Zane Adams (31) and Jack Puckett (30) lead the UCO defense. [UCO Photos Services]

Football 9/25/2024 9:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Hosts Fort Hays State

First Responders Night At Chad Richison Stadium Saturday Night In Edmond

EDMOND – No. 23 Central Oklahoma plays its third home game in four weeks Saturday when the Bronchos host Fort Hays State in an MIAA game at Chad Richison Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Saturday is also First Responders Night, with UCO honoring local heroes throughout the game. Prior to kickoff, Edmond Police and Edmond Fire, along with UCO Police, will have a touch-a-truck event outside the stadium in conjunction with tailgating festivities. Following the game, a fireworks show will take place just north of the stadium to cap off the evening.

UCO is 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in the MIAA. The Bronchos have worked their way into the national rankings for the first time in almost 20 years. Central is No. 23 in the country in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25, and the D2Football.com Top 25. The Tigers of Hays, Kansas are 3-1 on the season and 2-1 in league play. Fort Hays State is receiving votes in the AFCA poll and was ranked No. 25 earlier this season.

"Fort Hays is a good team, they're just solid in everything they do, and they're well coached," UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel said. "We need to be able to execute our gameplan in all three phases – offense, defense, and special teams. You have to play a really good game against Hays and we're looking forward to it."

Central Oklahoma comes into Week 4 not only with a 3-0 record and a national ranking attached to its name, but also with one of the best offenses in the country.

UCO ranks No. 1 in total offense in all of Division II at 582.7 yards per game. The Broncho passing attack ranks sixth at 322.3 yard per game, and the Broncho rushing attack ranks fourth at 260.3 yards per game. UCO is second in the country at 53.7 points per game.

The highly rated offense begins with the quarterback play of Jett Huff. The sophomore himself ranks No. 1 in the country in pass completion percentage (77.1), No. 5 in the country in completions per game (27.0), and No. 6 in the country in both passing yards per game (313.3) and total offense (328.7). Huff's eight touchdown passes rank 17th among Division II quarterbacks.

Huff threw for 192 yards and four touchdowns in Central's 72-0 win over Langston in Week 1, then 457 yards and two scores in UCO's 57-40 win over Central Missouri in Week 2. Last Saturday, Huff threw for 291 yards and one touchdown in a 32-17 win at Kearney, where he also had a rushing touchdown.

The targets Huff is hitting has kept defenses off balance. Ashton Schumann leads the team with 23 receptions, Terrill Davis has 22 catches, and Jacob Delso has 16 through three games played. Davis' 324 yards are a team high as are his three touchdown receptions. Schumann has 218 yards and one score and Delso has 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Dominique Dunn and Madison Ridgeway both have seven receptions, Jayden Grey has three, Jaylen Cottrell and Andrew Carney both have two out of the backfield, and Christian Romero, Hagen Hacker, and William Mason each have one.

The running game has been equally important to the offense, and every player that has touched the ball in the run game has scored a touchdown.

Mason, a sophomore, has a team-high 47 carries this season for 277 yards and three touchdowns. He's averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 92.3 rushing yards per game. Cottrell has 36 carries on the year for a team-high 293 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 8.1 yards per rush and 97.6 rushing yards per game.

Quincy Thompson adds 11 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown in one game this season. Carney has five carries for 27 yards and one score, and Dev Mathews has four carries for nine yards and one score. Huff is at 18 carries for 42 yards and Dawson Herl has three for 42 and a score.

On the defensive side of the ball, while Central Oklahoma's numbers don't rank as high nationally as the offense, the production is still a big part of the Bronchos' 3-0 start. UCO gives up just 19 points per game and has yet to allow any points in the first quarter (28-0) and has allowed only one score in the fourth quarter (44-7) of its first three games.

Central Oklahoma holds opponents to 367.3 yards of offense per game, splitting that mark with 270.6 passing yards and 96.7 rushing yards per game this season. The Bronchos have 19 tackles in the backfield through three games, and 10 of those are quarterback sacks. Additionally, UCO's defense has 11 QB hurries in three games as well.

The top three leading tacklers for the Bronchos are the three starting linebackers. Connor Johnson leads the team with 18 tackles, Jack Puckett has 17, and Noah West has 13. West and defensive lineman Zane Adams lead the team with 2.5 sacks, while Johnson has two himself. West has one.

Adams is fourth on the team with a dozen tackles and safety Dylan Buchheit has the same amount along with one interception and one fumble recovery. Daniel Ekwese, David Williams, and Johnny Wilson each have 10 tackles. Ekwese has two pass breakups, Williams also has an interception, and Wilson has 1.5 sacks.

Kazeyn Bird and Curtis Miller both have interceptions as well to give the UCO secondary four on the year. Dalton Hurd has a team-high four PBUs in three games. Johnson, Ekwese, JK Moore, Willie Rice, and Jalen Sessions all have two PBUs.

Central Oklahoma punter Grayson Miller leads the MIAA with a 45.0 average through three games. Miller has punts of 65 and 63 this season. In six punts, half are 50+ and the only touchback was the 65-yard shot.

Nicky Quevedo, a senior place kicker, is 3-for-5 on field goals this season and 18-for-21 on PATs. Quevedo is also averaging 63.0 yards per kickoff with 27 kicks and 13 touchbacks.

On special teams return for UCO, Kobey Stephens has four kickoff returns for 158 yards, including a 98-yard score on the opening kickoff of the season. Stephens also has four punt returns for 110 yards and a 90-yard score – also in Week 1. C.J. Williams has two kickoff returns for 68 yards. Central Oklahoma leads the MIAA at 37.7 yards per kickoff return.

Fort Hays State comes to Edmond with a 3-1 record on the season and a 2-1 mark in the MIAA. The Tigers beat preseason No. 24 Angelo State in a non-conference game at home in Week 0, then opend MIAA play with a win over Missouri Western in Hays, Kansas in Week 1. In Week 2, No. 25 FHSU went on the road and lost to Northwest Missouri and fell out of the ranking it had for a week. The Tigers had their non-con with Northeastern State last Saturday and cruised to a 37-0 win at home.

After four games, Fort Hays State is allowing an MIAA-best 13.8 points per game, and the No. 1 defense in the league ranks No. 22 in the country. Defensively, Hays gives up 313.3 yards of total offense per game, and splits that between 131.8 rushing yards allowed and 181.5 passing yards allowed per game.

The Fort Hays offense is sixth in the league in scoring at 27.0 points per game. The Tigers total 329.0 yards per game – 211.8 passing and 117.3 rushing yards per game.

Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State have met 16 times and the Bronchos own a 9-7 advantage in the series. UCO is 4-4 in Edmond and 5-3 in Hays, Kansas, including last year's contest the Tigers won 34-0. Central won the first two meetings in 1955 and 1956, then all four meetings from 1992-95. During UCO's independent season in 2011, Hays won for the first time, 38-21. Including that win, in the last 10 meetings, Hays owns a 7-3 advantage in the series. In the most recent meeting in Edmond, 2022, Dorrel beat Hays 35-23 to earn his 100th career victory.

Up next for the Bronchos is their second MIAA road contest. UCO visits Missouri Southern in Joplin next Saturday. Central Oklahoma returns home for the Hall of Fame Game Saturday, Oct. 12 against Northwest Missouri.

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Players Mentioned

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

#13 Kazeyn Bird: LB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#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

#11 Hagen Hacker: WR; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#12 Dawson Herl: QB; 6' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

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

#13 Kazeyn Bird
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: LB

#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

#11 Hagen Hacker
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: WR

#12 Dawson Herl
: 6' 3"; Senior
: QB