Football 9/7/2026 12:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Visits Central Arkansas In Week 2

Bronchos Playing Division I Opponent For First Time Since 2011

CONWAY, Ark. – Central Oklahoma returns from its bye week to hit the road for a non-conference game at Central Arkansas Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. from First Security Field at Estes Stadium.

The Bronchos are playing a Division I opponent for the first time since 2011 (Cal Poly Tech).

"We're excited for the game," UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel said. "It's a great opportunity for our guys, our program, and the university. We've had an interesting start to the season coming out of camp to play August 27 and then having a bye week. But, we've had some good practices and we're ready to go see what we can do in Arkansas."

Central Arkansas is off to a 1-1 start in the 2026 season. The Bears of Conway, Arkansas opened the year with a win at UT Martin before losing to West Florida last weekend. UCA is a member of the United Athletic Conference and is 0-1 in league play after the UWF loss.

Central Oklahoma and Central Arkansas played three times in the 1950s and that's the extent of the all-time series. UCO won all three meetings, 21-7 in 1953, 21-20 in 1954, and then 66-12 in 1955. The meeting in 1954 is the only meeting in Conway, Arkansas. The first and third meetings were held in Edmond.

Senior quarterback Jett Huff leads the Bronchos into Conway. Following a 302-yard performance in Week Zero, Huff has now thrown for 6,108 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career at UCO (2024-26). He is just the second player in school history to throw for 6,000 career yards and is 1,303 yards shy of the record set by Chas Stallard (7,411 yards, 2014-18). Huff is tied with Stallard for the most touchdown passes in a career at 54 and Huff already owns the school-record for 300-yard passing games (10) and 400-yard passing games (three).

The UCO offense put up 59 points and 498 yards of offense in the season opener two weeks ago. The Bronchos were able to use three quarterbacks in the game. Huff threw for 302 yards and Clayton Creasey and Cruz Campbell also helped the Bronchos spread the wealth.

Central Oklahoma had eight different players catch a pass in the opener, showcasing the depth of the offensive playmakers. Makel Paiva caught six passes for 105 yards, both team highs. Tahkari Bethel had three catches for 72 yards and two of his receptions were for touchdowns. Zayden Martinez (4-59) and C.J. Williams (4-44) were primary targets. Jaxon Laminack (3-22) was too. Javohn Thomas had two catches for 25 yards and one touchdown. Braden Turner, Gage Keaton, and Ja'Daniel Nettles all caught one pass each.

On the ground, Andrew Carney carried the ball three times and had two rushing touchdowns. Dev Mathews had 22 yards on eight carries and had one rushing touchdown. Ja'Daniel Nettles had five carries for a team-high 37 yards in his UCO debut. Creasey (32) and Huff (31) were also part of the widespread rushing attack.

The UCO defense shined in Week Zero, holding Texas Wesleyan to just seven points. The host Rams only score came on a 16-yard scoring drive.

Senior linebacker Reese Roller had a dominant season debut in Week Zero, recording seven tackles, three behind the line of scrimmage including a sack, one forced fumble, and two QB hurries. The senior middle linebacker has played in all 36 games since arriving on campus in 2023.

Central Oklahoma recorded 10 quarterback hurries in Week Zero, pounding multiple QBs Texas Wesleyan tried under center. Roller, Trip Roberts, and Ethan Stites each had two QB hurries, while Cameron Done, Bradyn Smith, Joey Havir, and Zacary Stilwell each had one.

Senior defensive lineman Ralph Carter had two tackles in his UCO debut. The Ferris State transfer had one sack for a loss of five yards and also forced a fumble.

Central Oklahoma had seven pass breakups in Week Zero, led by Chad Walker's two PBUs. Christian Cooper, Marcus Works, Chris Fitzpatrick, Bryant Coley, and Antwan Gilbreath all recorded one breakup.

Coley had one tackle and one pass breakup but he also had one fumble recovery and took it 39 yards for a touchdown. It was the first scoop-and-score for the Broncho defense since Oct. 12, 2024 (Dylan Buchheit) in a win against Northwest Missouri in Edmond.

Central Oklahoma freshman Bradley Thao was named MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week presented by FieldTurf. The Bixby, Oklahoma product went 7-for-7 on PATs and connected on a 32-yard field goal. Thao's seven PAT conversions were the fourth most in Division II in Week Zero. He was also one of just four kickers in the country to make seven PATs and kick a field goal on opening weekend.

Central Oklahoma opens MIAA play at Washburn on Sept. 19 and will play its first home game of the season against Northwest Missouri on Sept. 26 at Chad Richison Stadium.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#10 Clayton Creasey: QB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

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

#40 Chris Fitzpatrick: LB; 6' 0"; Senior

#14 Antwan Gilbreath: DB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

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

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

#23 Gage Keaton: WR; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

#8 Jaxon Laminack: WR; 5' 10"; Senior

Players Mentioned

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

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

#10 Clayton Creasey
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: QB

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

#40 Chris Fitzpatrick
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LB

#14 Antwan Gilbreath
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: DB

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

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

#23 Gage Keaton
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: WR

#8 Jaxon Laminack
: 5' 10"; Senior
: WR