Football 9/15/2026 5:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Open MIAA Play At Washburn

Central Oklahoma Wraps Early Season Road Swing Saturday In Topeka

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma has played two non-conference games and had its bye week to start the 2026 season and Saturday begins MIAA play at Washburn. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Topeka, Kansas.

The Bronchos opened the season with a 59-7 win at NAIA Texas Wesleyan, then after a bye, went to Division I Central Arkansas and lost 59-20. Now the Bronchos turn to the Division II portion of their schedule with nine consecutive weeks of MIAA football.

Washburn opened the 2026 season with a non-conference win at Truman State before a rare situation in its second non-con at home against Colorado School of Mines. The game was moved up to 9 a.m. due to heat but was later suspended due to heat tied 16-16. The Ichabods lost their MIAA opener 31-24 at Northwest Missouri this past weekend.

WU is 1-1-1 and averages 22.3 points per game. Washburn puts up 405.7 total yards per game, 320.6 through the air and 85.0 on the ground.

Central Oklahoma owns a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series against Washburn, which began in 2011. UCO is 9-4 against the Ichabods as MIAA foes. Central has won the last three, including the most recent game in Topeka in 2024. The Bronchos have outscored Washburn 370-328 in the 14 all-time meetings.

UCO enters league play averaging 39.5 points per game and 409.0 yards of offense per game. The Bronchos average 326.0 passing yards and 83.0 rushing yards per outing.

Jett Huff leads the offense. The senior quarterback has 501 yards and three touchdown passes this season. He broke the UCO all-time record last week with his 55th career touchdown pass. Huff owns the Central record for most 300-yard and most 400-yard games in school history. He needs 1,104 more passing yards to break the school's career passing yards record.

Central Oklahoma has completed passes to 12 different receivers this season. Freshman Tahkari Bethel has eight catches and leads the team with 177 receiving yards. The Owasso native caught two touchdown passes in his collegiate debut. He had his first 100-yard game (105) at Central Arkansas.

Makel Paiva leads the team with 12 receptions and has 148 total yards receiving. Zayden Martinez has five catches for 65 yards and Andrew Carney has six for 63 with one touchdown. Javohn Thomas also has a touchdown catch this season.

Central's rushing attack is led by Dev Mathews, who has 13 carries for 71 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma allows 33.0 points per game and 403.0 yards per game. In two games, opponents rack up 280.5 rushing yards and 122.5 passing yards per game against the Bronchos.

Reese Roller and Xzavier Booth lead UCO with 11 tackles each and Christian Cooper has 10. Roller has a team-high 4.5 tackles in the backfield. Roller also has one sack and Ralph Carter has another.

Seven Bronchos have one pass breakup and Chad Walker has two to lead the team. Roller, Cameron Done, Trip Roberts, and Ethan Stites all have two QB hurries to lead the team and four other players have one each.

Roller and Roberts each have a forced fumble and Joey Havir and Bryant Coley each have a fumble recovery, with Coley taking his back 39 yards for a touchdown. Cannon Wood has a blocked punt that Matthew Ciers recovered for a touchdown. Cooper Snyder also has a blocked field goal.

Central Oklahoma freshman Bradley Thao was named MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week presented by FieldTurf in Week Zero. The Bixby, Oklahoma product went 7-for-7 on PATs and connected on a 32-yard field goal. He's now 3-for-3 on field goals and 9-for-9 on PATs in his first two career games.

Central finally makes its home debut in Week 4, hosting No. 7 Northwest Missouri at Chad Richison Stadium. The Bearcats of Maryville, Missouri haven't won in Edmond since 2016 when Adam Dorrel was leading his alma mater.

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Players Mentioned

#26 Xzavier Booth: DB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#18 Andrew Carney: TE; 6' 1"; Senior

#31 Matthew Ciers: DB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

#5 Bryant Coley: DB; 6' 1"; Senior

#0 Cameron Done: DL; 6' 5"; Senior

#42 Joey Havir: LB; 6' 4"; Senior

#3 Jett Huff: QB; 5' 8"; Senior

#7 Zayden Martinez: WR; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#6 Dev Mathews: RB; 6' 0"; Junior

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

Players Mentioned

#26 Xzavier Booth
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: DB

#18 Andrew Carney
: 6' 1"; Senior
: TE

#31 Matthew Ciers
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: DB

#5 Bryant Coley
: 6' 1"; Senior
: DB

#0 Cameron Done
: 6' 5"; Senior
: DL

#42 Joey Havir
: 6' 4"; Senior
: LB

#3 Jett Huff
: 5' 8"; Senior
: QB

#7 Zayden Martinez
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: WR

#6 Dev Mathews
: 6' 0"; Junior
: RB

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