BOLIVAR, Mo. – The SBU Bearcats' furious rally fell short, as they lost to Central Oklahoma, 43-40.
SBU was down 10 points with 4 minutes to play, but was able to score a touchdown, get the ball back, and drive deep into OCU territory. But SBU missed a potential game-tying field goal from 27 yards with 5 seconds to play.
SBU passed for 328 yards as a team, but lost yards on the ground to a stingy Broncho rushing defense. SBU's Steve Gachette was 34-62-1 for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jonathan Alvarado caught 10 of Gachette's passes for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Tyrin Holt made 15 tackles for the Bearcats.
Central Oklahoma came into the game with a 1-4 record, but three of their losses were against teams ranked in the top 15 nationally. The Bronchos sacked SBU's Steve Gachette 8 times for 46 yards lost.
"We were able to move the ball well, but just couldn't convert the key plays in crucial situations," said head coach, Keith Allen. "We made Steve move around too much, and take too many hits back there. We'll have to get our running game back on track, which we'll address this week. But overall, I'm proud of the way we played for the most part. We'll just have to do a better job of tackling, blocking on offense, and running the football."
The teams jockeyed for field position for most of the first quarter, before Central Oklahoma broke the tie with 2:35 remaining in the first frame, as Brandon Noohi ran for a 2-yard touchdown.
After SBU answered with a Justin Finch field goal to begin the 2nd quarter, UCO's Ryan Gallimore ran the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for another Broncho touchdown, pushing UCO's lead back out to 13-3, after missing the extra point.
Gachette connected with Johnnie King on a beautifully thrown loft for a 35-yard touchdown with 7:13 remaining in the first half.
With seconds remaining in the first half, Gachette found Jonathan Alvarado for a 10-yard strike, giving the Bearcats their first lead of the game, 13-17, as the teams headed to the locker room.
UCO struck quickly to begin the 2nd half, as Ryan Gallimore caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Noohi, as the Brochos recaptured a lead of 20-17. UCO scored another pair when they trapped Gachette in the SBU end zone.
It was SBU's turn, as Jarod Bankhead electrified the crowd, when he recovered a fumble (caused from a hit on the opposing quarterback by Josh Vaughn) and ran the ball back 55 yards for the SBU touchdown. SBU went for two, but failed to convert the deuce. SBU's Justin Finch tacked on a field goal from 28 yards, giving the Bearcats a 26-22 lead.
UCO's Da'Marean Pullen scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, giving UCO their 3rd lead of the day, 29-26, with 3:13 left in the third quarter. The Bronchos scored again early in the fourth quarter, on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Noohi to Ryan Gallimore, stretching the Broncho lead to 36-26 with 14:11 to play.
SBU punted the ball to UCO with 7 minutes remaining, which hit an unsuspecting Broncho, and recovered by Sean Kelly in the UCO end zone. UCO 36, SBU 33
Central Oklahoma, however struck right back with a strong drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Noohi to Kendall Hendricks, giving UCO their 10-point lead back, 43-33.
The Bearcats constructed a 6-play, 44-yard drive, ending with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Gachette to Thaddeus Sanders, getting the Bearcats to with three. But after a key stop by the SBU defense, SBU missed the potential game-tying field goal with 5 seconds remaining.
The defeat gives SBU a 3-3 record on the season. Next Saturday, the Bearcats will host Grand View (Iowa) at 2:00, for the SBU Homecoming.
