ST. JOSEPH, Mo. —
No. 7-ranked Missouri Western scored two touchdowns in the final minute after turning back Central Oklahoma’s gritty fourth-quarter rally and handed the Bronchos a 45-23 setback here Saturday night.
UCO trailed 31-7 early in the final period before reeling off 16 unanswered points – getting two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions – to pull within 31-23 with 1:35 remaining, but the Griffons scored on a 30-yard fourth-down touchdown run and 42-yard interception return to arrange a deceiving final score.
The Bronchos fell to 1-4 on the year and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association while taking on its third top-10 team of the season. MWSU improved to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the league.
“We fought hard the whole game and did a good job giving ourselves a chance at the end, but it just wasn’t enough,” UCO coach Nick Bobeck said. “I thought we did some good things on both sides of the ball against a really good football team, but we just weren’t consistent enough on either side.”
The Bronchos finished with 345 yards, with 240 of that coming in the second half. Adrian Nelson completed 25-of-45 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown, while Joshua Birmingham rushed for 80 yards and two scores on 18 carries in addition to catching six passes for 53 yards.
The Griffons ended up with 467 yards, including 243 rushing. Michael Hill, the leading rusher in NCAA Division II, had 143 yards in 22 attempts and it was his 30-yard TD burst with 1:08 remaining that clinched the win.
Devoris Dozier had 10 tackles and Jarrett Tryon eight to help lead the defense.
UCO appeared out of the game after falling behind 31-7 early in the fourth quarter, but Dozier forced and recovered a fumble at the Broncho 44 to ignite the comeback.
Nelson had completions of nine, 10 and 15 yards in an eight-play 46-yard drive that also saw Christian Bobo rumble for 17 yards to the MWSU five before Birmingham scored two plays later on a four-yard dash through the left side.
Nelson found Leroy Travis with the two-point conversion pass to pull UCO within 31-16 with 6:31 left to play and Andy Navarro had a three-yard tackle for loss to key a defensive stand that forced another quick MWSU punt.
This time the Bronchos went 69 yards in 10 plays, with Nelson hitting 6-of-7 passes for 68 yards to spark the march. His 21-yard dart to Travis was the big play and Nelson capped it with an eight-yard TD toss to Marquis Walters, who caught the ball at the three and fought his way into the end zone.
Again UCO went for two and again Nelson converted, this time taking it in himself around the right side to make it 31-23 with just 1:35 remaining.
The Bronchos had a chance at recovering the onside kick, but it went out of bounds and minutes later Hill broke through for a 30-yard TD against a stacked-up defensive front on a fourth-and-one play to make it 38-23.
MWSU then added to that with Michael Jordan’s 42-yard interception return with just two seconds left to play.
UCO opened the game with a promising drive, getting runs of 11 and 13 yards from Birmingham in moving from its own 25-yard-line to the Griffon 26 before Nelson’s third-and-five pass from there was intercepted and returned to the MWSU 39.
The Bronchos got the ball right back when Hill fumbled on a first down run that Dozier recovered at the 43, but UCO failed to convert on that opportunity and ended up turning the ball over on downs at the 34.
Missouri Western followed with the first of three straight touchdown drives to take a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and that was the halftime deficit as the Bronchos were outgained 252-105, netting just 21 yards on 15 second-quarter plays.
The Griffons made it 28-0 on their opening possession of the second half when quarterback Travis Partridge broke loose for a 45-yard TD dash up the middle.
UCO’s defense responded to that score by forcing two straight MWSU punts, getting a sack from Herbert Byrd and broken up pass by Antonio Jenkins to key one series, and the Bronchos finally got on the scoreboard with a 49-yard scoring drive after a short punt.
Nelson did most of the work, hitting Leroy Travis with a 19-yard strike and rambling 17 yards on a keeper to get UCO to the MWSU six before Birmingham broke through an opening on the left side from there for the touchdown at the 8:17 mark to get within 28-7.
It was the 34th TD of Birmingham’s career, moving the junior standout into fifth place on the school’s all-time scoring list.
The Griffons upped their lead to 31-7 early in the fourth period with a 45-yard field goal.
UCO’s schedule gauntlet continues next Saturday when the Bronchos host No. 11 Northwest Missouri at 1 p.m.
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Central Oklahoma loses at No. 7 Missouri Western
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Bronchos hit final match play spot in first round
Dillon Rust got off to a blazing start and ended up shooting a one-under-par 70 to lead Central Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. Tuesday.
Rust birdied four of his first five holes en route to his under-par round and the Bronchos ended up with a 300 on the day, giving them a 36-hole total of 597. The 300 leaves UCO eighth in the 20-team field heading into final round of stroke play, with the top eight teams advancing to match play that will determine the national champion. -
Area players earn All-State honors on the diamond
Three area baseball players were selected to the All-State Team this week.
Right-handed pitcher Holden Lyons from Edmond North, made the team after posting a perfect 7-0 mark with a 1.65 earned run average.
Deer Creek’s Cole Lindley made it as an outfielder and Oklahoma Christian’s Austin Brooks landed on the list in the designated hitter’s spot.
The threesome will compete on the Large West squad on July 30 at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. -
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. - More Sports Headlines
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Bronchos hit final match play spot in first round
