CWU FOOTBALL GAMEDAY

#5 Central Washington University Wildcats
vs. #4 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Date: Saturday, August 28, 2010
Time: 1:05 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Site: Tomlinson Stadium (Natural Grass; 4,000 capacity), Ellensburg, Washington
All-Time Series: Central Washington leads 2-1
Last Meeting: CWU 13, UMD 10 (Sept. 3, 2009 at Duluth, Minnesota)
Buy Tickets: At the gate
Game Notes: Download
Television: SWX-TV (Charter 287 in Ellensburg, Digital 23.3) // *** Not available on DiSH Network or DirecTV ***
Radio: KXLE-AM 1240 (Ellensburg)
Live Stats: Download
Live Audio: Click here
Video Stream: Click here

GAME OVERVIEW: EXPANDED
• Central Washington and Minnesota Duluth are meeting for the fourth time in their respective football histories, with the Wildcats leading the all-time series, 2-1. This also marks the second all-time meeting in Tomlinson Stadium, where Central defeated UMD by a 43-21 count during the 2007 season.

• The Wildcats' win streak in the head-to-head series is two games with victories in 2007 and 2009. Central defeated the Bulldogs, 13-10, in a nationally-televised Thursday night game at Duluth's Malosky Stadium last Sept. 3.

• For the second straight year, these two teams will match up as nationally-ranked squads in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II top 10. Central enters this week's game ranked fifth in the AFCA Division II pre-season poll, while UMD is ranked fourth. Last year, when the two teams played in Duluth, CWU was ranked ninth and UMD was second.

• This week's game will be the first live television broadcast from Tomlinson Stadium since the facility first opened as the Wildcats' gridiron home in 1960. SWX (Sports and Weather Right Now), based in Spokane and operated by the NBC affiliate KHQ, will televise three Wildcat home football games this season beginning with this week's opener. Also on the schedule is Central's Sept. 18 game against Dixie State and its Nov. 6 tilt with Simon Fraser. The television broadcast, featuring KNDU-TV (Kennewick) sports director Patrick Noland and Tri-Cities Prep School head coach (and former Tri-Cities Fever head coach) Dan Whitsett, is available across eastern Washington and northern Idaho over the air and on select cable carriers. In Ellensburg, it can be seen on Charter Cable 287 or over the air at 23.3.

• Tomlinson Stadium has provided Central Washington with some friendly football confines over the past three seasons, as the Wildcats have won 15 of their previous 17 home games dating back to the beginning of the 2007 season. Central's only two losses during that span were against Nebraska-Omaha in the '07 regular-season finale and in last year's NCAA Division II national quarterfinal round against Northwest Missouri State. Central has an all-time record of 157-65-5 (70.3 percent) at Tomlinson.

• Against teams currently affiliated with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), Central Washington has won its last five match-ups. Included in that streak was last year's win at Duluth. The last time the Wildcats lost to a team from the current 14-member NSIC was a 33-17 loss to Minnesota State in former head coach John Zamberlin's final home game as CWU head coach on Nov. 4, 2006. All-time, Central is 8-2 against current Northern Sun members.

• Both Central Washington and Minnesota Duluth ended their 2009 seasons in disappointing fashion—with home losses in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship. Central's defeat was most heartbreaking—a 21-20 defeat against eventual national champion Northwest Missouri State in which the Wildcats scored a touchdown with six seconds remaining but had its ensuing extra-point (which would have tied the game at 21-21) blocked. UMD also lost to a national finalist in its playoff finale last fall, falling 24-10 against eventual runner-up Grand Valley State.

• The pattern of success for both Central and UMD is expected to continue, as each is picked as the pre-season favorite to win their respective conference championshuip in 2010. The Wildcats were a unanimous choice to win the five-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown which, if they accomplish the feat, would be their fifth straight GNAC title (2004-05, 2008-09; the GNAC did not sponsor football in 2006-07). Minnesota Duluth is the coaches' choice to win the 14-team Northern Sun crown, which is split into two divisions.

• The recent success of the Wildcats and Bulldogs can be traced through the AFCA Division II polls, where they are two of just seven teams nationally to have an active ranking streak of 25 or more consecutive polls. Central's run of 34 straight times in the top 25 currently ranks sixth in Division II, while UMD has been listed in the top 25 for 27 straight polls—a streak that began during the Bulldogs' national title season in 2008.

• CWU and UMD can be linked to the illustrious history of the now-defunct North Central Conference, which disbanded following the 2007-08 academic season. The Wildcats and Bulldogs were two of nine football-playing teams to be affiliated with that league in its final two seasons, and each has gone its separate way since that time. Central returned to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, with which all of its other athletics programs are aligned, while UMD was one of four former NCC schools to take its athletics program to the Northern Sun. Also joining the NSIC following the collapse of the North Central Conference were Augustana (S.D.), Minnesota State, and Saint Cloud State.

• Central's monumental three-point win in Duluth last September, which propelled the Wildcats to the only undefeated regular season record in Division II football in 2009, had many different faces from the CWU squad that will open the season against Minnesota Duluth this season. Of the 41 Wildcats to play against the Bulldogs in last year's victory, only 17 are currently listed on Central's opening-day roster, including just seven starters—QB Ryan Robertson (Sammamish/Eastlake HS), WR Jamal Weems (Seattle/Cleveland HS), OT James Meeks (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd HS), C Joey Tivnan (Centralia/Centralia HS), DE Taylor Tanasse (Yakima/West Valley HS), DT Eugene Germany (Pomona, Calif./Pomona HS), and LB John Koopman (Enumclaw/Enumclaw HS). With just 29 returning lettermen overall, the Wildcats underwent a major makeover on their roster due to graduation.

• The return of Simon Fraser as a fellow NCAA member means just three non-conference football games for Central Washington this season. Of those three non-league foes, Minnesota Duluth is the only NCAA Division II school to face the Wildcats outside of GNAC action. Also scheduled to face CWU are Division I-Football Championship Subdivision rival Eastern Washington and regional NAIA opponent Southern Oregon.

• Wildcat head coach Blaine Bennett, who enters his ninth season as a collegiate head coach, will attempt to win his 50th career game this week. Bennett has accumulated 22 of his previous 49 wins in just two seasons at CWU, compiling a 22-3 record (88.0 percent) with the Wildcats. He previously spent six seasons (1995-2000) guiding the program at GNAC rival Western Oregon, where he posted a 27-32 record.

• As early starts go, this week's opener is one of the earliest in school history. In fact, only one game—an Aug. 27, 2005 match up with North Dakota—has been played on an earlier calendar date. Central has played one other contest on Aug. 28, and although not victorious on the scoreboard in a 27-21 overtime loss at Carroll (MT) in 2004, it proved to be a record-setting day for WR Nate Brookreson, who hauled in a school-record 236 receiving yards in the loss to the Fighting Saints. This year will also likely mark the final time that a college football game will be played in the month of August—at least at the Division II level. The new “Life in Balance” initiative in Division II is now in effect and games (unless previously contracted, as this week's game was prior to the installment of the initiative) will not take place prior to Sept. 1.

CENTRAL NOTES
• FRIENDLY 2010 SCHEDULE OPENS AT HOME: A very favorable 2010 schedule awaits the Central Washington University Wildcats, beginning with this week's opener against Minnesota Duluth. Fans in Ellensburg and the state of Washington will get plenty of looks at the Wildcats this fall, as six home games at Tomlinson Stadium highlight the schedule. Also on the ledger are two games at Central's “home away from home” at Qwest Field in Seattle, where CWU will face Eastern Washington (Sept. 11) and Western Oregon (Oct. 16), meaning the Wildcats will play eight of their 11 regular-season games in their home state. Twenty-four times previously has Central played five regular-season home games, but never have the Wildcats played six times in their own venue prior to the postseason.

• NATIONAL RANKING SUCCESS: This week's game will mark the 47th time in Central's 12 years as a member of the NCAA Division II that the Wildcats will take the field ranked among the top 25. They have had quite a successful run in the national polls, with a 38-8 all-time mark (82.6 percent) when earning a top-25 ranking, including a 3-1 record when ranked fifth nationally. Central is 6-5 all-time when both teams are ranked in the top 25, but are just 0-1 when both teams are among the top five in the polls.

• 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 (Montesano/Montesano HS), RB Bryson Kelly (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS), and WR Jamal Weems (Seattle/Cleveland HS), as well as junior DE Tyrell Nielsen (Woodland/Woodland HS). All four were voted as team leaders for the first time in their respective careers.

• WHO'S BACK: The Wildcats return just seven starters from last season, although it appears that just six of those will actually play for the Crimson and Black this season after senior OT James Meeks (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd HS) suffered an injury during the first week of camp and is expected to be lost for the season. His absence leaves just one returning starter on the offensive line—C Joey Tivnan (Centralia/Centralia HS)—while Weems and QB Ryan Robertson (Sammamish/Eastlake HS) are also back as players to have started at least eight games last season. On defense, only three starters—Bighill, DE Andrew Oney (Spanaway/Spanaway Lake HS), and DT Eugene Germany (Pomona, Calif./Pomona HS)—are back from 2009, although Nielsen was a starter in 2008 before sitting out last fall due to injury.

• NEW FACES HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE ...: The graduation of 22 players from last year's 12-1 squad meant numerous holes for the Wildcats to fill in 2010, and replace those players Central has done. Only 29 lettermen return—the lowest total in the five-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference—and only two of those (Bighill and OL Luke Conklin (Walla Walla/Walla Walla HS)) have played three full seasons previously with the Wildcats. The new faces are a geographically-diverse group (see below).

• ... AND FROM EVERYWHERE: Central's 97-player roster to open the 2010 season featured student-athletes from 11 different states. Naturally, Washington had the greatest representation with more than 76 percent (74 players) from the Evergreen State, while California natives make up better than 13 percent (13 players). Two players hail from the state of Georgia, with eight other states featuring one player each.

• DIVISION I PIPELINE: The path to a successful program on the field has been through the NCAA Division I pipeline for Central Washington, and third-year head coach Blaine Bennett is hoping that 2010 is no exception to that trend. The Wildcats currently have 18 players who have either played or redshirted at the Division I level, many of which are seniors who are playing their final season of eligibility at the Division II level.

• CALIFORNIA JUCO PIPELINE TOO: Former junior college standouts in the state of California, some of whom are Washington natives, also comprise a large portion of the Wildcats' 2010 roster. The greatest JUCO source for current Wildcats is Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, where four current CWU players honed their skills at the junior college level.

• WASHINGTON-GROWN HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITING CLASS: As has been the case with each of their recruiting classes at Central, Bennett and staff have recruited almost exclusively in the state of Washington for high school recruits. All but one of the Wildcats' incoming freshmen this season played their prep football in the Evergreen State, with the lone exception being Blaine John (B.J.) Bennett, the head coach's son, who finished his high school career where it started in West Lafayette, Ind., at William Henry Harrison High School.

• COACHING STAFF CHANGES: The most key (and full-time-employed) components of the Central Washington coaching staff remain the same again in 2010, although there are some new faces toting whistles and clipboards around the Wildcat practice field. Bennett, assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Joe Lorig, special teams coordinator Stacy Collins, and offensive line coach John Picha remain mainstays with the program, while wide receivers coach Charles Chandler, defensive line student assistant Brian Avery, and defensive line graduate assistant John Gariano also return to help Bennett. Joining the staff this season are former Montana and UNLV assistant Ty Gregorak to coach the tight ends, former Azusa Pacific standout and Southern Oregon assistant coach Damaro Wheeler as the running backs coach (graduate assistant), and two players-turned-coaches in 2009 Wildcats Taylor Breitzman (assistant defensive backs) and Andy Roof (strength and conditioning).