ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Oct. 10) – The Central Washington University football team (4-2, 4-0 GNAC) takes on Western Oregon University (3-3, 2-2 GNAC) on Saturday.
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
vs Western Oregon
Tomlinson Stadium
Ellensburg, WA
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"Western Oregon has the longest winning streak in the GNAC right now," CWU Head Coach
Ian Shoemaker said. "They've won their last three and have played well on both sides of the ball. We know every game against the Wolves is going to be a battle. We are looking to build off of Saturday's win against Azusa Pacific and continue to push ourselves on both sides of the ball."
SCOUTING WESTERN OREGON
The Wolves enter the week with a 3-3 record overall and a 2-2 mark in GNAC play. The first time CWU met WOU this season, the Wildcats took home a 50-17 victory.
Western Oregon has the top defense in the GNAC, allowing just 22.5 points per game. The Wolves are the only defense in the conference to allow less than 140 rushing yards per game, holding opponents to just 95.3. Western Oregon has allowed just one fourth-down conversion in 2018.
The Wolves are currently riding a three-game winning streak, their longest winning streak since 2015 when they won six consecutive games.
Two weeks ago, the Wolves' starting quarterback Ty Currie set career-highs in completions (24), passing yards (324), and touchdowns (4). Currie also rushed for a touchdown in the Wolves' win.
Western Oregon is coming off a 13-7 victory over Texas A&M University – Kingsville. Adrian Saldana opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 43-yard field goal. Currie found Anthony Bradley early in the third quarter to put the Wolves ahead 10-0.
After a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown cut the Wolves' lead down to just 10-7, Saldana booted a 55-yard field goal for breathing room at 13-7.
The Wolves are averaging 26 points per game and holding opponents to just 22.5. They average 341.5 yards of offense per game, 134.2 of which comes on the ground.
Western Oregon's defense has recorded 10 interceptions, recovered six fumbles, and sacked the quarterback 10 times in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats hold a 25-5 advantage against WOU in the NCAA DII era. Central has won five consecutive games, including the 50-17 win on Sept. 8. Western Oregon's last win came in a 31-25 victory on Oct. 17, 2015.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats outlasted No. 24 Azusa Pacific last Saturday in a nationally televised game on ESPN 3.
The two teams traded blows all first half, neither team really getting more than a touchdown lead. The Wildcat defense had yet another great day led by junior defensive back
Donte Hamilton who totaled seven total tackles on the night, followed by sophomore
Isaiah Williams who tallied up five solo tackles.
The second half was dominated by the Wildcats who notched their lead up to 31-17 at one point in the third quarter. After a quick two-minute Cougar drive, APU got it down to 31-24 with a Bryce Grandison touchdown rush. After a few short drives, the Wildcat offense was able to punch another touchdown in with Hennessey's second touchdown run, this one from eight yards out.
After more back-and-forth battles, the Wildcat defense was looking for one more stop. With a little over a minute and a half left in the game, junior linebacker Tevin Grey came up with a big interception to cut off the APU attack, returning the interception to the Cougars' 11-yard line. Two plays later, Roots ran it in from seven yards out to put the Cats up 45-31.
ROOTED TO THE GROUND
Michael Roots earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after racking up 152 yards rushing, and 34 more receiving, against the Cougars. The Wildcats' running back has rushed for 544 yards on 76 carries in 2018. He tacked on a pair of rushing touchdowns, bringing his season total to four. Roots is averaging a team-high 87.83 yards per game. He leads the GNAC in all-purpose yards per game, and ranks 69
th in DII, with 117.17 yards per game. Roots is also the GNAC leader in yards per carry (6.93 YPC), putting him 11
th in DII.
USE YOUR MANNERS
Freshman punter/kicker
Colin Manners is the GNAC's leading punter, averaging 42.7 yards per punt. His average also places him in the top 20 (134 ranked) in DII at 19. Manners is also the GNAC's field goal accuracy leader.
POINTS ON THE BOARD
The Wildcats' scoring offense is ranked first in the GNAC and ninth in DII, averaging 41 points per game. They also rank first in the GNAC, 24
th in DII, in red zone offense, converting at a clip of 0.871. Central has converted on third down at a rate of .488, putting them atop the GNAC leader board and 11
th in DII.
