October 18, 2025 – Emporia State football struggled to contain the Central Oklahoma offense on Saturday night, as the Hornets fell against the Bronchos 56-22 in Edmond, Okla.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Central Oklahoma quickly went 75 yards in seven plays on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. The Hornets went three and out on their first drive, and after quickly punting the ball back to the Bronchos, forced an interception as
Tyler Schultze picked off UCO in the redzone.
The Bronchos forced a second three and out, and then on their next two drives scored ten more to expand their lead to 17-0. The Hornets got on the board at the 1:35 mark, as reverse to
Kingsley Bennett turned into a touchdown pass from Bennett to
Camden Crooks to make the score 17-6. Emporia State would get two more points in the quarter, as a Central Oklahoma punt was blocked out of the endzone to make the score 17-8.
In the second quarter, Central Oklahoma outgained the Hornets 180-83, and outscored Emporia State 14-0 as they built a 31-8 lead heading into the halftime break.
After the break, Central Oklahoma would add a field goal to make the score 34-8, before Emporia State scored on the ensuing drive for their second touchdown.
Diego Cearns scored from eight yards out, capping a six-play, 65-yard drive to make the score 34-15 at the 7:58 mark of the third. The Bronchos would add to their lead over the final eight minutes of the third however, increasing their lead to 49-15 heading to the fourth.
In the final frame, both teams would find the end zone once, with
Keveon Robbins scoring with 3:14 remaining to finalize the scoring as the Hornets fell 56-22 against the Bronchos on the road.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
The Hornets had 198 passing yards in the game, with
Ben Harris and
Mason Dennis tallying 81 and 82 yards respectively, as both attempted 20 or more passes in the game.
Kingsley Bennett's first-quarter pass to
Camden Crooks was the lone score through the air while the Hornets tallied 113 rushing yards with two touchdowns on the ground.
Central Oklahoma had 569 yards of offense against the Hornets, while Emporia State recorded just 311 yards of their own.
UP NEXT
The next test for Emporia State will be on the road again, as they travel to Warrensburg for a matchup with Central Missouri on Saturday, October 25. Kickoff between the Hornets and Mules is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
