ARCATA, Calif. (Oct. 27) – The Central Washington University football team (7-2, 7-0 GNAC) rolled to a 62-24 victory over Humboldt State University (1-7, 1-5 GNAC).
 
After a record-setting performance a week ago, the Wildcat offense picked up where they left off.
 
A strip sack from Billy Greer led to Donte Hamilton recovering the loose ball on the Wildcats' 22-yard line.  Michael Roots broke free from the defense and scampered 55 yards on the drive's first play, setting the Wildcats up on the Lumberjacks' 23-yard line.  Reilly Hennessey found Jordan Tufaga on the next play, before Hennessey ran the final five yards himself for a 6-0 lead.
 
On the ensuing Humboldt State drive, Tevin Gray picked off a pass from Joseph Sweeney to send the Wildcats' offense back onto the field.
 
Hennessey and company drove 75 yards on 10 plays, capped by Cedric Cooper's first of four rushing touchdowns. 
 
Cooper finished with 97 yards on 18 carries.  His four rushing touchdowns ties the second most rushing touchdowns in a single game.  The last time a CWU player rushed for four rushing touchdowns came on September 8, 2012 at Simon Fraser.
 
After forcing Humboldt State to punt, Hennessey found Ryan Ramones on the first play of the drive for a 44-yard reception.  A 16-yard pass to Christian Hill-Sanders on the next play set up Cooper's second rushing touchdown of the evening.  Colin Manners tacked on the point after for a 20-0 advantage.
 
"After the first drive we got things going pretty consistently," CWU Head Coach Ian Shoemaker said.  "We were able to throw a couple vertical balls and run the ball effectively.  We tried to run the ball more in the second half and control the tempo."
 
The Lumberjacks' offense started clicking in their final drive of the first quarter, driving to Central's 28-yard line.  After a rush stopped at the line of scrimmage and two incomplete passes, the 'Jacks sent out their field goal unit.  The 45-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Tevin Gray, keeping the Lumberjacks off the scoreboard.
 
Central Washington struck again with 7:19 left in the second quarter.  After a Tony Archie reception for 40 yards, Roots ran it in from eight yards out and extended the Wildcats' lead to 28-0. 
 
Roots finished with 130 yards, on 14 carries, and one touchdown.
 
Humboldt State started their next drive on their own 16-yard line.  Sweeney opened the drive with a four-yard rush, before completing a pass that sent the 'Jacks back one yard.  Sweeney's next pass was nabbed by Gray, who took it 28 yards for the first pick-six of the season for the Wildcats.
 
"Tevin played well," Shoemaker said.   "Getting hands on two balls and getting six points was a big start to the first half.  We caused two turnovers early to slow down their offense a bit."
 
The Lumberjacks found the end zone for the first time late in the second quarter.  Tyree Marzetta broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run, cutting the Wildcats' lead to 34-7.
 
The Wildcats responded in kind on their next drive, as Hennessey found Tyson Rainwater open on a 52-yard TD pass.
 
"They wanted to press up and get tight in coverage at times," Shoemaker noted.  "We were able to hit them on streaks and fades.  They were looking to stuff the running game and put more guys in the box and we were able to work around that."
 
Hennessey finished 14-for-21 with 287 yards passing and one touchdown.  He compiled 56 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 
 
The Crimson and Black found the end zone one more time in the first half.  Cooper rushed in from two yards out, extending the lead to 48-7.
 
Taking over with just 1:11 on the clock, the Lumberjacks moved down the field in five plays, capping the drive with a four-yard TD pass.  At the half, Central held a 48-14 lead.
 
The Wildcats scored just twice in the second half.  Hennessey tallied his second rushing touchdown of the game in the third quarter, before a fourth quarter rushing touchdown from Cooper.
 
Humboldt State also added points twice in the second half.  A 47-yard field goal brought the 'Jacks to a 55-17 deficit, before a 28-yard TD pass made it 55-24.
 
Uli Ma'ae led the Wildcats' defense with 10 tackles (2S+8A=10T).  Gray was right behind with nine (7S+2A=9T) tackles and two interceptions.  Greer finished with two and a half sacks for a loss of 16 yards.  Maxwell Nauer tallied one and a half sacks for nine yards lost.  Hamilton recorded a six yard sack, while Ma'ae and Elisha Pa'aga each recorded a half-sack each.
 
The Crimson and Black are back on the road next week, travelling to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo.  Kick-off is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PDT.