Bronchos Declaw Bearcats

Northwest Missouri State University’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt fell short as the University of Central Oklahoma upset the 4th ranked Bearcats 31-21. This marks UCO’s first win over the Bearcats since joining the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

“Those guys just went out there and did it,” head coach Nick Bobeck said. “They wanted it and fought for it. They worked so hard and I’m really proud of them.”

With starting quarterback Keats Calhoon out with an injury, sophomore Chandler Garrett made his first career start. He played a big part in the upset, going 17-of-33 passing with 274 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 59 yards on the ground.

“Chandler is a competitor,” Bobeck said. “He just goes out there and competes. He’s been a great teammate in everything he does and he just went out there and got it done.”

He had help as wide receivers L’liott Curry and Dustin Basks had productive games. Curry made eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown, while Basks had four catches for 105 yards and one touchdown.

The Broncho’s 31 points are more than the Bearcats allowed in their previous three games.

“We’re talented at the wide receiver position, there’s no doubt about that,” Bobeck said.

Defensively the Broncho’s held the Bearcats to 351 yards, 153 yards below their season average.

“Defensively we really put pressure on the quarterback,” Bobeck said. “We only had two sacks, but we made him move and force some bad throws.”

Linebacker Chris Pogi led with 10 tackles, while junior college transfer linebacker Dillion Hall had two of the biggest plays of the night. He had a crucial sack on the Bearcats final drive and made the key tackle in the final seconds of the game to secure the win. He finished with nine tackles.

“There were physical plays on that side of the ball that I was proud of,” Bobeck said.

The Bronchos struck first as Garrett hit Curry for a 43-yard touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. The second quarter started with a two-yard touchdown pass from Garrett to running back Clay McKenzie, extending the lead to 14-0.

On the next drive, kicker Alex Quevedo executed a fake field goal on fourth and nine, receiving a toss and running to the first down marker. However, the drive resulted in a punt, pinning the Bearcats at their own 14-yard line.

The Bearcats would get on the scoreboard with a 41-yard field goal from kicker Parker Sampson to make it 14-3 at the half.

Late in the third quarter, Garrett found wide receiver Ronald Turner in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown, giving the Broncho’s a 21-3 lead. On the next drive, Garrett found a streaking Basks for a 72-yard touchdown pass, taking a 28-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Bearcats started the fourth quarter with a four-yard touchdown run by quarterback Braden Wright, cutting the Broncho lead to 28-10. Following a stop, Sampson hit a 38-yard field goal to make 28-13. The Bronchos responded with a 49-yard field goal by Quevedo, a career long, to make 31-13 late in the fourth quarter.

Aided by two pass interference calls, the Bearcats found the end zone as Wright found wide receiver Shawn Bane for a seven-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion by running back Josh Caldwell cut the lead to 10, 31-21 with 4:00 left. After three straight Garrett runs, the Bearcats got the ball back at their own 36-yard line with 2:56 left, but the defense came up big as Hall stopped Caldwell at the two-yard line with 24 seconds left to secure the win.

The Bronchos now face defending MIAA champions Fort Hayes State. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. in Hayes, Kansas.

274 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 59 yards on the ground.

“Chandler is a competitor,” Bobeck said. “He just goes out there and competes. He’s been a great teammate in everything he does and he just went out there and got it done.”

He had help as wide receivers L’liott Curry and Dustin Basks had productive games. Curry made eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown, while Basks had four catches for 105 yards and one touchdown.

The Broncho’s 31 points are more than the Bearcats allowed in their previous three games.

“We’re talented at the wide receiver position, there’s no doubt about that,” Bobeck said.

Defensively the Broncho’s held the Bearcats to 351 yards, 153 yards below their season average.

“Defensively we really put pressure on the quarterback,” Bobeck said. “We only had two sacks, but we made him move and force some bad throws.”

Linebacker Chris Pogi led with 10 tackles, while junior college transfer linebacker Dillion Hall had two of the biggest plays of the night. He had a crucial sack on the Bearcats final drive and made the key tackle in the final seconds of the game to secure the win. He finished with nine tackles.

“There were physical plays on that side of the ball that I was proud of,” Bobeck said.

The Bronchos struck first as Garrett hit Curry for a 43-yard touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. The second quarter started with a two-yard touchdown pass from Garrett to running back Clay McKenzie, extending the lead to 14-0.

On the next drive, kicker Alex Quevedo executed a fake field goal on fourth and nine, receiving a toss and running to the first down marker. However, the drive resulted in a punt, pinning the Bearcats at their own 14-yard line.

The Bearcats would get on the scoreboard with a 41-yard field goal from kicker Parker Sampson to make it 14-3 at the half.

Late in the third quarter, Garrett found wide receiver Ronald Turner in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown, giving the Bronchos a 21-3 lead. On the next drive, Garrett found a streaking Basks for a 72-yard touchdown pass, taking a 28-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Bearcats started the fourth quarter with a four-yard touchdown run by quarterback Braden Wright, cutting the Broncho lead to 28-10. Following a stop, Sampson hit a 38-yard field goal to make 28-13. The Bronchos responded with a 49-yard field goal by Quevedo, a career long, to make 31-13 late in the fourth quarter.

Aided by two pass interference calls, the Bearcats found the end zone as Wright found wide receiver Shawn Bane for a seven-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion by running back Josh Caldwell cut the lead to 10, 31-21 with 4:00 left.

After three straight Garrett runs, the Bearcats got the ball back at their own 36-yard line with 2:56 left, but the defense came up big as Hall stopped Caldwell at the two-yard line with 24 seconds left to secure the win.

The Bronchos now face defending MIAA champions Fort Hayes State. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. in Hayes, Kansas.