JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. —
Joshua Birmingham was virtually unstoppable any time he touched the ball and Central Oklahoma overwhelmed Lincoln 56-25 here Saturday afternoon in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association mismatch.
The Bronchos had eight plays of 25-plus yards and racked up 585 total yards — the third-best performance in school history — in rolling to the easy win that snapped a 15-game road losing streak dating back to 2009.
Birmingham sparked the offensive onslaught, scoring five touchdowns while setting a single-game school record with an amazing 395 all-purpose yards. The junior running back had the second-best rushing game at UCO with 272 yards and four TDs on 20 carries in addition to scoring on an 83-yard kickoff return and catching three passes for 40 yards.
The defense did its part as well, forcing LU to punt on its first eight possessions of the game and limiting the Blue Tigers to 119 first-half yards as UCO zipped to a 28-0 lead en route to taking a big 35-12 halftime advantage.
The Bronchos improved to 2-6 on the season and in the league in its final road game of the season. UCO opens a season-ending two-game homestand next Saturday, hosting Southwest Baptist for a 2 p.m. Homecoming clash.
“We got great effort on both sides of the ball and came out of here with a good win,” first-year head coach Nick Bobeck said. “Our offensive line did a tremendous job and we were able to run the ball like we want to and defensively we did some good things, especially in the first half.”
UCO finished with 365 rushing yards, its best effort since a 371-yard output against Ouachita Baptist in 1998. Christian Bobo backed up Birmingham with a 14-carry, 91-yard outing as the Bronchos continually found running room behind an offensive line that dominated the line of scrimmage.
Adrian Nelson added 220 yards passing, hitting 16-of-28 attempts.
Central limited the Blue Tigers to 335 yards. Adrian Shoecraft led the way with a game-high 11 tackles and two broken-up passes, while Turner Troup added nine tackles with 2.5 for loss and two PBUs.
UCO failed to take advantage of a couple of promising early drives before finally breaking through late in the opening quarter on Bobo’s 13-yard scoring burst up the middle, with Chris Robbs making the first of eight extra points for a 7-0 lead.
The Bronchos got the ball back a minute later after a quick three-and-out and Birmingham scored his first TD on a 57-yard sprint through a gaping hole in the middle after taking a direct snap in the wildcat formation.
He was in the end zone again the next time he got the ball, this time jetting 65 yards around the left side to make it 21-0 just three minutes into the second quarter.
A short punt set up Birmingham’s 10-yard scoring dash midway through the period that upped the lead to 28-0 and the two teams scored 19 combined points in the final 1:24 of the half to send UCO into the break with a 35-12 cushion.
Lincoln scored on a five-yard pass at 1:24 for its first touchdown, but Birmingham was barely touched when he took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 83 yards for his fourth TD of the half at the 1:12 mark.
The Blue Tigers came right back with a 93-yard kickoff return to get within 35-12 as Troup broke up the two-point conversion pass.
LU opened the second half with a quick-strike scoring drive to pull within 35-18, but the Bronchos quickly quelled any thoughts of a comeback with a 60-yard scoring march.
Nelson’s 25-yard pass to Sterling Koons was the big play and Nelson ended it with a 13-yard TD strike to Tucker Holland.
Birmingham scored from five yards out later in the third quarter and Bobo made it 56-18 late in the period with a 37-yard TD dash, with UCO coasting in from there.
THIS STORY was provided by University of Central Oklahoma sports information.
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PHOTO PROVIDED Central Oklahoma's Joshua Birmingham scored five touchdowns and set a single-game school record with 395 all-purpose yards against Lincoln on Saturday.
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Birmingham, Bronchos roll over Lincoln
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Tennis camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Raquet Club is offering a pair of tennis camps beginning May 28.
For ages 5-8, a camp is offered from 8:45-9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for ages 7-15 a tennis camp is available from 6-6:55 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both camps run from May 28-June 13 and cost is $99 per camp.
A camp session for ages 8-16 will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30-9:25 a.m. May 29-June 12 for the identical cost.
For more information concerning these camps and others, call 341-4241. -
UCO winds up 10th nationally
Taylor Neidy fired a final-round 75, but Central Oklahoma failed to move up in the team standings at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday.
The Bronchos closed with a 323 — making 11 double bogeys and three triples — and finished 10th in the four-day, 72-hole tournament with a 1,298 total on the 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International.
Lynn ended Nova Southeastern’s four-year reign as national championships, finishing with a 1,187 total to edge the Sharks by three strokes. -
Central Oklahoma softballers make World Series again
Hayley Hudson gave Central Oklahoma a 5-4 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos staved off a seventh-inning Winona State threat to capture the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional championship Saturday afternoon at Edmond North High School.
The Warriors put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in a bid to pull out a late win and force a deciding game in the best-of-three series, but left fielder Devyn Frazier made a running catch in foul territory for the final out to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UCO improved to 47-11 — a school-record for wins — with its 23th consecutive home victory and advanced to the Division II World Series for the second straight year. The Bronchos will face Armstrong Atlantic in the eight-team World Series at 11 a.m. Thursday in Salem, Va.
“I’d say that was a nail-biter,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “It was a good game, both teams played well. Winona has a great team and they didn’t give up, but we came up with some big plays and came out on top. -
Central Oklahoma golf coach picks up award
Central Oklahoma’s Michael Bond has been named the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, with Aly Seng and Erica Bensch both earning All-Central Region honors.
Bond led the Bronchos to perhaps the best season in school history in 2012-13 with top-five finishes in 10 of their 12 tournaments. UCO won three titles, including the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association crown and its first-ever regional championship, and finished 10th in the Division II national tournament. -
Workman's blast cranks UCO's engine; Bronchos cruise to 5-2 win
Nicole Workman’s solo home run gave Central Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos went on to topple Winona State 5-2 in the first game of the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Friday night at the Edmond North High School Softball Complex.
Workman blasted her 14th homer of the season to lead off the second inning, with UCO adding three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead before the Warriors created some anxious moments in their final at bat.
WSU scored two runs and had runners on second and third on with just one out in the top of the seventh, but Kalynn Shrock got the final two batters to close out her fourth straight complete-game outing of the postseason and put the Bronchos in control of the best-of-three series. -
Richters rip competition at KickingBird
The KickingBird 2-man scramble was won by Jeff and Josh Richter, finishing with a 57.9 on May 11.
Jeff Jester and Kevin Wright wrapped up second-place honors with a 59.9 and Rick Morales and Ronnie Roberts placed third (60.1).
In the second flight, the top score was 60.4 by Jerry Bernhardt and Ted Carter. Picking up silver was the tandem of Jerry Fuller and Ramona Jacobi (61.2) and the third-place squad was Dyke Hoppe and Mark VanSickle at 62.0.
Morales was closest to the pin on No. 6 and Jeff Richter landed a dart on hole 14. -
Eagles' season finished; Lopez earns national honor
Southeastern, Fla. eliminated Oklahoma Christian 4-0 om the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Mason, Ohio today to advance to the tournament semifinals, while OC closes at 26-26.
OC would have advanced to the semifinals with a win, but completed a terrific turnaround from an 8-34 season in 2012. The Eagles made only the second national-tournament appearance in the program's history, with the other coming in 1972, when OC finished third in the NAIA World Series. -
Multiple baseball camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Schools baseball coaches Kyle Roberts (Edmond Memorial), Jeff Shafer (Edmond Santa Fe) and Karl King (Edmond North) will instruct the Edmond All-Star Baseball Camps starting May 28 at Edmond North High School.
A pair of all-skills camps will take place for kids ages 5 and older from May 28-31 and June 3-6. Times are the same, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
On June 7, a pitcher/catcher camp will be offered for ages 8 and older with the identical time frame. Cost is $35 for the pitcher/catcher camp and $125 for the all-skills camp.
For further inquiries, contact Karl King at 863-3570. -
Arthur Hills eating up Bronchos
Central Oklahoma’s struggles continued at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Friday.
The Bronchos made 10 double bogeys and two triple bogeys en route to a season-high 329 score on the rugged 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International, leaving UCO in 10th place with a three-round total of 975.
Nova Southeastern has an 881 total heading into Saturday’s final round, giving the four-time defending champion Sharks a one-shot lead over second-place Lynn. -
Bronchos will make 12th appearance in national golf championship Monday
No. 18-ranked Central Oklahoma will make its 12th appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. next week.
The 54-hole stroke play portion of the tournament runs Monday-Wednesday at the 7,061-yard, par-71 Hershey Country Club East Course, with the top-eight teams from the 20-team field advancing to match play. - More Sports Headlines
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Tennis camps offered in Edmond
