ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Missouri Western football team (3-5, 2-5 MIAA) returns to the gridiron following a bye week to host No. 13 Central Oklahoma (7-1, 5-1 MIAA) in the Rogers Pharmacy Hall of Fame Game. The 2024 Missouri Western Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be honored during halftime.

Kickoff from Spratt Stadium is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to dress in gold for the 'Gold Out' theme. 
 
Pregame coverage starts at 1:00 p.m. on The Varsity Network app and at GoGriffons.com/listen. Kyle Schmidt from New-Press Now and Chris Roush from KQ2 will provide play-by-play commentary for the game.
 
WATCH - MIAA NETWORK
All MIAA football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball regular season conference games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network. The MIAA Network showcased over 1,500 live broadcasts for its 14 member schools last season. For more information, visit https://www.themiaanetwork.com/.
 
LISTEN - GRIFFON SPORTS NETWORK (Varsity Nework App & GoGriffons.com/listen)
Live streams of Missouri Western athletics are now available on The Varsity Network app! All home and away football and men's and women's basketball games will be available to listen to for FREE on the Varsity Network App and at GoGriffons.com/listen. Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts.
 
Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen to the Griffons, click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at GoGriffons.com/listen in the 'On Demand' section, and on the Griffon Sports Insider Podcast, which is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you podcast.
 
MIAA STANDINGS

School	Conf	CPct.	Overall	Pct.	Streak
Pittsburg State	6-1	.857	7-1	.875	W5
Central Oklahoma	5-1	.833	7-1	.875	L1
Emporia State	5-1	.833	7-1	.875	W3
Fort Hays State	4-3	.571	6-3	.667	W1
Northwest Missouri	4-3	.571	4-4	.500	L2
Central Missouri	3-3	.500	5-3	.625	W2
Nebraska Kearney	2-4	.333	4-4	.500	L1
Missouri Western	2-5	.286	3-5	.375	L1
Washburn	2-5	.286	2-6	.250	L1
Missouri Southern	0-7	.000	1-8	.111	L4

 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UCO
Saturday marks the 14th matchup between MWSU and Central Oklahoma. MWSU leads the all-time series with nine wins and four losses, averaging 32.77 points per game against UCO. The Griffons have performed well at home against the Bronchos, winning five out of six games at Spratt Stadium. In their last meeting in St. Joseph, the Griffons defeated the Bronchos 35-0.
 
Last season, Western survived a scare in Edmond to claim a 34-31 thriller. The Griffons started strong, establishing a commanding 20-0 first-half lead. However, UCO's offense eventually found its rhythm, outscoring the Griffons 28-7 to take their first lead with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter. In a dramatic turn of events, with under two minutes remaining, Armani Edden connected with Jonas Bennett for the go-ahead touchdown. Edden finished with 233 yards and a touchdown, while his top receiver, Bennett, hauled in nine passes for 96 yards. Brandon Hall finished with 109 yards on 11 attempts, and Seth Cromwell found paydirt three times. Defensively, Taylor Williams and Cameron Powell each recorded an interception, and Kienen led the team with eight tackles.
 
ABOUT THE BRONCHOS
2024 has marked a significant turnaround for Central Oklahoma, as they were projected to finish seventh in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll after last season's 5-6 (4-6) record. They currently reside in second in the MIAA Standings following their lone loss of the season coming last weekend against the red-hot No. 5 Pittsburg State Gorillas.
 
The Bronchos lead the league in total offense, scoring 338 points this season (an average of 48.3 points per game). They primarily focus on a ground-and-pound strategy, ranking first in the MIAA with 1,397 total rushing yards (199.6 yards per game) and achieving 19 rushing touchdowns. However, their defense has struggled, currently eighth in the conference with an average of 421.4 yards allowed per game. Additionally, they rank seventh in sacks, with a total of 16, and are last in both forced fumbles (4) and fumbles recovered (2).
 
UCO started the season with a 72-0 victory over Langston, followed by a convincing 57-40 win against then-No. 2 Central Missouri. Other notable victories include Nebraska-Kearney (32-17), Fort Hays State (49-24) and Northwest Missouri State (48-20).
 
#0 Jaylen Cottrell is the offensive player to watch for the Bronchos. The junior running back ranks second in the MIAA in rushing, with 97 carries for 868 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averages 108.65 rushing yards per game and has also contributed two touchdowns on 86 yards receiving.
 
The defensive player to watch is #30 Jack Puckett. The sophomore linebacker leads the team and is fourth in the MIAA with 65.0 total tackles. He has also tallied a trio of quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
 
#3 Kobey Stephans has shined on special teams for the Bronchos. The Senior defensive back has collected 317 yards in kick returns, including a 98-yard touchdown return against Langston. In addition, he added a 90-yard punt return in the season-opening route over the Lions.
 
NOWHERE TO HIDE
The Griffon defense has been exceptional this season in causing havoc behind the line of scrimmage. After leading all NCAA Division II last week, the Griffs ranked 13th nationally and are first in MIAA with 24.0 sacks. Defensive lineman Grant Finley leads the team and is second in the MIAA with five sacks.
 
MWSU is also excellent in tackles for losses, leading the MIAA and ranking 25th in D2. Finley leads the team with 8.5 for 24 yards, followed by Jaden Brown (8.0) and Garrett Watson (8.0). Moreover, junior linebacker Gaskin ranks fifth in the MIAA with 60 tackles (7.5 AVG/G).
 
GIVE ME THAT!
Missouri Western has also disrupted the opposing passing game, ranking fourth in the MIAA and 35th nationally with nine interceptions. Junior Desmond Green is tied for third in the conference with three picks this season, while Logan Clark and Antonio Taylor have notched two interceptions themselves.
 
RACKING UP THE RUSHING YARDS
The Griffons have been effective in rushing the football this season, ranking third in total rushing in the league with 157.1 yards a game. Brandon Hall, who went down with injury against Emporia State, ranks third in the MIAA with 577 yards. Quarterback Branden Berwald (254) and running back Jayden Williams (201) have rushed for over 200 yards this season.
 
The offensive line consistently protects the backfield. Western ranks 26th in the country and leads the MIAA with only nine sacks allowed in nine games.
 
BACK DEEP TO RETURN
Javerius McGuinn leads the conference with 32.6 yards a return in the kick return game. He notched a 100+ yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Missouri Southern on Sept. 14. Freshman James Noel resides third in the league with 24.3 yards a return.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST UNK
Missouri Western football lost a back-and-forth battle with Nebraska-Kearney at Spratt Stadium two weeks ago, as the Lopers rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and stunned the Griffons, 24-23, on Missouri Western's Homecoming.
 
Nebraska-Kearney's Kyle Failing connected on a 33-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to give the Lopers a win. Nebraska-Kearney, down 23-21 with 2:32 remaining, drove 69 yards on 11 plays on the final drive to get within field goal range.
 
Saturday's game started out in topsy-turvy fashion. Nebraska-Kearney got the ball to start the game, but on the very first play from scrimmage, quarterback Reagan Jones was blindsided by Missouri Western's Finley, which resulted in a fumble. The fumble was recovered by Brandon Johnson.
 
On the very next play, MWSU quarterback Berwald completed a pass for 16 yards to Tyler Carey, who fumbled the ball at the goal line, but then recovered his own fumble in the endzone for a touchdown. The ensuing point-after attempt, however, missed off the upright.
 
That's how it got started. 6-0 Missouri Western in the first 17 seconds.
 
Things settled down after that to some extent, as both offenses got things going and put points on the board. Missouri Western went in front 17-14 at halftime, thanks to a 37-yard field goal from Cody Watson with 1:32 left in the second quarter.
 
The Griffons got the ball to start the second half, and got a spark in the form of a 63-yard kick return from Noel to set MWSU up at the UNK 37. Three plays later, though, Berwald threw a pass that went off of Carey's hands and was intercepted by Nebraska-Kearney's Kendall Brewer.
 
Both teams had a turnover and a turnover on downs in the third quarter, but neither team could take advantage, as the score remained 17-14 entering the fourth.
 
The Griffons had five possessions in the second half that ended in UNK territory without points. The toughest of those, perhaps, was a second-and-goal play at the 4-yard line, where quarterback Jaron Saunders fumbled the ball from under center, and UNK's David Lilly recovered.
 
The Griffons had the ball and were driving in Loper territory to begin the fourth. Missouri Western did score on that drive with a six-yard touchdown pass from Berwald to Carey. The point-after was blocked, but Missouri Western was ahead 23-14 with 10:42 to go.
 
Nebraska-Kearney turned it over on downs just four plays later, setting the Griffons up on the Lopers' 33-yard line with 9:01 remaining. Watson then attempted a 42-yard field goal a minute later, but it was blocked by the Lopers. On the very next play, Jones uncorked a 75-yard touchdown bomb to Reggie Anderson, pulling the game to a 23-21 margin.
 
Missouri Western achieved two first downs on the ensuing drive and was able to burn some clock, but a holding penalty and a sack stalled the Griffons' progress, and Western punted the ball back to UNK with 2:32 remaining, ultimately setting up the Lopers' winning drive.
 
Jones, UNK's quarterback who played the same position in 31 games over three seasons at Missouri Western from 2021-2023, finished Saturday's game with 312 all-purpose yards and three all-purpose touchdowns for the Lopers. He completed 17-of-32 passes for 279 yards, and ran the ball 14 times for 33 yards and a score as well.
 
Berwald had another solid outing for Western at QB, completing 17-of-28 for 214 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. Berwald also ran for 48 yards on 10 attempts. Bennett was again a top target, as he hauled in seven passes for 101 yards. Bennett has now finished with over 100 yards receiving in four consecutive games.
 
Carey caught four passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns, giving him eight TD grabs on the season. Defensively, Finley finished with a career-high three solo sacks. Gaskin had a team-best seven tackles.
 
 
THE FINAL STRETCH
Following Saturday's matchup, Missouri Western will conclude the MIAA play against Northwest Missouri State (11/9) next weekend in the 'Battle of Highway 71' before concluding the regular season against Quincy (11/16).