GLENDORA, Calif. – Central Washington University Football picked up its fifth win of the season Saturday night with a hard fought 27-24 road win against conference foe Azusa Pacific. Winners of four straight, CWU now improves its overall record to 5-4 and 4-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference Play.
 
Despite it being the lowest scoring game this season for the Crimson and Black, 446 yards of total offense helped CWU secure the win over the Cougars (1-7, 1-4 GNAC). It was a well balanced attack for the Wildcats with 229 yards coming on the ground, while the passing attack posted 248 yards.
 
Playing a big role in the win yet again was the ground and pound efforts of the offensive line and Michael Roots. Roots totaled 196 yards on 22 rush attempts and scored once. His 196 yards now puts him 1,292 rush yards for the season and fifth all-time in CWU history with 2,359 career rushing yards. He passes Jim Dillingham (1985-87) who had 2,192 yards in his career.
 
"Michael Roots had another big night for us," CWU Head Coach Chris Fisk said. "He ran hard and the offensive line gave him the opportunities to do the things he does."
 
The Cougars got the ball first to start the game and their first possession was the longest of the game. They chewed 9:11 of clock time to score the game's first points. Dante Davis finished a 15 play, 87-yard drive with a three-yard run to give APU a 7-0 lead following the extra point.

The Wildcats looked to counter on the following drive but mustered just a field goal out of it. Roots rushed for 67 yards on a 2nd and 10 at the CWU 27 to get to the Cougar six-yard line. The offense stalled from there and settled for a 22-yard field goal from Patrick Hegarty.
 
CWU's defense forced APU to punt on the following drive and the offense rewarded them to grab the first lead of the game. Roots lone score of the night came with :12 to play in the first quarter. He punched in from six yards out to give CWU a 10-7 edge going into the second.
 
APU managed to tie the game in the first five minutes of action of the second. A drive that started with :04 on the clock in the first ended with 9:56 to play in the second. A 20-yard boot from Ramzee Jaridly helped the Cougars knot the low scoring affair at 10-all.
 
The Cougars lead was short lived as the Wildcats retook the lead on the following drive. Christian Moore was methodical in the drive for CWU as he went 2-3 passing and rushed for 20 yards. Part of the drive was a 17-yard run from Moore that gave the Wildcats the lead back at 17-10.
 
With 5:50 to play in the first half, APU immediately responded on the ensuing possession to tie the game up yet again. They need just five plays to clear 50 yards. A 45-yard kickoff return helped set up good field position for APU.
 
They capitalized with Tyrone Williams Jr. throwing a 34-yard strike to Brandon Jackson. The back-and-forth battle did not end there as CWU scored one more time before halftime. They did so on the following drive and went into the break leading by seven.
 
Moore once again led the offense on its eight play, 75-yard drive. He was 4-7 passing and capped the team's drive with a 32-yard pass to JoJo Hillel for the score. The Wildcats touchdown came with :49 on the clock and it remained a 24-17 advantage for CWU going into halftime.
 
Defense was the theme the whole third quarter as both teams were held scoreless to keep the score locked at 24-17 going into the final 15 minutes of play. Moore was picked off on the Wildcats opening drive of the second half, but the CWU defense got it back.
 
Williams Jr. had his pass picked off by Chaz McKenzie on the following drive. McKenzie now has four interceptions on the season, which is tied for the team lead. The next four drives of the third quarter all resulted in punt as both defenses refused to allow either offense to establish a rhythm.
 
The Wildcats longest drive of the night resulted in their final score of the game and it was just enough to secure the win. A drive that started at the 3:40 mark of the third ended with 13:19 on the clock in the fourth. Hegarty ended a drive that lasted 5:21 with a 29-yard field goal to give CWU a 27-17 lead.
 
APU's final score of the night came on the ensuing drive. On a 1st and goal, Williams Jr. ran in from three yards to bring the final score to 27-24. APU forced CWU to punt on the next drive but with the ball back in their hands they were unable to convert a fourth down pass attempt.
 
The Wildcats did enough on their next possession to eat away at clock time. The patience of the offense coupled with a stout defensive performance helped the Wildcats secure a 2-0 season sweep against APU.
 
"It's a tremendous accomplishment to handle tough travel down to Glendora and pull out the win the way we did," Coach Fisk said. "It was a tale of two different teams in each half. Defense struggled to get off field in first half. Offense in the first half still scored without having the ball a whole lot. That flipped in the second half. The offense struggled, while the defense stepped up and kept APU from getting down field."
 
Moore finished with 264 yards of total offense in the win. He was 19-36 passing for 248 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 16 yards on eight carries and also scored a touchdown. Roots averaged 8.9 yards per carry en route to his 196-yard performance.
 
"In the clutch moments, Moore played well. APU did some things and made some adjustments that threw us off a bit, but he made plays for us that were huge in securing a tough road win," Coach Fisk added.
 
Tony Archie led the receiving corps with six receptions for 73 yards. Drake Owen tallied 50 yards receiving on two catches. Hillel had three grabs for 46 yards to go along with his touchdown. Samuel Sanchez also had three grabs for 29 yards.
 
"Tony [Archie] and Sam [Sanchez] both played well for us tonight," Coach Fisk stated. "Archie made some great catches when we need them and Sanchez caught some intermediate passes that helped move the chains."
 
Tyren Sams led the defense in total tackles with seven for the game. Four were solo tackles and he also had a pass breakup. Tevin Gray added six tackles, while McKenzie and Jeremiah Vasquez each had five. Hamilton Hunt and Grady Graff both finished with four, while Hunt had 1.0 tackle for loss.
 
"Chaz [McKenzie] had a solid night. That pick he made really helped the defense gain some momentum and it stopped APU from gaining any," Coach Fisk said. "Billy Greer and the defensive line did well in forcing pressure all night. Also, Hamilton Hunt did a good job coming in for an injured Grady Graff to keep the defense up."
 
CWU will now return home for the final time next Saturday, Nov. 9 when they host Southwest Baptist for Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. PT inside Tomlinson Stadium.
 
"Right now, we're headed to In-N-Out for dinner and we're just going enjoy this one. We'll get back to Ellensburg tomorrow and start getting focused on SBU," Coach Fisk added. "it will be an emotional week for the seniors with it being the last game at Tomlinson for a number of them. As always, the focus will be on going 1-0 this week and staying in hunt for a GNAC Title."