Football | 9/23/2015 3:00:00 PM

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Sept. 23) – The Central Washington University football team will take on Simon Fraser University this Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. in Tomlinson Stadium in the second annual Battle for the Border game presented by the Washington National Guard.
 
In the inaugural Battle for the Border the Wildcats impressed the CWU crowd at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell by defeating The Clan 63-7.
 
Again this year the Washington National Guard will be in full force at the contest with a zero gravity jumper and a football toss in the CWU FanZone located behind the south end zone, which opens at 11 a.m.  Also included in the FanZone will be a bounce house for kids, and various vendors including Domino's Pizza and Iron Horse Brewery.
 
The Washington National Guard will also hand out rally towels to the first 1,500 fans in attendance when the gates open at 11:30 a.m.
 
 Central Washington holds a 28-10 all time record over Simon Fraser dating back to 1967.  At home the Wildcats hold an impressive 15-3 record and are 13-2 in the last 15 showdowns.  The Wildcats have lost to The Clan just once in Ellensburg in the NCAA Division II era, which came in 2013 a stunning 14-21 loss for CWU.
 
Last season CWU owned the Clan outscoring SFU 103-34 in two contests. In fact, in the last three games, all CWU victories, Central Washington has outscored SFU 157-58 averaging 52.3 points per game.
 
The Wildcat's are coming off their most impressive outing of the season defeating Western Oregon 40-19, scoring all of their points in the first half.  Central Washington scored in a variety of ways in the first half, including a 43-yard interception return by Cedrique Chaney, and a 79-yard punt return by Jesse Zalk.
 
Jordan Todd had his first 100-yard rushing out of the season with 111 yards on 13 carries.  One of his carries was a 70-yard touchdown and the longest rush of his career.
 
Justin Lane started at quarterback for the Wildcats and posted a solid outing with 18 completions in 28 attempts for 155 yards, two touchdowns, and most importantly, no turnovers.
 
Although Lane hit eight different receivers in the contests, his favorite target was Christian Gasca who caught six passes for 68 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown.  All were career highs for the sophomore from Lake Stevens.
 
The Wildcat defense, that had a season-high five sacks, is still ranked in the top 25 in terms of pass defense, allowing just 147.0 yards per game through the air.
 
Simon Fraser University will travel to Tomlinson Stadium looking for its first win of the season as well as its first with under first year head coach Kelly Bates.
 
The Clan opened its season with a 14-31 loss to Western Oregon University.
Holding a 14-12 lead heading into the fourth, Western Oregon erupted for 19 unanswered points to seal the win. The Clan held the advantage in nearly every offensive category outgaining the Wolves in total yardage 442 to 294.
 
The following week, Simon Fraser lost its homecoming game to Azusa Pacific University, 10-16. The Clan answered with a 10-point swing in the second quarter after APU scored 10 points of their own in the first quarter. With the score tied in the fourth quarter, the Cougars constructed a 10-play, 69-yard drive to score the eventual game-winning touchdown.
 
Senior Ryan Stanford leads the Simon Fraser aerial attack as he is averaging 290.5 yards per game, which is good enough for second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  The signal caller has thrown two touchdowns against three interceptions but Stanford's completion percentage of 62.1 is second amongst all quarterbacks in the conference.
 
The Clan generates 363 yards per game, which ranks fourth in conference. Junior Josh Hayden can get it done on the ground as well as catching passes out of the backfield. The 5-9 running back leads the Clan in rushing yards (123) and attempts (35). The team, as a whole, averages 72.5 rushing yards per game with Hayden gathering the bulk of those yards gaining 61.5 yards per game.
 
The game can be viewed live via Wildcatsports.com and audio for the game can be heard locally on 88.1 The Burg.  If you live outside of the Ellensburg area you can download the 88.1 The Burg app via the App Store or Google Play, or listen online here.