UCO Looks To Close Out Historic Season With MIAA Championship And Playoff Home Game

With a week left in the Division 2 season, the University of Central Oklahoma football team is poised to snap a 21-year playoff drought.

This season, the Bronchos, 9-1, clinched a share of the MIAA title for the first time in program history.

On Saturday, they could gain sole possession of the conference championship and guarantee they would host a playoff game for the first time since 1998.

It's been tense the last few weeks as the team has tried to break a decades-long playoff drought and win their first-ever MIAA title. 

Now that they've done that, the team says a weight has been lifted off their shoulders, and they feel like they can relax and play football again.

"It's a heck of a lot easier to go out and play loose and free when you know that this is still obtained, said head coach Adam Dorrell. "Now, we don't want to split it, and we don't want to go on the road in the playoffs, but I sensed it Monday, clean focus, but guys were also having fun, and it was organic, and that's how we've been all year except for like the last two weeks."

They play Emporia State at home on Saturday, taking on Gunnar Gundy, son of OSU head coach Mike Gundy.

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m.