Central Oklahoma took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and kept with that pace throughout the game as the Bronchos rolled over Langston 72-0 Saturday night in the 2024 football season opener.
More than 9,000 fans piled into Chad Richison Stadium for the renewal of an old rivalry between schools separated by less than 30 miles. It didn’t take long for the fans to see a show put on by the Bronchos.
“We’re proud of the guys for sticking to the game plan and executing at a high level,” UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel said. “This game might have gotten out of hand, but the guys did a great job of doing their job. We got to play a lot of kids and that’s always good. It was good to get the opener out of the way and we’ll enjoy this tonight, but we have got to be ready for next week.”
Kobey Stephens, a true fourth-year senior from Wewoka, Oklahoma, took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Later in the first half, the defensive back also returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown, tying the stadium record for longest return. It is likely that Stephens is the first player in school history with a kick return and a punt return for a touchdown in the same game.
Central Oklahoma scored early and often Saturday. Newcomer Jett Huff threw a 34yard touchdown pass to running back Jaylen Cottrell, then a 10-yard touchdown pass to fullback Andrew Carney. Carney scored again on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 28-0. That’s how the first quarter ended, an hour after it began.
Stephens’ punt return in the second quarter made it 35-0. Huff connected with Terrill Davis for a 35-yard touchdown and Cottrell added a 1-yard run to make it 49-0 as the game shifted to halftime.
Jacob Delso of Checotah, caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Huff in the third quarter, backup quarterback Dawson Herl ran a 45-yard touchdown, and Nicky Quevedo connected on a 21yard field goal all in the third quarter as the Bronchos took a 65-0 lead.
Quincy Thompson’s 1-yard touchdown run put the final 72-0 score on the board. Thompson ran for four yards and 63 yards before Herl added two yards and Thompson punched in the score to cap off a 4-play, 70-yard scoring drive.
Central Oklahoma put up 580 yards of total offense, with 361 yards rushing and 219 yards passing on the night.
Cottrell finished with 103 yards on six carries with one touchdown. Thompson had 103 yards on 11 carries with one score. William Mason added 67 yards, Herl finished with 42, Carney had 27, and Huff finished with 19 yards rushing.
Huff was 12-for-16 passing with 192 yards and four touchdowns. Herl went 4-for-7 for 27 yards. Delso led the receivers with 64 yards on four receptions and the one score. Davis finished with 56 yards on three catches.
Defensively, Jack Puckett led the team with nine tackles. But more importantly, after a 2023 season that didn’t see a lot of turnovers, the 2024 squad found a way on Saturday. Dylan Buchheit, Curtis Miller, and Kazeyn Bird each had interceptions, and Buchheit also recovered a fumble, helping UCO to a 4-1 advantage in the turnover game.
Several marks on Saturday night were the first in a long time for the Bronchos.
It’s the first time since 2019 UCO had two players run for more than 100 yards. It’s the first time since 2013 a punt was returned for a touchdown and the first time since 2012 a kickoff was returned for a touchdown. The 72 points was also the most since 2019 and the shutout was the first since 2019.
Central Oklahoma opened the season with a victory and improved its record against Langston to 33-5-1. The Bronchos will now focus on its MIAA schedule that includes three ranked opponents and some others knocking on that door. UCO and Central Missouri have alternated wins in each of the past three seasons.
