game, only allow 16.8 points from the opposition. Southern dips to seventh in total offense, averaging 366.3 yards per game (249.5 passing & 116.8 rushing). Defensively, Southern is second at 286.8 yards allowed per game. Allowing just 167.8 yards passing per game, Southern has the best pass defense in the MIAA. The Lions give up 119 rushing yards per game.

Colton Winder leads the MIAA in total tackles with 38 and Halid Djibril is second with 32 stops. Zach Bergmann gives MSSU three in the Top 20 with 22 tackles.

Central Oklahoma is back on the road in Week 6, visiting Northwest Missouri on Oct. 7 in Maryville, Mo. The Bronchos are scheduled to play three of four games in October away from home. UCO hosts Lincoln on Oct. 14 and also makes trips to Northeastern State (Oct. 21) and Fort Hays State (Oct. 28).

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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