Football 9/1/2025 6:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Hosts Pittsburg State

UCO Makes Home Debut Saturday Night Against Gorillas of Pittsburg, Kansas

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma makes its 2025 home debut as it hosts Pittsburg State in Week 1 MIAA action from Chad Richison Stadium Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.

UCO is 0-1 on the season. PSU is 0-1 on the season. The two teams have combined for the last three MIAA titles and both look for the first win of the season after Week 0 road losses. The Bronchos fell 34-14 at UT Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. The Gorillas fell 34-17 at Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Pittsburg State comes to Edmond for the second year in a row with its 35-21 win the only regular season loss for the Bronchos in 2024. The visiting Gorillas own a commanding 16-4-1 record in the all-time series. Central Oklahoma's last win came in 2015 at Pitt State. The two squads are not only the last two to win MIAA titles, but also both appear in the top five in Division II all-time wins. Pitt State owns the No. 1 spot with 758 victories while Central Oklahoma ranks fifth at 664 all-time wins.

NEWS AND NOTES

WHITE OUT/FIRST RESPONDERS' NIGHT

Week 1's matchup is the first home game of the season for Central Oklahoma and fans are asked to wear white. T-shirts will be given away by both the athletics department and student organizations while supplies last. The game is also First Responders' Night, an annual celebration of local heroes from Edmond Police and Edmond Fire, sponsored by Oklahoma ER & Hospital and Tulsa Teachers' Credit Union (TTCU).

COACHES' CORNER

Central Oklahoma head football coach Adam Dorrel brought a 117-53 career record into 2025 and is 22-14 in his fourth season leading the Bronchos. Dorrel has won 88 career games as a coach in the MIAA, which ranks 10th on the league's all-time list. Tom Anthony is the head coach at Pitt State and is 8-4 in his second season.

OPTIMISTIC OFFENSE

Central Oklahoma led the country in total offense in 2024 at 538 yards per game. While the Bronchos put up just 376 in Week 0 at UTPB, there's optimism it can still perform at a high level. UCO threw for 169 yards with a long pass play of 23. Of junior All-American quarterback Jett Huff's 14 completions, he found 10 different receivers and targeted 14 total. The Bronchos handed the ball off to four different running backs, with Huff also scrambling as a fifth option and the Bronchos ended the day with 207 yards rushing.

JETT PACK

Huff led an offense that set almost two dozen records last year in leading the country. He threw for 3,588 yards and 34 touchdowns, both records. With 169 passing yards in Week 0 this season, Huff moved to No. 10 on Central's all-time passing list at 3,757 career yards. He aims to become the ninth player in school history with 4,000 career passing yards.

CATCHING COTTRELL

Jaylen Cottrell produced 1,284 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season and his 7.3 yards per carry led the country up to the final game of the season. While he managed just 50 yards rushing in Week 0, Cottrell averaged 6.3 per carry. Cottrell has 1,844 career rushing yards - 2,628 ranks 10th in UCO history.

WATCH OUT FOR WILLIAM MASON

William Mason led Central Oklahoma with 107 rushing yards on nine carries, 11.9 per attempt, in Week 0. The true junior running back had a career-long 71-yard rush and scored on a four-yard run on the next play to give Central its first touchdown of the 2025 season. Mason has improved his load in each of his first three seasons at UCO.

IN THEIR DEFENSE

Central Oklahoma's defense put up a strong effort in Midland, Texas last week despite the 34-14 setback. The Bronchos put pressure on the UTPB quarterback all game, eventually knocking him out of the game in the fourth quarter. The Bronchos were credited with four QB sacks and on QB hurry. UCO held UTPB to 361 total yards of offense and forced the team to kick a field goal on five possessions as well as forcing six punts in the game.

GETTING TO THE QB

Central Oklahoma got sacks from four different players in Week 0. Cameron Done, Darius Hampton, Wesley Hudson, and Reese Roller all got to the quarterback, while Hampton was also credited with a QB hurry.

PUCKETT LEADS THE WAY

Junior All-American Jack Puckett produced 102 stops, 15 for a loss, and seven sacks last season. He led the team with seven tackles in Week 0.

BREAK IT UP

Central Oklahoma was only credited with one pass breakup in Week 0 and that came from Connor Johnson, who made four tackles in the game. David Williams, known for his punishing hits, leveled a UTPB player trying to make a catch. He was credited for three tackles in the game.

BRONCHOS CAN KICK

Joseph Kim, a sophomore transfer from Houston, attempted two field goals for Central in Week 0 but missed them both. However, he had the distance on both attempts, once from 50 yards out and again from 45 yards. Kim had touchbacks on all three kickoffs to average 65.0 yards on the day.

UP NEXT ...

Central Oklahoma has a bye week in Week 2 and will be home again in Week 3 against Washburn (1-0). The Bronchos are 8-5 against Washburn all time (since 2011) and have won the last two meetings. UCO won 41-7 in Edmond in 2023 and 28-27 in Topeka in 2024.

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Players Mentioned

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

#93 Wesley Hudson: DL; 6' 3"; Sophomore

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

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

#30 Jack Puckett: LB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#33 Reese Roller: LB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#2 Jett Huff: QB; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#24 David Williams: DB; 6' 0"; Junior

#17 Darius Hampton: DL; 6' 3"; Junior

#43 Joseph Kim: K; 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

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

#93 Wesley Hudson
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: DL

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

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

#30 Jack Puckett
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: LB

#33 Reese Roller
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: LB

#2 Jett Huff
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: QB

#24 David Williams
: 6' 0"; Junior
: DB

#17 Darius Hampton
: 6' 3"; Junior
: DL

#43 Joseph Kim
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: K