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ST. GEORGE, Utah (Nov. 16) -- Sophomore JORDAN TODD (Bellevue/Interlake HS) ran for a career-high 226 yards on 24 carries, and the Central Washington University football team posted its first shutout in more than three years with a 44-0 blanking of host Dixie State University in the 2013 season finale on Saturday night at Hansen Stadium.

The Wildcats finished with a 7-4 record under interim head coach John Picha, tying for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 7-3 record. Dixie State finished 4-7 overall and 4-6 in the GNAC.

Todd, who became the 12th player in school history to run for 1,000 yards in a single season, cruised past the milestone on Saturday night after needing just 13 yards to reach the plateau. He accomplished that on his first carry -- an 18-yard gain -- and he posted double-digit carries on each of his first two rushes.

CWU eventually had its way with Dixie State -- a far cry from its last-second, 27-24 win over the Red Storm in Ellensburg five weeks ago. The Wildcats scored 20 points in the second quarter, including a pair of field goals by freshman SEAN MCDONALD (Sammamish/Skyline HS) and big-play touchdowns from Todd (55-yard carry) and sophomore DJ RICHARDSON (Los Angeles, Calif./Gardena HS; 51-yard reception), in building a 23-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, the offensive pressure continued and the CWU defense continued to be dominant. The Wildcats scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, each time taking less than two minutes off the clock, as redshirt freshman JAKE NELSON (Lake Stevens) had 39-yard touchdown passes to Richardson and junior ADAM SCHECHTER (Simi Valley, Calif.) in extending the lead to 37-0 with 11:02 to go in the third quarter.

On a night when the CWU defense held the top offense in the GNAC to 139 yards of total offense -- the lowest total by a Wildcat opponent since Oct. 16, 2010 against Western Oregon -- it was fitting that a senior defender would collect the final score. Senior DONNIE JOHNSON (Olympia/Capital HS) scooped up a fumble midway through the fourth quarter and ran 16 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring. The shutout was also the first for the program since that same game against WOU three seasons ago.

Seniors RIDGE NIELSEN (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View HS) and AUSTIN SCHNIZLER (Ventura, Calif./St. Bonaventure HS) had dominating performances in their final collegiate games, combining for 7 1/2 tackles for losses including 6 1/2 sacks. Schnizler had four sacks and a forced fumble, while Nielsen led all players with 10 tackles including 3 1/2 tackles for losses. Junior linebacker JB TORSY (Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills HS) finished with eight tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception as CWU collected four takeaways in the game. Johnson had the other two takeaways, also picking up an interception.

Offensively, Todd helped the Wildcats rack up 285 yards on the ground with his career-best effort. Senior BRYCE DAVIS (Auburn) added 49 yards on 11 carries. Nelson needed just 11 pass attempts, completing seven of them for 115 yards and two touchdowns, while the first of Richardson's two scores in the game was on a pass from fellow receiver JESSE ZALK (Fr., Battle Ground/Prairie HS).

Dixie State, which had totaled 479 yards in the first meeting between the two schools including 362 through the air, managed just 78 passing yards in Saturday's finale. Quarterback Griff Robles completed just 8 of 25 passes for 75 yards.

CWU, which will lose 18 seniors to graduation, finished tied for second in the GNAC with Western Oregon University -- two games behind Azusa Pacific University (9-2, 9-1 GNAC) in the league title race. The Wildcats, who finished 4-1 on the road this season, handed APU its only conference loss of the year.