The Central Washington University football team will open its 2017 home schedule in Bothell, Wash. at Pop Keeney Stadium where they square off with Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Western Oregon this Saturday, Sept. 9 at noon. The Wildcats are coming off an impressive 34-10 victory on the road over Texas A&M Kingsville, last week, and are looking to stay undefeated on the season.
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2017 CWU STATS
2017 WOU STATS
POP KEENEY STADIUM -- Parking at Pop Keeney Stadium opens at 10 a.m. and the gates open at 11 a.m. Tailgating is encouraged, however the use of alcohol is prohibited.
- Tickets may still be purchased online or at the gate. Students will be charged $5 for games played at Pop Keeney
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
HENNESSEY GETS THE STARTING JOB
After months of quarterback battles, junior transfer
Reilly Hennessey earned the starting position and paced the CWU offense last week by completing 12 of 25 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. He also led the Wildcats in rushing with 87 yards on 14 carries with a long of 23.
Hennessey started the game 0 for 4 but rallied off nine consecutive completions that included a big 15-yard fourth down pass completion to
Justin Peterson, followed by a nine-yard touchdown pass to
Nate Rauda.
HILLEL MAKES HIS PRESENCE FELT
Sophomore quarterback JoJo Hillel may not have been named the starting quarterback, but the athletic signal caller found ways to make an impact for the Wildcats as a wide receiver. Hillel caught one pass for a 15-yard first down, and threw a 38-yard touchdown pass on a reverse in the third quarter to give CWU its first points of the second half against TAMUK.
Coach Shoemaker says the Wildcats are "only scratching the surface" on how Hillel will be used in this offense. There is a good chance Hillel will see time at multiple positions in today's game as he took two snaps under center last week and lined up as a receiver on more than 15 plays so far this season.
HUERTA NAMED GNAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior all-GNAC safety
Jackson Huerta was a menace for the Wildcats on defense against Texas A&M University-Kingsville last Saturday with a game-high 12 tackles (6 solo). Huerta also hauled down an interception, taking it back 96 yards down to the TAMUK three-yard line late in the 4th quarter to set up an
Austin Pernell touchdown to put the Javelinas away for good.
HAYNES CHASES DOWN HISTORY
The senior linebacker is 96 total tackles from becoming the school's all-time leader in the category. Haynes now has 289 tackles, with Buddy Wood (2005-09) holding the top spot with 385. Haynes also ranks fourth all-time in unassisted tackles with 182, and needs 26 to break Blake Walker's (2001-04) school record.
ABOUT THE WOLVES
Trailing 6-3 at the half, NCAA FCS D-I Idaho State scored 34 unanswered points in the second half to fend off a pesky Western Oregon University football team in the season opener held at Holt Arena last Thursday.
Western Oregon (0-1), looking to defeat a team from the Big Sky Conference for the second-straight season, grabbed an early lead behind steady defense and a pair of Adrian Saldana field goals.
Idaho State (1-0) managed a field goal with five seconds to play in the first half to get on the board and set up momentum in the second half to avoid the same fate as Sacramento State, WOU's NCAA D-I victim in the 2016 season opener.
The Wolves outgained the Bengals 193 to 152 yards in the first half, but struggled after the break with its lone sustained drive in the third quarter ending in a missed field goal and a 13-play and 70-yard drive stopped on downs in the fourth.
Senior Paul Revis led the WOU attack with 13 catches and 137 yards for his 16th 100-yard game of his career. Quarterback Nick Duckworth, another senior, passed for 232 yards for his third highest single-game total of his WOU career.
Nathan Jones paced the defense with nine tackles, including four solo stops. Tyler Johnson provided eight tackles and a second quarter interception while Nathaniel Proctor, Jr. chipped in with 1.5 sacks, part of four that the WOU defense posted on the night.
SERIES HISTORY
Dating back to 1936, Central Washington holds a 35-19 all-time record over Western Oregon. Last season, the Wildcats won both contests over the Wolves, outscoring WOU 75-20 in the process.
The Wildcats are 18-7 at home over the Wolves, and 3-0 at neutral sites. As the home team, CWU has won 14 straight games over Western Oregon, and are 12-0 in Ellensburg with the last loss coming in 1998.
