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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Team
16
Central Okla. UCO 3-4 , 2-3
23
Winner Emporia St. ESU 7-0 , 5-0
Central Okla. UCO
3-4 , 2-3
16
Final
23
Emporia St. ESU
7-0 , 5-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UCO Central Okla. 0 9 0 7 16
ESU Emporia St. 7 0 13 3 23

Game Recap: Football | | Chris Brannick

UCO Rally Falls Short, Bronchos Lose At Emporia

Central Oklahoma Drops 23-16 MIAA Contest At No. 8 Emporia State

EMPORIA, Kan. – Central Oklahoma's late rally wasn't enough and the Bronchos lost 23-16 at No. 8 Emporia State Saturday afternoon.
 
The Bronchos fell to 3-4 on the season following the loss and are now 2-3 in the MIAA. Emporia State is 7-0 overall and 5-0 in league play.
 
"We certainly had our chances," UCO interim head coach Cody Swanson said. "We just have to convert more of those and we need to take care of the football. We lost the turnover battle but we still had a chance in the end. Just have to be better."
 
UCO was down 7-0 after the first quarter but rallied to take a 9-7 lead before halftime. Unfortunately for the Bronchos, a big third quarter put Central in a hole it couldn't dig out of.
 
A scoop-and-score touchdown gave ESU a 13-9 lead, then a 44-yard touchdown pass made it 20-9 with 9:19 to play in the third quarter.
 
Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, Emporia lined up to punt but the snap went over the kickers head. He kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone and took the safety. That made it 7-2 with 11:18 to play in the second quarter. On the next possession, UCO had its best offense output of the day.
 
Cruz Campbell went 3-for-5 on the drive and connected with Javohn Thomas for a 4-yard touchdown pass to give the Bronchos the 9-7 lead with 9:47 remaining in the first half.
 
The Bronchos got life in the fourth quarter. Trailing 23-9 just before the two-minute timeout, Campbell led the Bronchos down the field for a 5-play, 28-yard scoring drive. He connected with Thomas for a second time on a 7-yard touchdown pass.
 
The Bronchos then got a stop and had the ball with 49 yards to go. UCO just didn't have the offense in the end. A quarterback sack on fourth down ended the chance for the Bronchos. Emporia knelt down on the win – its first since 2023 against the Bronchos.
 
Central Oklahoma outgained Emporia State 323-211 in the game. The Bronchos had 263 passing yards and 60 rushing yards.
 
Jett Huff started the game for the Bronchos and was 7-for-15 with 79 yards before being sacked and knocked out of the game with an injury. Campbell came in and went 19-for-37 with 177 yards and the two touchdowns. Clayton Creasey also played and was 2-for-5 for seven yards. Campbell threw two interceptions and Creasey threw one.
 
Makel Paiva had a team-high six receptions with 47 yards. Tahkari Bethel had four catches for a team-high 76 yards. Thomas finished with five catches for 26 yards and the two touchdowns.
 
Ja'Daniel Nettles led the rushing attack with 42 yards on 16 carries. Dev Mathews had 18 yards on seven carries.
 
Reese Roller led the defensive efforts for the Bronchos. The senior linebacker had seven tackles including one in the backfield. Camerone Done had six tackles and two sacks. Zacary Stillwell had five tackles and one sack.
 
Central Oklahoma continues its two-game road swing next weekend at Pittsburg State. The Bronchos play at the Gorillas Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
 
 
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