PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team jumped out to a 26-7 lead and held on down the stretch for a 26-20 victory over the University of Central Oklahoma Saturday (Oct. 30) at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

The Gorillas (7-2, 7-2 MIAA) forged a 23-7 halftime advantage against the Bronchos (4-5, 4-5 MIAA) as Pitt State scored 10 points in the final 2:42 of the second quarter. 

Tyler Adkins capped a six-play, 63-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Gorillas a 20-7 lead and two plays later P.J. Sarwinski intercepted an errant Kyle Calhoon pass to set up the Pitt State offense at the UCO 25 yard line. The Gorillas cashed in on the turnover with Cross Holmes booting a 35-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining in the first half.

Holmes converted four field goals on the day. He matched his season long kick with a 54-yard kick with 2:24 to play in the first quarter and he added boots of 25 yards with 6:44 to play in the second quarter and 49 yards with 4:33 to play in the third period. Holmes, who also connected on four field goals against Northwest Missouri State University on Oct. 9, missed a 31-yard attempt with 11:00 to go in the third quarter.

Mak Sexton completed 17 of 31 passes for 248 yards, including a 16-yard first quarter touchdown pass to Devon Garrison. He was intercepted twice in the contest. Adkins carried the ball 18 times for 107 yards while Jalen Martin had six catches for a team-leading 102 yards.

UCO capitalized on a pair of big play strikes to stay in the contest. Calhoon tossed a 75-yard touchdown pass to J Moore with 2:12 to play in the first quarter and he teamed up with M King on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 78-yard strike.

The Bronchos had a chance to gain possession of the ball, trailing 26-20 with 2:28 to play in the game, but UCO was flagged for an illegal formation penalty as the Gorillas punted the ball away on a 4th-and-2 play from the Bronchos 47 yard line. The penalty yardage gave Pitt State a first down and the Gorillas ran out the remainder of the clock to preserve the victory.

The Pitt State defense limited the Bronchos to eight first downs, 23 net rushing yards and 2-of-12 third down efficiency in the game. Sarwinski posted a team high eight tackles (six solo) including 2.5 tackles-for-loss, an interception and a pass break-up. Dubem Okonkwo added four solo tackles, 2.0 quarterback sacks, a forced fumble and three pass break-ups.

The Gorillas will round out their home schedule next Saturday (Nov. 6) when they play host to Washburn University at 1 p.m. (CDT). Pitt State climbed into a three-way tie for second place in the MIAA standings along with the Ichabods and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. UNK dropped a 66-13 decision to NWMSU Saturday.