Jeff Harrison
West Texas A&M; entered the season as the heavy favorite to win a fourth-straight Lone Star Conference title. And the No.9-ranked Buffalos made their case, as they handed Central Oklahoma a 49-18 loss Saturday night at Wantland Stadium.
“I expected to win, but that is not just one of the best teams in the Lone Star Conference, that’s one of the best teams in the nation,” UCO coach Tracy Holland said about WTAMU. “They think they’re in the middle of a national title hunt, and I agree with that.”
After shutting down the high-powered Pittsburg State offense a week ago, the UCO defense did little to slow down WTAMU. The Bronchos allowed 637 yards and a record-setting 32 first downs.
“I thought the first couple of series the defense played lights out, but on the other side of the coin the offense needs to take advantage of that the result was we couldn’t move the ball offensively,” Holland said. “A defense just can’t stay out there like that against a team like that, they’ll wear down.”
Keith Null carved up the Broncho defense, passing for 389 yards and four touchdowns, with 312 yards and three touchdowns coming in the first half.
The Buffalos jumped in front late in the first quarter, when Null found Carl Johnson on a 26-yard TD pass. Null helped push the lead in the second quarter with a pair of short scoring strikes to Wayne McKnight, making it a 21-0 game.
After a forgettable start, Alex Gibson helped the UCO offense shake out of first half slump. The sophomore drove the Bronchos down the field to set up their first score of the game, a 38-yard field goal by Chad Susman.
WTAMU answered with a quick scoring drive that was capped with a one-yard run by Keith Flemming, making it a 28-3 game at the half.
The Bronchos defense came up with a big stop early in the third quarter. Freddie Harris forced a fumble when he blind-sided Null and Terrance Hill recovered the fumble on the WTAMU 36-yard line.
Gibson helped the Bronchos capitalize on the takeaway with a quick scoring drive. Rick Montgomery hauled in a 34-yard pass, which set up a four-yard touchdown grab by Ryan Gallmore. A missed PAT by Susman made it a 28-9 game with 12:58 left in the third.
Susman tacked on a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and Brandon Noohi threw a 12-yard TD pass to Daniel Morrell with 57 seconds left to round out the Bronchos’ scoring.
Morrell led the Bronchos with four catches for 60 yards and one score.
Johnson led WTAMU with six catches for 123 yards and one touchdown, while Fleming led the Buffalos with 126 yards on 15 carries and one score.
The Bronchos will look to get in the win column next Saturday when they hit the road to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville; in a LSC cross over game. The Bronchos and Javelinas are set to get underway at 7 p.m.
