Central Washington University Athletics

GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept. 1 at 1:05 p.m.
Roos Field
Cheney, WA
Live Stats
Live Video (Also regionally broadcasted in Eastern Washington on SWX)
 
 
QUOTABLE
"This is a great game for small college football," CWU Head Coach Ian Shoemaker said.  "It's a great game for Washington football as well, with both rosters full of great athletes from the state.  Our players are always excited to play a game under a spotlight like this.  Saturday's matchup against Eastern will challenge us physically, like any other game, but it will also give us some good insight into our preparation as a staff and as a team.  We are excited to get on the field with them and test ourselves against a team of their caliber."
 
SERIES HISTORY
Central Washington and Eastern Washington have squared off 68 times, with Eastern holding a 34-30-3 edge in the series over the Wildcats.  Once rivals within the NAIA Evergreen Conference, the Wildcats and Eagles have not met on the grid iron since 2010.  They have only met seven times since EWU moved to FCS (then I-AA) in 1984.  The first meeting between Central and Eastern came in 1921, with the two teams meeting at least once a season from 1921-42.   The Eagles have captured victory in eight of the last nine meetings between the two.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern enters the season ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA DI FCS poll after finishing 2017 with a 7-4 record. In all but one of their victories last season, the Eagles scored 30 or more points.  The Eagles were picked as the favorite to win the Big Sky Conference by the league's head coaches and media. 
 
The Eagles returned 56 letterwinners from last season, with seven offensive and five defensive players earning Big Sky All-Conference honors.  Eastern returns 182 starts worth of experience, with 15 players on defense and 17 on offense having previously started games.  Of EWU's 22 projected starters for this weekend, only redshirt freshman Andrew Boston and junior defensive end Jim Townsend have not previously started.

Last season was the 11th consecutive season the Eagles have finished 5-3 or better in the Big Sky, with an 11th-straight winning season and 20th in the last 22 years.
 
Senior quarterback Gage Gubrud will lead the Eagles' offense on Saturday.  Gubrud was among 25 nationally selected to the Watch List for the Walter Payton Award presented by STATS at the end of the 2018 season.  He also earned STATS FCS Preseason All-America Third Team honors earlier in August.
 
As a starter, Gubrud has a 17-6 record with 8,568 passing yards.  In 2017, Gubrud was second in FCS in total offense per game (357.8) and was fourth in passing yards per game (334.2), fourth in completions per game (26.1) and 13^th in total passing touchdowns (26).
 
Gubrud, Jay-Tee Tiuli and Spencer Blackburn all earned Preseason FCS All-America honors.    Tiuli missed 2017 due to injury, but has accumulated 77 tackles and 8.5 sacks.  Blackburn is a center from Bellingham, Wash.
 
Antoine Custer Jr. was named to the Preseason All-Big Sky team as a running back.  In his 24 games as an Eagle, Custer has racked up 1,192 yards on the ground.
 
As a unit, the Eagles averaged 320 yards per game passing, another 156.27 on the ground.  The Eagles rarely missed an opportunity to score inside the red zone, capitalizing 38 times in 45 chances.
 
WILDCAT PREVIEW
The Wildcats finished 2017 ranked 7th in the nation after finishing the regular season 11-0 and earning the top overall seed in the NCAA Division II Super Region 4 Championships.  Central Washington returns 40 letter winners from a year ago, including 13 starters.  All eight returning starters on the offensive side of the ball come upfront or in the backfield.
 
Four of the five starters on the offensive line return and big things are expected from this star-studded veteran unit.  Last season, the Wildcats ranked 11th in rushing offense and top 15 in sacks allowed.  The offensive line is anchored by All-American left tackle James Moore, who did not give up a sack in the Wildcats' first 10 games of the season.  The o-line group also features all-region guard Nicholas Streubel, and all-GNAC tackle Luke Asbjornsen.
 
At signal caller GNAC Newcomer of the Year, Reilly Hennessey, looks for an encore performance in 2018 after he threw for 2,552 yards and 28 touchdowns.  He also ran for a CWU record 572 yards and five scores, and threw five touchdowns in three consecutive games, which also set a new program record.
 
Joining Hennessey in the backfield is a talented running back core.  Returning from injury a year ago is Christian Cummings who totaled 594 yards and five touchdowns before missing the final five games of the season.  As a team, the Wildcats ran for 2,908 yards and 32 touchdowns aided by the duo of Hasani Childs and Jordan Tufaga who accounted for 703 yards.  The Wildcats bolstered their offensive backfield with the addition of transfers Cedric Cooper (Southwestern Oklahoma State), Zach Floyd (Portland State), and Michael Roots (Southern Oregon).
 
On the defensive end of things, the Wildcats return five starters, most notably DB Tyler Hasty, and DL Billy Greer.  Hasty was a first-team All-America selection on many 2017 lists after leading the conference with 8 interceptions and 20 pass breakups.  Billy Greer established himself as one of the nation's best pass rushers after snatching 11.0 sacks in 10 games, ranking in the top 15 nationally in sacks per game.  Greer also had 15.0 tackles for loss and 8 QB hurries.  Linebacker Tevin Gray is the top tackler from a year ago with 54 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 breakups and an interception.
 
Central Washington was picked to repeat as GNAC champions in 2018, according to the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll.  The Wildcats are coming off a historic run in 2017, going 11-0 in the regular season, and the top overall seed in the NCAA Super Region Four Championships.
 
BG 44
Defensive lineman Billy Greer was anointed as the Wildcats next bearer of the #44 jersey.  The number 44 jersey is awarded annually to "a defensive player that most exemplifies the standards of a Wildcat defender: dedication, toughness, discipline, and tenacity." Former All-American linebacker Kevin Haynes wore the jersey for the past two seasons and has now passed on the honor to Greer.
 
Fear the Greer
Billy Greer is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line.  The junior ranked in the Top 10 with 1.17 sacks per game a season ago, on his way to all-region recognition.  Of the 15 games he has played in over two years, he has recorded at least half-a-sack in 11 of those contests including 8 of 10 last season.
 
New Look Defense
The Wildcats owned arguably the most feared defense in all of Division II football a year ago.  The wildcats led the nation in sacks, ranked 3rd in rush defense giving up just 45.5 yards per game. 
 
However, the Wildcats lost the core of the defense in All-American Linebacker Kevin Haynes along with four other starters on the defense, each of whom were named first-team all-GNAC.
 
In 2018, not only will the Wildcats be leaning on five returning starters, but also new Defensive Coordinator Ivan Cordova. 
 
Big Expectations on Offense 
The Wildcats finished 2017 with the 15th ranked offense in the nation averaging over 466 yards per game.  Eight starters return from the offense, all either upfront or in the backfield.  With an experienced offensive line, a bevy of talented running backs and the reigning GNAC Newcomer of the Year at quarterback (Reilly Hennessey), the Wildcats' offense is primed to crack the top 5.
 
Senior quarterback Reilly Hennessey, looks for an encore performance in 2017 where he threw for 2,552 yards and 28 touchdowns.  He also ran for a CWU record 572 yards and five scores, and threw five touchdowns in three consecutive games, which also set a new program record.  His 67.3% completion percentage was the second-highest single-season mark in school history and his 33 touchdowns accounted for was tied for third most. 
 
Wideouts:  Young and Talented
The 2018 receiving core is as young as it gets, but the staff is excited to watch the unit develop this season.  Big things are expected from Tyson Rainwater and Quinton Lewis who spent all of last year as redshirts, as well as Tony Archie, who played in all 12 games a year ago as a redshirt-freshman. 
 
The Wildcats do have a host of returning wideouts, led by Christian Stafford and JoJo Hillel.  Hillel had 194 receiving yards last season with three touchdowns.  Stafford caught 14 passes for 158 yards and two scores.