ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Sept. 19) – The No. 12 Central Washington University football team travels to Simon Fraser University for a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup.
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
Terry Fox Field | Burnaby, B.C.
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"Simon Fraser will have a whole new atmosphere and look this year with Coach Ford taking over the program," CWU Head Coach
Ian Shoemaker said. "We know it will be a battle. Any time you have to go on the road and compete, especially at a conference home opener, you know they're looking to defend home field."
SCOUTING SIMON FRASER
Simon Fraser is 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in GNAC games. The Clan opened the 2018 season with a 54-7 win at home over Willamette University, before falling to Azusa Pacific and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Simon Fraser has been outscored 117-96 through three games.
At quarterback, Miles Richardson has completed 55.5 percent of his passes for 552 yards and four touchdowns. The lefty signal caller has also thrown four interceptions. He was lifted late in the fourth quarter of the Clan's last game against South Dakota Mines, giving way to Justin Seiber. The backup quarterback threw three touchdown passes in eight minutes of play.
Robert Meadors has been the favorite target amongst SFU quarterbacks. He has hauled in 16 catches for 149 yards. Devin O'Hea is close behind in catches (15), but has compiled 165 yards. Rysen John is also in double digit receptions, hauling in 11 passes for 139 yards.
In the rushing game, Jason Nelson leads Simon Fraser with 192 yards on 53 carries. Simon Fraser has only gained 290 yards on the ground in three games this season.
Defensively, Simon Fraser has allowed an average of 387 yards per game. Griffin Barrett leads the defense with 19 total tackles. Isaac Evans is the clubhouse leader in sacks, bringing down the quarterback for three and half sacks and a cumulative loss of 20 yards. Evans has also forced two fumbles, while Shane Ward and Kolby Buljevic have each forced one. Kyle Wilson, Brad Lyons, Isaac Muckian, and Luca Bellini have all recovered a fumble.
Mucklan, Jaryn Bailey, Matteo Montagliani and Brendan Lowry have all picked off one pass. Bailey took his interception 60 yards to the house.
SERIES HISTORY
Central Washington holds a 33-10 all-time lead over Simon Fraser. The Wildcats have not lost to Simon Fraser since 2013, when the Clan held on for a 21-14 victory. The last time CWU lost in Burnaby came in 2011 in a 35-24 contest.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats routed Humboldt State University, 49-0, including blocking a field goal to keep the Lumberjacks off the scoreboard.
The Wildcat offense was relentless, picking up 502 total yards of offensive. The running game powered that offense, gaining 346 yards on 41 plays for an average of 8.4 yards per rush.
Cedric Cooper led the squad with 178 yards on 11 carries, finding the end zone once.
Michael Roots ran for 65 yards.
Reilly Hennessey was effective under center for the Wildcats, going nine-for-17 for 112 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite Target was
Quinton Lewis who caught six passes for 77 yards.
Tyson Rainwater had the hook up in the end zone, catching two passes for touchdowns. Hennessey also
ran for 61 yards and a touchdown.
OFFENSE FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 24th in Division II in scoring offense, averaging 37.3 points per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC in total offense with 421.3 yards per game. They lead the GNAC and rank 26th in Division II with 221 rushing yards per game
GNAC ACCOLADES
Cooper led the Central Washington offense as he rushed 11 times for 178 yards to lead the Wildcats to the 49-0 shutout of Humboldt State. The tally also included a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Cooper also caught one pass for 12 yards to finish with 190 all-purpose yards.
For the second straight week, McKenzie blocked a field goal in the Wildcats' 49-0 shutout of Humboldt State. The blocked kick was returned 79 yards for a touchdown by
Tyler Hasty. McKenzie also added six tackles in the victory.
RISING UP THE POLL
After handling Humboldt State, the Wildcats jumped to No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. They also moved up from No. 12 in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, securing the No. 10 spot.
THE MOORE THE MERRIER
Quarterback
Christian Moore threw his first collegiate touchdown pass after replacing Hennessey in last week's game against Humboldt. Moore found tight end
Samuel Sanchez open for a 24-yard touchdown pass to cap an eight-play, 85-yard drive.
