EDMOND, Okla. – The Washburn Ichabod football team came up just short on the road, falling 34-28 to No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma in a back-and-forth matchup that saw momentum swing several times before the Bronchos pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Ichabods dropped to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play and will host Nebraska-Kearney at 1 p.m. on Sept. 27 in Yager Stadium for Washburn's family day.
Washburn wasted no time getting on the board. After
J.C. Heim picked off an early Central Oklahoma pass,
Justin Lewis capped the short-field opportunity with an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Chase Allen-Jackman for a quick 7-0 lead. The Bronchos responded with a pair of scores to move in front, but the Ichabods tied the game late in the opening quarter when
Keller Hurla, seeing his first action this season, powered in from a yard out to finish a 75-yard drive tying the score at 14-all.
The back-and-forth continued in the third quarter. Hurla once again punched it in from the 1-yard line to draw Washburn even, and moments later he struck through the air, lining up under center and connecting with Allen-Jackman for an 85-yard touchdown strike. That big play gave the Ichabods a 28-24 lead with 7:48 to play in the third quarter, but UCO came back with a touchdown drive of its own, regaining the lead 31-28 heading into the final frame.
UCO pushed the lead to six at 34-28 on the first possession of the quarter with a 51-yard field goal wrapping up the scoring in the game.
Allen-Jackman turned in a career night, finishing with five receptions for 118 yards and both of Washburn's passing touchdowns. Hurla added two rushing scores to go with his long touchdown pass, while
Cam Robinson chipped in 32 rushing yards on nine carries. Overall, Washburn managed 254 yards of total offense with 195 through the air and 59 on the ground.
The Ichabod defense helped keep the game tight, forcing two interceptions that set up scoring opportunities.
J.C. Heim grabbed one of those takeaways, while the secondary held strong for stretches against the UCO passing game.
Jake Zeller had seven punts for a 44-yard average with three inside the 20.
J.C. Heim led the Ichabod defense with 16 tackles with eight solo stops and L.J. Minner moved his double-digit tackle streak to 13 with five solo stops.
