Football | 9/8/2016 4:57:00 PM
Ellensburg, Wash. (Sept. 8) - The Central Washington University football team [0-1, 0-0 GNAC] begins conference play this Saturday against Western Oregon University [1-0, 0-0 GNAC]. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PST at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Ore.
Central leads the all-time series with the Western Oregon 35-20 dating back to 1936. The Wildcats, however, have won just once in five trips to Monmouth since the start of 2011. CWU's lone road victory came in 2012, a 21-14 overtime victory.
Senior quarterback
Justin Lane will look to continue the success he had last week in Portland, where he threw for 321 yards on 19 completions and three touchdowns.
On the receiving end of many of Lane's passes will be CWU standout playmaker
Jesse Zalk. Zalk lived up to his preseason hype last Saturday by putting up career number against Portland State. The 5-8 receiver hauled in nine passes for a career-high 181 yards and three touchdowns. Look for Zalk to make at least a few jaw-dropping plays again this Saturday in Oregon.
Leading the Wildcats on the defensive side of the ball will be junior middle linebacker
Kevin Haynes who totaled 12 tackles last week.
Another defensive player to keep an eye out for on Saturday as junior safety
Jackson Huerta. Last Saturday in Portland, Huerta lead all players with a career-high 15 tackles, 14 of which were solo. His effort garnered some recognition across the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, earning him his first ever Defensive Player of the Week selection.
The Wolves enter Saturday's competition with momentum, coming off a 38-30 victory against NCAA Division-1 FCS school Sacramento State. Looking to halt Central's high powered offense will be WOU sophomore linebacker Bo Highburger. Highburger surpassed his career tackle total in the Wolves' season opener with 14 tackles, eight of which were solo.
The game can be viewed online at WildcatSports.com and radio for the broadcast can be found locally at 88.1 FM. Listeners can also download the 88.1 The Burg app via the Apple Store or Google Play.
Check back to WildcatSports.com for a complete game recap following Saturday's competition.
