Sports Column: How much magic do these Bronchos have left?

UCO football had just enough regular season magic to grab the first MIAA title in program history. Their reward? A beautiful trophy for the case, a place in the history books, and a home playoff game against the best team they have seen all year. The Ouachita Baptist Tigers were one unbelievable upset from winless Southern Nazarene, away from likely being undefeated and the 1-seed in the region. Instead, the Great American Conference champs have to take a drive to our neck of the woods for the win-or-go-home bout. 

So, who is Ouachita Baptist? Offensively, the team’s spread-run averages just under 200 rushing yards per game. They’re led by running back Kendel Givens’ 78 yards per game, but it’s really quarterback Eli Livingston who makes this offense go, averaging 70 rushing yards per game and another 136 yards through the air. He’s a dynamic player that converts first downs in back-breaking moments to keep drives alive. Their offense averages 35.6 points per game, but the defense is what truly turns heads, only giving up 9.6 points on average. 

Their 4-2 Nickel scheme is a true team unit. Linebacker Jax Miller leads the way with 88 tackles, but among all other stats, there is no true stud. They racked up 102 tackles for loss and 27 sacks, both led by Rovell Carter and Mikey Gonzalez who’ve racked up a combined 23 TFLs and 12 sacks. On the back end, the team has 11 interceptions and 42 pass break ups but both stats are led by Josiah Johnson’s 2 picks and 6 break ups, meaning there’s no one you need to avoid, but there’s also no one to pick on. It will be far from smooth sailing for the Bronchos this Saturday.

We know Central had enough regular season magic, but will they have enough magic for the postseason? I believe it will all come down to the offense. What version will show up in round one? The same one we saw last Saturday that put up 55 points with relative ease or the one from two weeks ago that struggled to put up just 28? That depends on how Dawson Herl will play under center. The 6-year senior impressed following the benching of star quarterback Jett Huff and now he’s coming off the best game of his UCO career. We know how good the pieces on this offense can be with the right guy running the show. Guys like Terrill Davis, Jaylen Cottrell, and William Mason will be too much for any defense in America if they get the ball on time, in space, and on target.

As important as the quarterback position will be to the win, the same could certainly be said for the Broncho defense, but they need to answer the same question: which version are we going to get? The one from last week’s first quarter or from the rest of the game? In the first frame against Emporia State, the defense was absolutely unstoppable, giving up zero points and -2 total yards. However, over the course of the last three quarters, they gave up 38 points and a blistering 544 yards. If the defense can put together a complete performance of solid play, it will be the Bronchos’ game to lose. It will come down to tackling for UCO. Can the leaders of this defense, like Jack Puckett and Dylan Buchheit, keep Ouachita’s guys in check? Can they prevent the crucial first downs that the Tigers have thrived on all year? That’s how they can win this game and punch their ticket to the next round.

All year, this UCO team has been fast, physical, and fun. But, most importantly, they’ve been lucky. All coaches know that behind every elite team’s championship run, there has to be some luck. A fumble here, a missed game-winning field goal there, you need those to win it all. Some coaches call it luck, cynics call it fate, optimists call it destiny. I call it magic. These ‘Chos have had plenty of magic all season. How much magic do they have left? We’ll just have to wait and see.