Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Oct. 24) -- Central Washington University built a 31-0 halftime lead, and the Wildcats posted their best offensive day of the season in cruising to a 38-7 football victory over visiting Humboldt State in front of 5,410 fans on Homecoming at Tomlinson Stadium.

The Wildcats improved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with the victory, which was also their 15th straight in the regular season and their 16th consecutive win in the head-to-head series with Humboldt State. The Lumberjacks fell to 4-4 overall and 0-4 in GNAC games.

Central totaled 470 offensive yards including 288 on the ground -- the highest single-game rushing effort in nearly six years -- en route to the win. Senior quarterback Cole Morgan (Seattle/Ballard HS) played all but the final two offensive series for the Wildcats in his first collegiate start, completing 14 of 27 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He was 13 of 19 for 161 yards in the first half in helping CWU build its big lead.

The Wildcats set an offensive tone early with a mix of the run and pass, although six consecutive rushes capped a 12-play, 68-yard drive to open the game. Senior Randall Eldridge (Lynnwood) had four of those carries, including the six-yard touchdown run that gave Central a 7-0 lead. It marked just the second time in nine games this season that the Wildcats scored on their first possession of the game.

After allowing just one first down -- on a 21-yard reverse by Sergio Allen on the first Humboldt State play from scrimmage -- Central got the ball back and used a 41-yard carry by senior Jerome Morris (Los Angeles, Calif./Jefferson HS) to spark its second scoring drive. Senior Garrett Rolsma (University Place/Curtis HS) finished off the drive with a career-long 47-yard field goal that boosted Central's lead to 10-0 with 4:31 left in the opening quarter.

A three-and-out stand by the Central defense ensued, and after a Wildcat fumble inside the red zone thwarted a potential scoring drive to start the second quarter, the hosts added to their lead on their first full possession of the second quarter. Morgan connected with senior Johnny Spevak (Edgewood/Puyallup HS) on a 30-yard touchdown pass -- the school-record-tying 52nd touchdown of Spevak's career -- and Rolsma's PAT extended the margin to 17-0. Spevak (314 career points) also broke the school's career scoring record on the play.

An interception by junior Loa Madon (Vista, Calif.) on Humboldt State's next series gave the Wildcats the football at the HSU 11 and, after consecutive carries by Eldridge, Morgan found redshirt freshman tight end Griffin Squires (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) for his first career touchdown on a two-yard pass play to the back of the end zone.

Central's final score before halftime also came on the ground, with Eldridge, who has five of his six touchdowns this season against Humboldt State, finishing with a five-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left before halftime.

With a comfortable lead in hand, Central didn't accomplish much offensively in the third quarter, totaling just 36 offensive yards in its 5:13 time of possession. Conversely, Humboldt State racked up 155 yards and held the ball for nearly 10 minutes, accomplishing something no other Wildcat opponent has done this season -- score a third-quarter touchdown. The Lumberjacks broke the shutout with a two-yard touchdown run by Corey Stollmeyer with 1:16 left in the period.

Keeping the ball on the ground for nearly the entire fourth quarter, Central added one final score with 6:49 left as junior Bryson Kelly (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS) rambled 72 yards for his first rushing touchdown as a Wildcat on what was Morgan's final offensive play running the CWU offense. Kelly, who has one receiving touchdown on the season, sprinted down the east sidelines for the score on Central's longest offensive play this year.

The Wildcats finished with nearly a 200-yard advantage in total offense, netting 470 to the Lumberjacks' 275. Central had more rushing yards than Humboldt State totaled, posting the program's best single-game rushing total since a 302-yard effort in a 39-8 win over New Haven (Conn.) on Nov. 8, 2003.

Kelly had 93 rushing yards, while Eldridge finished with 66 and Morris totaled 56 on the ground. Spevak had seven catches to become the first player in CWU history with 300 or more career receptions (301), logging 95 receiving yards. Defensively, the Wildcats had seven tackles for losses and were led by the seven tackles apiece from juniors Adam Bighill (Montesano) and Emeka Aludogbu (Houston, Texas/Elsik HS). Madon had six tackles to go along with his second interception of the season.

The passing duo of Mike Proulx (139 yards) and Chris Bolt (58) combined to lead the Humboldt State offense. They completed 20 of 39 passes between them, finding seven different receivers. Dirk Dallas, Matt Devlin, and Sergio Allen all had four receptions for the game, with Dallas leading the Lumberjacks with 66 receiving yards. Bubba Reynolds keyed the HSU defense with a game-high 14 tackles, while Wes Montgomery, who had the Jacks' lone takeaway of the contest with an 18-yard fumble return, finished with seven tackles.

Central Washington will now take its win streaks and rankings -- which also includes a number one ranking in the NCAA Division II Super Region Four -- on the road for its final two games of the regular season. The Wildcats visit Dixie State next Saturday (Oct. 31) in St. George, Utah, before wrapping up the regular campaign at Western Oregon on Nov. 7.

QUICK NOTES: The Wildcats' listed attendance of 5,410 was their largest of the season, edging out games at Minnesota Duluth (5,389) and versus Western Oregon (5,374) ... Rolsma had eight points on Saturday, upping his career scoring total to 306 and making him the first kicker in school history with 300 or more points. He trails Spevak (314) and Dan Murphy (1996-99; 312 points) on the all-time scoring list ... In addition to his career-long field goal, Rolsma also had the longest punt of his career, 65 yards ... Senior Jerome Williams (Seattle/Ballard HS) made his first career start at cornerback, moving over from safety. Madon also made the first start of his CWU career as a result of the move ... Central Washington finished the game converting 12 of 20 on third down, its most efficient game of the season. Included among that total was a 6 of 7 efficiency in the first quarter ... The Wildcats' "magic number" to clinch the GNAC title was narrowed to one with the win. A CWU win at Dixie State next week would give the Wildcats their 32rd all-time conference football championship.