UCO Ends Camp With Scrimmage

8/21/2011 11:11:00 AM

Herbert Byrd (97) and Sam Moses (95)

EDMOND (Aug. 21) – An aggressive defense held the upper hand most of the way in a lively intrasquad scrimmage that ended Central Oklahoma's pre-season practice schedule Sunday morning at Wantland Stadium.

The Bronchos did special team work and went through a brief seven-on-seven drill before going through the hour and a half scrimmage, running 86 plays (not including penalties) as the offense started possessions from several different yard lines.

“It was a productive scrimmage and a good way to end camp,” UCO head coach Tracy Holland said. “We made some silly mistakes and had too many penalties, but I was really pleased with the effort on both sides of the ball and we continue to get better.”

The defense intercepted four passes – two by Richard Stanley – and had six sacks while giving up four touchdowns, two of those coming on possessions that started on the defense's 15-yard-line.

Terry Williamson and Anthony Horn teamed up for a sack in the end zone to score a safety for the defense, while Tucker Cason, Herbert Byrd and Brad Harmon also had sacks for the No. 1 defense.

UCO finished with 333 yards, including 252 passing. Returning starter Ethan Sharp hit 13-of-25 passes for 106 yards and freshman back-up Chase Rodgers was 13-of-21 for 146 yards with TDs of 12 and 13 yards in the short-yardage drives.

All-American running back Joshua Birmingham broke off a tackle-breaking 44-yard scoring sprint early in the scrimmage against the No. 1 defense and ended up with 69 yards on six carries.

UCO's fall semester starts Monday and the Bronchos will take a couple of days off before starting their regular-season practice schedule Wednesday afternoon.

“It's been a tough camp and we've got some guys nicked up, so it will be good for our players to rest up a little and get acclimated to the start of class,” Holland said. “We've done a lot of good things the last couple of weeks to get to this point and now it's time to get ready for the season.”

UCO opens the 2011 campaign on Thursday, Sept. 1 when the Bronchos travel to Florence, Ala. to take on No. 6-ranked North Alabama.

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