Bronchos Football Seal the Win at Home In Conference Opener 

In an adrenaline fueled kickoff to the season, the University of Central Oklahoma football team delivered a stunning upset, taking down the Pittsburg State Gorillas who were ranked number 13 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) week one polls. 

The UCO Bronchos are coming off winning the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Championships last season. UCO is still hungry to prove they can contend for another title even after a rough 37-14 first game loss to The University of Texas Permian Basin.

UCO led the game early against Pitt State as Jaylen Cottrell, UCO’s All-American running back, scored a touchdown for 66 yards during the second play of the game to set the tone for the team. UCO then drove 60 yards on the tough Pitt State defense and had 10 yards left to score. Jett Huff set the offense one last time. Before the clock ran out he threw an interception, taking a hard fall. As Jett threw the interception, junior tight end Dominique Dun quickly reacted by punching the ball out and causing All-American offensive lineman Montreil Lee to recover the ball. By the end of the first quarter it was 14-0. 

Starting off the second quarter, injuries and cramps started to set in for the Bronchos. With Pitt state having a tempo offense they were able to kill UCO’s momentum and take advantage of the issues UCO was having. The Gorillas ended up outscoring UCO in the second Quarter 16-3, only putting the Bronchos up by one going into half.

The Bronchos came out swinging midway through the third quarter. Redshirt freshman Clayton Creasey scored a 22 yard touchdown, the first of his college career. After a lot of back and forth from both sides, the game was all tied up 24-24 heading into the fourth quarter.

Central Oklahoma was up 27-24 with 14:50 left in the fourth. As time was winding down, Pitt State kicker Austin Schmit missed a 30-yard field goal to tie the game with 23 seconds left. The Bronchos won their thrilling conference opener 27-24. This would be the first time UCO has beaten Pitt State since 2015 and the first time UCO has won against the Gorillas at home since 1968.

Clayton Creasey talked about how no one on the sidelines or in the stands lost hope. “Everyone believed in each other all four quarters which ultimately led to the victory for us.” 

UCO will host Washburn this Saturday at Chad Richison Stadium starting at 7 p.m.