Football 11/8/2024 10:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

No. 8 Central Oklahoma Visits Washburn

Bronchos Play Final Road Game Of Regular Season Saturday In Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. – Central Oklahoma closes a two-week road swing at Washburn Saturday for an MIAA matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

UCO heads into Week 10 with an 8-1 record and a 6-1 mark in the conference. The Bronchos are in sole possession of first place in the league standings. Washburn is 2-7 this season with a 2-6 mark in the MIAA.

Saturday marks the 13th meeting between the schools. Central Oklahoma owns a 7-5 advantage over Washburn, in the series that dates back to 2011. Washburn won the first meeting the year in Topeka on their way to the playoffs. UCO won last year's meeting in Edmond, 41-7, snapping a two-game slide. Central's three-game win streak in the series (2017-18-19) is the longest of either team.

UCO ranks No. 1 in the country in total offense this season, No. 2 in scoring and pass offense, and No. 16 in rush offense, and the high-octane show all starts with quarterback Jett Huff. The sophomore from College Station, Texas has led the team to average 48.8 points per game and 541.7 yards per game, more than any school in the country. The Broncho passing attack ranks second at 339.3 yard per game, and the Broncho rushing attack ranks 16th at 202.3 yards per game. Huff himself ranks third in the country in passing yards (2,876), passing yards per game (319.6), and passing touchdowns (28). In nine games with the Bronchos, the former Midwest City kid and Class 5A Division I state finalist in Texas is 208-for-317 passing the football. That 65.6 percent completion rate ranks No. 17th in the Division II.

Terrill Davis leads the UCO wide receiver room and he, like Huff, leads the country at his position. The junior has 70 receptions for 1,117 yards and a school record 12 touchdowns in nine games. Davis ranks first in the nation in receiving yards and yards per game (124.1). He ranks third in receptions per game (7.8) and fourth in receiving touchdowns. Davis is fifth in school history for single season receiving yards and sixth for receptions. With his 12th touchdown catch last week, he tied J.T. Luper's 2017 school record for TDs. Earlier this season, Davis twice set a single game record at UCO for receptions (14 and later 15), and he tied the school record with four TD catches in one game.

A bulk of the run production that makes UCO's offense No. 1 in the country is carried by junior running back Jaylen Cottrell, who ranks No. 1 in the country at 8.2 yards per carry this season. Cottrell is 12th in rushing yards (929), 14th rushing yards per game (103.2), and 19th in rushing touchdowns (10). He has scored four touchdowns this year from 60+ and has done so six times in his career.

Cottrell's 113 rushes leads the team but William Mason has 105 and is just as much a weapon for the Bronchos. The sophomore running back has 105 carries for 544 yards and four touchdowns. His 5.2 yards per carry help in bunches. The Bronchos also run Andrew Carney, a junior fullback. He has 15 carries this season for 44 yards and six touchdowns – five from 1-yard out.

While Davis leads the way for the wide receivers, 13 different players have caught a pass this season and eight have scored. Ashton Schumman is second on the team with 48 receptions for 622 yards and five touchdowns. Jacob Delso adds 33 catches for 395 yards and five touchdowns. Christian Romero (12-138) and Cottrell (9-129) both have two receiving touchdowns this season and Dominique Dunn (17-289) and Madison Ridgeway (18-245) both have one TD catch.

Though UCO's numbers don't rank as high nationally on defense, the production is still a big part of the Bronchos' 8-1 start. UCO gives up 27.8 points per game and holds opponents to 429.1 yards of offense per game, splitting that mark with 280.5 passing yards and 148.6 rushing yards per game this season. The Bronchos have 56 tackles in the backfield through nine games, and 23 of those are quarterback sacks. Additionally, UCO's defense has 26 QB hurries, 51 pass breakups, and 13 interceptions.

Jack Puckett leads UCO with 71 tackles through nine games. The sophomore middle linebacker has 42 solo and 29 assisted stops. He leads the team with 10.5 tackles for a loss this season and has a team-high five sacks. Puckett adds three QB hurries to his menacing record as well as one forced fumble.

Dylan Buchheit has 52 tackles this season, which is the second most on the team. The sixth-year senior has made three tackles in the backfield, broke up three passes, recovered two fumbles, hurried the QB once, and intercepted a pass, doing just a little bit of everything for the team he's played for since 2019.

UCO has four veterans leading the charge on defense in defensive lineman Zane Adams and Hunter Largent, and linebackers Connor Johnson and Noah West. Johnson's 52 tackles leads this group and he has 9.0 in the backfield including three sacks. Adams has 44 tackles and four sacks. West adds 33 tackles and 3.5 sacks, and Largent has 37 tackles with 2.5 sacks. That is a baker's dozen worth of sacks for the four of them.

David Williams is another leader on defense with 44 tackles and the safety has two interceptions and two forced fumbles. JK Moore has 29 tackles and two picks. Moore has nine pass breakups and a forced fumble. Kobey Stephens has 26 tackles and leads the team with three picks. Daniel Ekwese (19 tackles) also has six pass breakups and a fumble recovery, and Willie Rice has 20 tackles and nine pass breakups with a forced fumble.

Central Oklahoma will return home for the 2024 regular season finale. The Bronchos host Emporia State Saturday, Nov. 16 in a game that carries significant implications for both the MIAA and the NCAA regional rankings.

The NCAA announced its regional rankings and Central Oklahoma is fourth in Super Region III. The Bronchos are in line to host a playoff game for the first time since 1998, but also just to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003. UCO needs wins in its final two games to secure that. Fellow league members Pittsburg State (third) and Emporia State (seventh) also appear in the rankings.

The NCAA Division II Football Championship selection show is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#31 Zane Adams: DL; 6' 1"; Senior

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

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

#0 Jaylen Cottrell: RB; 6' 2"; Junior

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

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

#5 Dominique Dunn: TE; 6' 3"; Junior

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

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

#22 William Mason: RB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#31 Zane Adams
: 6' 1"; Senior
: DL

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

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

#0 Jaylen Cottrell
: 6' 2"; Junior
: RB

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

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

#5 Dominique Dunn
: 6' 3"; Junior
: TE

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

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

#22 William Mason
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: RB