Bronchos best Bulldogs
UCO outlasts SWOSU in third Live United Bowl
Central Oklahoma controlled the ball, the clock and the second half to pull away from rival Southwestern Oklahoma, 38-21, in the third Live United Texarkana Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Arkansas High’s Razorback Stadium.
The game marked the 88th meeting between two schools who first played in 1905. It wasn’t the outcome that the SWOSU crowd, which packed the home side of the stadium, was looking for, but no one could fault the effort of the Bulldogs, who piled up up 390 yards but couldn’t overcome four turnovers.
“We came out and competed well,” coach Dan Cocannouer said. “They kept fighting clear to the very end, and that’s what we’ve done all year.”
The Great American Conference’s runner-up SWOSU finished 8-4. Central, fifth in the MIAA, ended at 7-5 after starting 0-4.
“We’re still a young team and these extra weeks gave us a chance to grow, to learn and take another step toward our goal, which is to compete for a national championship,” OCU coach Nick Bobeck said.
In a game where two teams that prefer to run the ball couldn’t, this one fell to the quarterbacks. Central Oklahoma’s T.J. Eckert, the game’s MVP, hit on 21 of 28 passes for 293 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 72 yards on 17 carries, nearly all of them bruising runs up the middle.
“It was a tough game,” Eckert said. “They hit me hard. Southwestern played very well. They were well-prepared.”
The Bronchos sustained three scoring drives of six or more plays because Eckert kept
bailing them out on third down. Running back Clay McKenzie, who tied a school record with eight 100-yard games, was held to 89 yards, and frequently was stuffed for 1- and 2-yard gains. Still, UCO converted on 10 of 17 third downs and dominated time of possession, 34:14 to 25:42.
“We didn’t have much success on first and second down, but we found ways to make plays when we needed to make plays,” Eckert said.
Eckert managed to outshine Southwestern’s Marc Evans, who connected on 30 of 46 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Evans’ one interception was a killer. It came one play after the Bulldog defense recovered a fumble at the Broncho 20 with 10:42 left in the third quarter. SWOSU was down 31-21 at that point.
On first down, Evans lofted a rainbow toward the left rear of the end zone and UCO safety Cody Jones won possession of the jump ball. The Bulldogs never again reached the red zone.
The Bronchos got on the board first after Eckert—on third-and-14—hit Connor Pulley, running wide open in the deep right flat, for a 47-yard gain to the Bulldog 14. Three plays later, backup QB Chas Stallard took the snap in the wildcat formation, faked a handoff and squirted through a wide gap over right guard for the score.
The Bulldogs tied it with a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped by a 10-yard strike from Evans to Henderson.
The Bronchos gave the ball right back after Connor Bays caught Eckert for a 14-yard on sack on third down.
Southwestern grabbed the lead for a brief period early in the second period with a seven-play, 80-yard drive. Evans hit D.J. Jones, who wrestled the ball away from two defenders for a 40-yard pickup.
Evans hit Carlos Smith for 24 yards to the 4. Next, he found the 6-foot-3 senior wideout all alone in the back of the end zone for the score.
Central ripped off three quick scoring drives to re-take the lead.
Myles tease returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the SWOSU 41. Eckert capped a 4-play drive with a 10-yard TD pass to Connor Pulley.
Late in the second quarter, the Bronchos got the ball on an unusual punt play. A tipped kick bounced off a Bulldog and was recovered by a Broncho who thought he was downing it at the 16.
Two plays later, Eckert hit Josh Crockett at the goal line for a 13-yard score.
A few minutes later, Clay McKenzie capped a three-play, 44-yard scoring drive by bulling in from a yard out to make it a 28-14 game.
It was 28-21 at the half after Evans led Southwestern on seven-play, 66-yard drive. He hit Teverick Boyd for 11 yards and a score on a fourth down play.
The second half belonged to the defenses, and the Bronchos seemed to send a message on the first play, pounding Evans as he threw a deep pass. Both the ball and the quarterback went to the turf, and the quarterback had to be helped from the field. He returned on the next possession, but the Bulldogs never put together another scoring drive.
UCO got a 25-yard field goal from Seth Hiddink late in the third period, and a two-yard TD run from Clay to cap a sixplay, 58-yard drive late in the fourth.
Would the Bronchos accept another invitation to play in Texarkana?
“No question. None.” coach Nick Bobeck said. “The bowl committee here has done an unbelievable job. Our kids really enjoyed the community events. It was outstanding.”
Attendance was not announced, but the 6,500-seat stadium appeared about 3/4 full, with most of the empty seats in the UCO side. The game was broadcast on ESPN3, the fledgling bowl’s first national broadcast.