UCO Football Bounce Back in 31-6 Victory over Nebraska-Kearney

The University of Central Oklahoma football team hit the ground running against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers this past Saturday, as the Bronchos took home the dub in the annual Hall of Fame Game, 31-6. 

In this year’s Hall of Fame Game, played on Halloween, Central started strong in the first half, even as inclement weather persisted for nearly the whole game.

 With injuries to quarterbacksJett Huff and Cruz Campbell, interim head coach Cody Swanson and the UCO coaching staff gave the starting nod to redshirt freshman quarterback Owen Jones.

 Jones, who played his first game for the Bronchos last weekend against Pitt State and threw his first collegiate touchdown, looked nothing like a redshirt freshman in his first starting performance. 

UCO started on offense and immediately began moving downfield with pace. Jones dictated the offensive flow, giving the Bronchos field goal range through 10 plays and 77 yards. 

Bradley Thao then stepped up and delivered a 22-yard field goal, giving Central a 3-0 lead with just over 10 minutes to go in the opening period. 

After an unsuccessful scoring drive by the Lopers, the ‘Chos quickly moved downfield once again, gaining 43 yards in only 5 plays.

 Owen Jones then delivered a 5-yard pass to Makel Pavia, who scored Central Oklahoma’s first touchdown of the day. Nebraska-Kearney eventually responded in the last 5 minutes of the first quarter, making it 10-3 in favor of the Bronchos. 

Central Oklahoma then started to really create separation in the second quarter.

 The Broncho defense held strong the entire period, keeping Nebraska-Kearney scoreless for the rest of the first half. 

Then on offense, UCO’s pace from the first half got even quicker.

 Central Oklahoma gained 95 yards on an impressive 11-play scoring drive, capped by junior running back Ja’Daniel Nettles with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. 

Then, nearly 4 minutes later, Jones threw a 59-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Tahkari Bethel for the Bronchos’ second touchdown of the quarter.

 Jones and Bethel would connect for another touchdown with just under two minutes remaining in the first half, propelling Central Oklahoma to a 31- 3 advantage over the Lopers going into halftime. 

The second half turned out to be much different than the first, as both teams struggled to put additional points on the board.

 The Bronchos remained scoreless for the entirety of the second half, but the Central Oklahoma defense continued to shine.

 Nebraska Kearney would only manage one semi-successful scoring drive in the third quarter, where they converted on a 30-yard field goal.

 By the time the fourth quarter started, the Bronchos still held onto a comfortable 31-to-3 lead. 

On offense, the Bronchos were led by a standout debut performance from redshirt freshman Jones in his first collegiate start. 

The underclassman from Jenks, Oklahoma ended up throwing 3 touchdown passes while going 16-of-30 for 222 yards on the day.

 Jones managed to finish the game without a single sack or interception, with his most notable mistakes of the day coming from a couple of incomplete passes, which could be attributed to the inclement weather that nearly plagued the entire contest.

 Bethel also turned in an impressive performance, as the true freshman scored two touchdowns and finished the game with 112 total yards receiving on 5 receptions. 

Andrew Carney and C.J. Williams were also big contributors on the day, receiving 25 yards and 36 yards, respectively.

 Nettles, who has been a key piece for the Bronchos all season, carried the run game with a singular touchdown and 18 carries for 90 total yards. 

Defensively, the Bronchos put up a performance, neutralizing Kearney’s attack. 

 The Lopers were held to just 259 total yards in the contest, with only 183 rushing yards and 76 passing yards. 

In a game where Central Oklahoma managed to record 8 sacks for a total of 45 yards combined, there were multiple key individual performances among the Broncho defense.

 Senior linebacker Reese Roller led the way on defense, finishing with 9 tackles and a half-sack.

 Sophomore Naithen Spaulding followed Roller closely with 8 tackles and 2.5 sacks, marking a career-best performance in Spaulding’s young collegiate football career. 

David Williams, Hank Puckett, and Zacary Stilwell turned in 5 tackles each as well. 

In what might be UCO’s most complete performance on both sides of the ball this year, the Bronchos exploded for 408 combined yards on offense while holding Nebraska Kearney to nearly half that number. 

With just two games left to go in the 2026 season, Central Oklahoma now stands with a 4-5 overall record and a 3-4 record in the MIAA. 

This weekend, UCO will travel to Missouri Southern for a matchup against the Lions in Week 10 of MIAA play. 

Then on November 14th, the Bronchos will close out the 2026 season with a home game against Missouri Western at Chad Richison Stadium.