UCO Football Drops MIAA Opener in Loss at Washburn

The University of Central Oklahoma football team dropped its MIAA opener this past weekend at Washburn in a 14-10 loss after a number of self-inflicted errors plagued the Bronchos’ offense.

UCO now sits at 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. 

Despite a strong defensive performance from the Bronchos, their offensive woes ultimately proved costly, as UCO struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities and committed four turnovers in the 14-10 loss.

The Bronchos fumbled the ball an abysmal five times and lost three, on one interception thrown by QB Jett Huff, losing the turnover battle 4-2, which was monumental in what turned out to be a one-score game.

Despite the turnovers, Central did find success moving the ball, outgaining Washburn by more than 150 yards with 359 total yards of offense.

The Bronchos found most of that success through the air, with 271 passing yards compared to 88 yards on the ground.

Huff finished the afternoon 27-of-42 passing for 271 yards and an interception. He also led UCO on the ground with 46 yards on 14 carries and scored the team’s lone touchdown.

Tahkari Bethel was Huff’s top target, catching seven for 99 yards and continuing his impressive freshman season. He ranks second in the MIAA in receiving yards so far this season and first among freshmen.

 Makel Paiva added five catches for 56 yards, while Zayden Martinez recorded three receptions for 47 yards. Ja’Daniel Nettles contributed 29 receiving yards on five catches and 33 rushing yards on eight carries.

While the offense struggled to turn yardage into points, the UCO defense kept the Bronchos within striking distance all afternoon.

Reese Roller led the defensive effort with a career-high 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Christian Cooper followed with eight tackles, while Chris Fitzpatrick recorded five tackles, two for loss, and forced a fumble.

Washburn’s offense managed just 101 rushing yards and 101 passing yards against the Bronchos.

UCO’s defense also forced six Washburn punts, giving the offense multiple opportunities to overcome its early mistakes.

Despite a day when everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the Bronchos offense, they still had a chance to win the game with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter after taking possession at their own 20-yard line.

They moved the ball to midfield within 30 seconds and looked to have found a rhythm, but the game would end as it had played out.

With UCO facing second-and-four from the Washburn 49-yard line, Huff threw an interception, solidifying Washburn’s win.

They have no time to dwell on their performance as they head into their home opener this week.

Central Oklahoma will return to Chad Richison Stadium this Saturday to host no. 7  Northwest Missouri as part of Homecoming Week.

Northwest Missouri has looked dominant this season, winning their last game 65-3 and defeating UCO by more than 20 a year ago.

Central has won the last three matchups against the Bearcats in Edmond, however, and will need a notable turnaround to pull off the upset Saturday.