MONMOUTH, Ore. – Central Washington Wildcats Football took on conference leader Western Oregon Saturday at McArthur Field Saturday afternoon. It took an overtime period but the Wildcats came out on top as they held on to a 42-41 win against the Wolves to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season and stay in the hunt for a Great Northwest Athletic Conference title.

The game was centered around the offense as the two teams combined for a total of 1,000 yards of offense. CWU (3-4, 2-1 GNAC) totaled 503 yards with 332 yards coming from the passing game, while WOU (4-3, 3-1 GNAC) had 497 total yards with 255 coming from the ground game. WOU had 242 yards passing while CWU had 171 yards rushing.

"The offense kept grinding and it wasn't easy. Our guys knew that, so they were ready for a fight. Michael Roots was a warrior and has been that guy for us all year. When overtime started we went to him for three straight runs and for him to punch it in for the touchdown was just a testament to his play," CWU Head Coach Chris Fisk said. "He didn't have the usual numbers we're all used to seeing but his willingness to fight was a spark and inspiring for our team."
 
The Wolves found the end zone quickly in the game's opening frame. Quarterback Ty Currie hit his receiver Jarren Ford on a quick pass on the very first play of the game and Ford went 75 yards to the house for the early score.
 
Trailing 7-0 right out the gate, CWU struggled on offense as they went three-and-out on their opening drive. The defense was back on the field for the Wildcats and the quick turnaround did not favor them.
 
Following the punt, the Wolves went 62 yards in just four plays to push the lead to two touchdowns. Currie capped the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Evander Willingham to give the Wolves a commanding 14-0 lead following the PAT.
 
The Crimson and Black started to find some rhythm in its third drive but things stalled deep in the Wolves territory. Christian Moore looked for Tony Archi in the left area of the end zone but over threw him and the Wolves picked it off.
 
The Wolves also threatened on their ensuing drive as they found the end zone once more but it was negated due to a holding penalty. The Wolves punted the ball to the CWU 10, but the offense made their fourth drive count.
 
Moore and company drove 90 yards in eight plays to find the end zone for the first time. The Wildcats used up 3:10 of clock time and it was Moore who found the end zone. He capped the drive with a five-yard diving run and with the PAT CWU trailed by just one score, 14-7.
 
Going into the second quarter the Wildcats defense forced WOU to punt early. The offense tried to even things at 14-all but were put in a punting situation once more. They tried to run a fake on a fourth and five but were unable to convert.
 
The Wolves got the ball back at the CWU 34 and needed just two plays to push their lead back to 14. Currie hit a receiver for a 12-yard pass and then followed it up with a 22-yard strike to Marquis Sampson. With 13:06 to play in the half, CWU trailed 21-7.
 
The score remained 21-7 until the midway point of the second when the Crimson and Black scored with 7:39 to play in the half. Moore capped a 12 play, 78-yard drive with a dime pass to Tony Archie from seven yards out.
 
The Wildcats managed to get back within one score thanks to a drive that took 5:19 off the clock. Moore and company were methodical in the drive and forced the Wolves to take a timeout late in the drive but it did not matter.
 
The Wolves looked to counter the next drive but the Wildcats defense silenced any chances of it happening. Currie looked down the field for a receiver but Marcus Schimmelfennig picked him off. He picked up some yards and CWU got the ball back on the WOU 44.
 
Once again, Moore and the offense made sure the Schimmelfennig pick did not go un-rewarded. The Wildcats got to the end zone in just four plays as Moore threw his third touchdown pass of the day.
 
Moore was patient on the final play, surveying the field, and his patience paid off as he hit a wide-open Samuel Sanchez for a 14-yard score. Thanks to a third made PAT from Patrick Hegarty the game was tied at 21-all.
 
WOU avoided going into the locker room tied and on the ensuing drive found the end zone once more. Currie did the work himself for the Wolves as he ran in for a 44-yard touchdown. His quickness gave the Wolves a 28-21 advantage going into halftime.
 
Moore was the driving force for the Wildcats offense putting up all three touchdowns. He had two passing and one rushing to keep CWU in the hunt. Trailing by seven, 28-21, the Wildcats knew this was going to be a fight the whole second half.

"It's what they've done all year. We've fought in every single game we've played this year, so I knew our guys weren't just going to quit after the slow start," Coach Fisk said. "We clawed back into the game because our guys have faith in another to get the job done. Once the defense settled down after the fast start, we really found our rhythm which help set the tone for the rest of the game."
 
After forcing a Wildcats punt on the opening drive of the second half, the Wolves took over. A 14-play, 7:59 drive ended with a three-yard touchdown rush to extend the Wolves' advantage back to 14, 35-21.
 
All was quiet until the midway through the fourth quarter. Facing a third and nine, Currie dropped back for WOU and fired a pass which was intercepted by Isaiah Williams. He returned it six yards to Central's 36-yard line before being dragged down. A penalty after the play set the Wildcats back to their own 21-yard line.
 
Moore completed four of his next five passes, and rushed for 10 yards, to bring CWU to the Wolves' 5-yard line. He found Kaiden Hammond on second and goal for his third touchdown pass of the game, cutting Western Oregon's lead to just seven, 35-28, after the extra point.
 
The next three drives resulted in punts, giving Central Washington possession at their 41-yard line with 1:42 remaining in regulation. 
 
Central's passing attack went back to work with Moore complete four straight passes.  The fourth pass found JoJo Hillel for a 12-yard touchdown pass, the fourth of the contest for Moore. Hegarty's PAT brought the score back to even at 35-35 with just 58 seconds remaining.
 
After completing a pair of passes on the ensuing drive, Currie's next pass was intercepted by Cody O'Connell. Central Washington took back over at their 27-yard line with just 16 seconds left on the clock. A deep pass from Moore was picked off as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

"I did not personally have a message for the team. They really were motivating each other, and I think it goes back to our guys having that faith in one another. In OT, I told Kelly Bills to get the offense ready for the next series, but our guys said the defense was going to win it for us and they did," Coach Fisk added. "They kept fighting and wanted to win for each other. It came more from the team than it did the coaches."
 
The Wildcats took the first possession in overtime. Moore find Archie on the drive's first play for 11 yards and another first down. Central then went to Roots on three consecutive plays. He picked up a gain of eight on the first run and five on the second, setting up a first and goal from the 1-yard line. His third rush of the drive found the end zone, putting CWU ahead 42-35 after the PAT.
 
Trailing by seven, Currie and the Wolves stepped onto the field looking for a homecoming victory. Western Oregon picked up seven yards on a pair of rushing plays before an incomplete pass from Currie brought up fourth and three.
 
Currie's fourth down pass was incomplete, but a pass interference penalty gave the Wolves a new set of downs at the 3-yard line. He found Willingham on second and goal for a touchdown, bringing Western Oregon within an extra point of tying the game. The Wolves, however, opted to attempt a two-point conversion.  Currie's pass fell incomplete, sealing the victory for Central Washington.
 
Moore finished with 332 yards through the air on 32 completions. He added 60 yards and one touchdown on the ground.  Roots finished with 71 yards, on 13 carries, and one touchdown.
 
Archie led the Wildcats' receiving corps with 11 receptions, one touchdown, and 131 yards. Hillel, Sanchez, and Hammond each had a touchdown reception as well. Defensively, Daeon Hudson, Schimmelfennig, and Grady Graff led the Wildcats with seven tackles each.

"Tony [Archie] and Tyson [Rainwater] I feel like are trading weeks on the rotation of who has a big game, but overall he had a great game, which was great to see," Coach Fisk noted. "It was a good day for the offense. Our offensive line did a great job protecting the quarterback and it showed with our numbers."
 
Central Washington is back at home on Saturday (Oct. 26) as they play host to GNAC foe Simon Fraser. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside Tomlinson Stadium.