By ELI BLANKINSHIP
Tiger Media Network
After a 31-7 Homecoming victory against Missouri Southern, Fort Hays State University (3-2, 2-1) will hit the road to Edmond, Oklahoma, this weekend to square up against the University of Central Oklahoma (2-3, 1-2).
The Bronchos lost their week three matchup to Central Missouri in a 33-31 nailbiter. At the conclusion of the contest, Bronchos Head Coach Adam Dorrel had an outburst on the field, appearing to charge at the officiating crew, prompting multiple members of his coaching staff to restrain him.
On Monday, UCO announced that Dorrel had resigned as head coach and that Defensive Coordinator Cody Swanson would serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. FHSU head coach Chris Brown said Dorrel’s absence shouldn’t alter the Tigers’ game plan.
“[It] shouldn’t affect what we do at all,” Brown said. “We’ve still got to worry about ourselves, working on things that we can fix and things that we [have] to get better at…. I’m praying for Coach Dorrel. He’s a really good friend of mine…. He’s a good man.”
The Bronchos are led by senior quarterback Jett Huff, who has passed for 1,243 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year. As a sophomore in 2024, Huff was an All-American Honorable Mention and shattered multiple program records, passing for 3,586 yards and 34 touchdowns during UCO’s MIAA championship season.
Brown recognizes that Huff is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, which makes the UCO offense dynamic and tough to stop.
“I think [UCO is] strong across the board,” Brown said. “When you look at their offense, they have really good running backs. Their offensive line is big and physical. The receiving core is very dynamic [with] good tight ends as well, and then their quarterback, he’s always one of the top in the country in every category. He can run. He can extend plays. He can throw out of the pocket. He can throw on the run as well.”
Saturday’s contest will mark the 19th meeting between the two programs. The Bronchos lead the all-time series 11-7 dating back to 1955.
FHSU’s own offense continued to hum on Saturday against MSSU, even with the absence of fifth-year wide receiver Ayden Robinson-Wayne. Sophomore wide receiver Walter Flounory stepped up for the Tigers in a big way, hauling in 6 receptions for 80 yards and 1 touchdown.
“[I] talked to some family members, telling them, like this could be the one. This could be the one I bust out, [and] have a nice game,” Flounory said. “I was just trusting the process all week, looking at the film, and seeing things [that] I like, so I knew this week was the week to finally have a breakout.”
As the season unfolds, Flounory could prove to be a viable option for FHSU quarterback Major Cantrell to look towards in addition to his main targets of Keyshawn Dooley and Robinson-Wayne.
“Major told me he’s starting to believe in me more and more every week,” Flounory said. “So I really appreciate him for even believing in me because I am very young compared to everyone else out there.”
The Tigers and Bronchos will kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday from Chad Richison Stadium. The contest can be streamed on the MIAA Network.
Story submitted as part of Convergent Media Lab, a course within the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at Fort Hays State University