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Central Washington University Athletics

Football

CWU Football Game Day: Conference Co-Leaders Continue Home Stand Versus SFU

CWU FOOTBALL GAME DAY

Central Washington University Wildcats (6-3, 5-1 GNAC)
vs. Simon Fraser University Clan (1-7, 0-6 GNAC)
Date: Saturday, Novmber 6, 2010
Time: 12:05 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Site: Tomlinson Stadium (Natural Grass; 4,000 capacity), Ellensburg, Wash.
All-Time Series: Central Washington leads 21-8
Last Meeting: CWU 44, SFU 30 (Sept. 25, 2010 at Burnaby, B.C.)
Buy Tickets: Click here or buy at the gate
Game Notes: Download
Television: SWX-TV (Cable: Charter 287 in Ellensburg, Comcast 115, Time Warner 306, Cable One 466, Northland // Over the air: 25-3 in Yakima, 25-3 Tri-Cities, 6-2 Spokane and Northern Idaho)
Radio: KXLE-AM 1240 (Ellensburg)
Live Stats: Click here
Live Audio: Click here
Video Stream: Click here

GAME OVERVIEW: EXPANDED
• Central Washington plays the middle game of its season-ending three-game home stand this week against Simon Fraser. The latter portion of the Wildcats' schedule has been to their benefit thus far, not having left the state of Washington for a football game since their Oct. 2 contest at Humboldt State and four scheduled home games in five starts. CWU opened this home stand with a 26-18 win over Humboldt State two weeks ago (Oct. 23) and will close it out with next Saturday's game against Western Oregon.

• The series between Central and Simon Fraser dates back to 1967, with the Wildcats leading the all-time series by a 21-8 count. The two schools were longtime rivals in the Columbia Football Association before Central Washington moved up to the NCAA Division II ranks and joined the Great Northwest Athletic Conference prior to the 2001 season. At that same time, SFU returned to Canadian-rules football and became a member of the Canada West Conference, which the Clan left this season to become a NCAA member.

• The Wildcats are 29-10 all-time against teams from Canada. In addition to their 21 victories in 29 all-time meetings with Simon Fraser, Central Washington has an 8-2 all-time record against the University of British Columbia, whom they faced between 1935 and 1958.

• Central has won its last six games against Simon Fraser, including the first meeting of the season between the two schools on Sept. 25. The Wildcats' last football loss to the Clan came on Oct. 19, 1996 in Burnaby by a 47-23 score, and that marks the only CWU loss in the last 17 head-to-head battles between the teams. Simon Fraser has not won at Tomlinson Stadium since Sept. 27, 1980.

• This week's game will be the third and final regionally-televised game of the regular season on SWX. Appearing for the first time in the school's history on a regionally-televised network, Central Washington had its first two home games this season televised across eastern Washington and northern Idaho on the sports and weather network that is based in Spokane and operated by KHQ, the NBC affiliate in Spokane. Handling play-by-play duties for this week's game is KNDU-TV (Kennewick) sports director Patrick Noland, while former Tri-Cities Fever coach Dan Whitsett handles color commentary for the telecast.

• The Wildcats will maintain at least a share of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference lead with a victory over Simon Fraser this week. Central Washington is currently tied atop the conference standings with Humboldt State, as each team owns a 5-1 conference record with two games remaining. While CWU hosts Simon Fraser on Saturday, Humboldt State faces Western Oregon in Arcata. Should there be a tie for first place in the conference standings at the end of the season, teams will be declared co- (or tri-) champions. The Wildcats are in pursuit of their 33rd all-time football conference championship and what would be their sixth GNAC title in the eight-year football history of the conference.

• The Wildcats must win their remaining two games, and get help elsewhere in the region, in order to have a shot at their fourth consecutive playoff berth. Central Washington was ranked eighth in the official NCAA Division II Super Region Four poll this week, and the Wildcats must climb to at least the sixth spot in the final poll at the end of the regular season in order to make the playoffs. CWU has qualified for the 24-team field in each of the past three seasons, and four times overall in the last eight years, but must leapfrog at least two teams (#6 Midwestern State and #7 Missouri Western State in this week's poll) to make their fifth all-time Division II playoff trip. The Super Region Four poll for this week is as follows: 1) Abilene Christian, 2) Central Missouri, 3) Texas A&M-Kingsville, 4) Northwest Missouri State, 5) West Texas A&M, 6) Midwestern State, 7) Missouri Western State, 8) CWU, 9) Humboldt State, 10) Washburn.

• CWU has a 9-5 record in the month of November over the past seven seasons. The Wildcats' 64.3 percent winning percentage in the month during that span is actually its lowest of the three major months of the gridiron season (September through November), with a pair of playoff losses included among the five November defeats since 2004. Central's strongest month has been October, with a 29-2 record in that month over the past seven seasons.

• Central has a 5-3 record when coming off a bye week since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in the 1999 season. The most recent of the Wildcats' bye weeks was between the end of the regular season and the second round of the playoffs last fall, after which CWU defeated Tarleton State 27-6. The Wildcats have won their last four games when coming off a bye week, including two such wins in the 2003 season.

• CWU head coach Blaine Bennett has a 5-2 all-time record against Simon Fraser, including the Sept. 25 win over the Clan in Burnaby. Bennett went 4-2 against SFU as the head coach at Western Oregon between 1995 and 2000.

• Central has an all-time record of 9-4 on Nov. 6, including wins in six of its last seven games played on the date. This year marks the first time since 1976 that the Wildcats are playing a home game on Nov. 6, and CWU is 2-1 in three previous home games on the date. They have a 2-0 record versus Simon Fraser on Nov. 6 (1983 and 1993).

CENTRAL NOTES
• DEFENSE CONTINUES TO THRIVE: The Wildcats' current three-game winning streak has been fueled by the play of its defense, which has allowed just 18 points and 430 yards of total offense in victories over Southern Oregon, Western Oregon, and Humboldt State. Central posted consecutive shutouts against SOU and WOU by a combined score of 46-0 before holding off Humboldt State, 26-18, for its Homecoming victory two weeks ago. Over the course of that span since the NCAA Division II national statistics of four weeks ago (Oct. 4), the Wildcats have climbed from 55th in total defense to 17th and from 46th in run defense to 10th.

• HOW THE DEFENSE STACKS UP IN THE REGION: Within the NCAA Division II Super Region Four, which features 31 championship-eligible teams (and 33 teams overall), Central Washington remains second in run defense and total defense this week. The Wildcats allow just 81.67 rush yards per game, a total that trails only national leader Texas A&M-Kingsville (50.56 yards per game). The Wildcats are also second to the Javelinas in the region in total defense, as Central surrenders 263.22 yards per game behind the 232.33 yards-per-game average of TAMUK that ranks fourth in Division II.

• LONG SCORELESS STREAK ENDS VS. HUMBOLDT: Central had a shutout streak of 146 minutes, 2 seconds snapped by Humboldt State late in the second quarter of the game with the Lumberjacks two weeks ago. CWU had posted consecutive shutouts against Southern Oregon and Western Oregon—marking the first time the team had consecutive shutouts since 1986—and it was Humboldt State that scored on both ends of the shutout streak. Chris Bolt's five-yard touchdown catch with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter ended the streak, which had begun three weeks earlier with a game-winning 18-yard field goal by HSU's Brian Blumberg with 1:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.

• CLOSING IN ON THREE THOUSAND: Sophomore quarterback Ryan Robertson (Sammamish/Eastlake HS) is closing in on 3,000 career passing yards, as he needs just 32 this week against Simon Fraser to become the seventh player in CWU history to reach that milestone. There is a chance that he could move into sixth on the career passing list against the Clan, as he currently trails former Wildcat Dale Chase (2000-03) by 304 yards for sixth all-time. In addition to his current standing for passing yards, Robertson, who has a 13-2 career record as Central's starting quarterback, currently ranks fifth in career completions (288), sixth in pass attempts (481), and seventh in touchdown passes (25) while listing third all-time with a 59.9 percent completion percentage. Former teammate (and current British Columbia Lions backup) Mike Reilly is the school record-holder in each of the above categories.

• BIGHILL APPROACHING BIG MILESTONES: Senior LB Adam Bighill (Montesano) needs just five tackles to become the fourth player in Central Washington history with 300 or more stops in his CWU career. Bighill, who has been a starter since his true freshman season in 2007, has 295 career stops and trails only three players—former teammate Buddy Wood (2005-09; 385 tackles), Blake Walker (2001-04; 370 tackles), and Maurice Hanks (1981-84; 347 tackles)—on the all-time list. Bighill is also closing in on the school's career record for tackles for losses, with 42.0. The school record is 43.5 TFL by former All-American DE Jacob Galloway from 2001-04, while Wood is second with 43.0. (NOTE: Defensive statistics were not officially kept at CWU until 1980).

• GAISIE ADDS TO WILDCATS' PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR ROLL: Junior Dominique Gaisie (West Covina, Calif./Bishop Amat HS) became the latest Central Washington player to earn Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors when he was named the GNAC Special Teams co-Player of the Week following the Humboldt State game. Gaisie, who is the second Wildcat to earn Special Teams POW honors and the sixth different CWU player overall to earn a POW award in 2010, totaled 188 return yards between punts and kickoffs against the Lumberjacks.

• HUNDRED-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Senior Bryson Kelly (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS) had a career-best 246-yard rushing performance the last time Central Washington faced Simon Fraser six weeks ago, and that 44-30 Wildcat win over SFU provided three of the four 100-yard rushing performances involving a CWU team this season. Kelly, who is expected to make his return to the lineup this week after missing three games due to injury, also scored four touchdowns against the Clan on Sept. 25. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Ishmael Stinson (Tacoma/Charles Wright Academy) had 21 carries for 154 yards in that same game and Simon Fraser's Gabe Ephard ran for 222 yards on just 14 carries with two touchdowns. Kelly's 110-yard outing at Dixie State on Sept. 4 is the only other 100-yard game by CWU (or an opposing) individual this season. By comparison, the Wildcats had just two 100-yard rushing games in 13 contests last year, and two opponents reached the century mark on the ground in a game in 2009.

• GNAC TEAM LEADERS: Central Washington's statistical leads in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference are almost exclusively in defensive and special teams categories. In addition to their commanding leads in rushing defense and total defense, which rank among the best in the NCAA Division II, the Wildcats are also tops in the conference in net punting (37.1 average), kickoff coverage (43.3 net average), quarterback sacks (22), first downs (20.4 per game), fewest opponent first downs (15.8 per game), lowest opponents' fourth-down percentage (33.3 percent), and time of possession (32 minutes, 57 seconds per game).

• GNAC INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: Individually, Central has players scattered across the statistical leaderboard in the GNAC. Sophomore QB Ryan Robertson is the conference leader in total offensive plays (304), total offensive yards (1,717), pass completion percentage (62.0 percent) and total passing yards (1,693), having started seven games and having played in all nine. RB Bryson Kelly leads in points per game (8.0) despite missing the last three contests due to injury, and K Sean Davis (Federal Way/Todd Beamer HS) is the conference's kick scoring leader with 7.6 points per game, and he ranks second to Kelly in overall scoring average. Davis also leads the league in field goals made (13), attempted (19), and field goal percentage (68.4 percent). Sticking with the special teams, Dominique Gaisie is tied for the GNAC lead in both punt returns (28) and kick returns (18), and has a conference-high 403 kick return yards this season. On defense, senior DT Eugene Germany (Pomona, Calif.) has 6 1/2 quarterback sacks to lead all players, while Adam Bighill is tops in tackles for losses (12 1/2) as CWU holds down four of the top five spots in that category.

• NATIONAL RANKING SUCCESS: Although no longer ranked in the NCAA Division II top 25—the Wildcats are 29th this week—Central has had a successful run in the national polls since becoming a NCAA member prior to the 1999 season. The Wildcats own a 41-11 all-time record (78.8 percent) when ranked among the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) top 25, including the program's first-ever number one ranking in the nation at the end of the 2009 regular season.

• TEAM CAPTAINS: Three seniors and a junior were selected as team captains for the 2010 season. Taking on the captaincy role for the Wildcats this season are seniors LB Adam Bighill, RB Bryson Kelly, and WR Jamal Weems (Seattle/Cleveland HS), as well as junior DE Tyrell Nielsen (Woodland). All four were voted as team leaders for the first time in their respective careers.



• 2010 Roster
• 2010 Schedule
• 2010 Statistics









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