ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington Wildcats Football will step foot on its home turf for the final time in 2019 this weekend when the Wildcats play host to the Southwest Baptist Bearcats inside Tomlinson Stadium. It will be Senior Day and CWU wil honor 10 seniors prior to game start.

GAME INFORMATION
vs. Southwest Baptist Bearcats
Saturday, Nov. 9
12:00 p.m. PT
Tomlinson Stadium
Ellensburg, Wash.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on KCWU Radio's 88.1 "The Burg" and 881theburg.com with Jeff MacMillan and Dave Heaverlo calling the action. The pregame tailgate show will get started at 11:30 a.m. PT on the Wildcat Sports Radio Network.
• The game will be webcast online for free through Central Washington's Stretch Internet portal at http://www.portal.stretchinternet.com/cwu/. The game will also be available to view On Demand following the conclusion of the live event.
 
KICKOFF
• Central Washington is back home for the final time this season as the Wildcats host non-conference foe Southwest Baptist for Senior Day. Prior to kickoff, the Wildcats will honor 10 outstanding seniors for their contributions to CWU Football.
• The Wildcats enter the weekend winners of their last four games and sit with a 5-4 overall record and are 4-1 in conference play. They are still tied for the conference lead with Western Oregon.
• The Wildcats were picked to finish second in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll behind Azusa Pacific. They received one first-place vote and tallied eight points in the poll.
• The Bearcats will look to end a three-game losing streak when they enter Tomlinson Stadium. Their last win came back on Oct. 12 against William Jewell (Mo.), 32-30.
• Southwest Baptist was picked finished seventh out of eight teams that make up the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bearcats tallied 13 points in the preseason poll.
• The Wildcats will have just one more game left for the 2019 season and it will be on the road. They will travel north to Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada to take on Simon Fraser next Saturday, Nov. 16.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Chris Fisk
On the Matchup Against Southwest Baptist: It's a 1-0 mentality again this week. Our guys are dialed in and very excited to send our seniors off the right way in Tomlinson Stadium. A lot of these guys have done some incredible things in their career at Tomlinson. Hopefully this will be three consecutive GNAC Championships. Those guys were a part of restoring the program back to what it needs to be.
On the Rhythm Both the Offense and Defense Have Established: The biggest thing that guys have been doing is the base fundamentals of football. Defensively, we've been tackling better, pursuing better, been in our gaps, and just doing our jobs of assignment football. On offense, I think we've been fairly consistent most of the season. I'd say that last week we were done a little bit in terms of execution but overall, we've been fairly consistent. We've battled some injuries with guys being down and we are down quite a few starters on offense but I'm proud of our guys battling through those injuries.
On the 2019 Senior Class and What They've Done for CWU Football: I think of guys like Tyren Sams and Nicholas Streubel who have a ton of starts and been mainstays in their time here as four-year starters. They've got a lot wins under their belts. I also think of guys like Grady Graff, who have grinded it out of his career to become a starter and play a key role on hopefully what is a championship season. It's a group of guys that just have a blue-collar mentality. We've got guys like Grady [Graff] and [Nicholas] Streubel who came back for a sixth year when they could've easily chosen not to be a part of a new coaching staff and head coach. They decided to come back and support me and the team. There's a lot of emotion with this group of seniors with them being my first group of seniors and for me it's been a lot of fun to coach this group.
 
2019 CWU WILDCAT FOOTBALL SENIOR CLASS
• Central Washington University Wildcat Football will honor 10 outstanding seniors prior to the 12 p.m. kickoff against Southwest Baptist.
• The 10 seniors to be honored that make up the 2019 class are Zach Floyd, Grady Graff, Tevin Gray, Billy Greer, Christian Hill-Sanders, Tyren Sams, Marcus Schimmelfennig, Nicholas Streubel, Gavin Todd, and Jeremiah Vasquez.
 
GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• The Wildcats picked up a GNAC Player of the Week honor for the ninth consecutive week and had two of the three selections for the second week in a row.
• Michael Roots was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, while Patrick Hegarty was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Roots once again was a force in the ground game for CWU in its 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific. He rushed for 196 yards on 22 carries and had one score. Roots also pulled down two receptions for 23 yards for the Wildcats. He finished the night with 245 all-purpose yards thanks to the help of 26 yards on kick return.
• Hegarty was once again the go to kicker in every aspect of the game for CWU. He handled all kicking duties and was crucial in the Wildcats win. He nailed a pair of field goals from 22 and 29 yards out, respectively. His 29-yard make in the fourth quarter was the difference maker as the Wildcats won by three, 27-24. In the punt game, he only needed to punt the ball three times but still totaled 102 yards and two landed inside the 20. On kickoff, Hegarty kicked the ball six times for a total of 340 yards. He was also a perfect 3-3 in PAT kicks in the game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Wildcats and Bearcats have only met one other time on the gridiron in 2018. Saturday's meeting will mark just the second ever showdown between the two squads.
• Last season's meeting in Bolivar, Mo. went completely in the Wildcats favor as they dismantled the Bearcats 74-28. With the win, CWU improved to 8-2 in 2018 and won its fifth straight game.
• Saturday's contest will be the first ever for the two teams inside Tomlinson Stadium.
 
LAST MEETING WITH SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
• The Wildcats controlled most of the game at SBU en route to a 74-28 win. CWU put up 11 total touchdowns and 667 yards of total offense in the win. Defensively, they held SBU to 391 yards of total offense.
• Much of the damage came in the ground game as CWU scored nine of its 11 touchdowns via the rushing attack. The team rushed for 514 yards total in the win.
• Cedric Cooper tallied 203 rushing yards and scored for touchdowns, while Michael Roots and Reilly Hennessey each scored twice. Roots finished with 140 yards in game as well.
• Hennessey was just 10-16 passing in the game and tallied 153 yards to go along with one touchdown pass.
• On defense, Donte Hamilton was force totaling 13 tackles overall. He also had 0.5 tackles for loss and pulled in an interception that he returned 64 yards for a touchdown.
• Uli Ma'ae was the second leading tackler with nine overall. He also had 1.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack, and one pass breakup.
 
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
• SBU is just 3-6 overall and 1-5 in GLVC play entering the weekend. They have fared well against non-conference opponents this year with a 2-1 mark.
• Brenden Smith leads the way for the rushing attack with 691 yards on 121 rushing attempts. He has scored six touchdowns this year.
• Eric Knight is second in rushing with 481 yards and has four touchdowns on the year. Bryce Cabrera is third with 447 rushing yards and two scores.
• Brenden Smith is the leading passer for SBU with 730 yards on the year. He has just one touchdown and has been picked off eight times this season while completing 55.8% of his passes.
• Curtis Cuillard is the team's leading receiver with 500 yards on the year and 44 receptions. He's pulled in three touchdowns and averages 55.6 yards per game.
• Rashad Blunt has the second most receiving yards with 142 and has tallied those numbers on eight catches. Raldy Mena is second in receptions with 18, while Jarrett Massie is third with 17 grabs.
• Cory Hanger is the top tackler this year with 57 total and also leads the way in solo tackles with 41.
• Hanger also has broken up 16 passes this year which leads all of Division II. He has recovered three fumbles and forced one as well.
• De'shawn Tone is the second leading tackler with 44. He leads the team in tackles for loss with 12.0 for 54 yards. He has forced two fumbles and broken up two passes as well.
• Tevin Hall and DJ Davis are tied for the team lead in interceptions with one, respectively. Hall has the lead in return yards with 21, while Davis has none.
• Taylor Jones-Morgan and Aaron Harris round out the top-four in tackling. Jones Morgan has 43 on the year, while Harris is two back with 41.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• 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.
• 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.
• The Cougars got the ball first to start the game and chewed 9:11 of clock time to score the game's first points. Dante Davis finished the drive with a three-yard run to give APU a 7-0 lead.
• 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 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 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 rushed from 17 yards and 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 needed just five plays to clear 50 yards. Tyrone Williams Jr. threw a 34-yard strike to Brandon Jackson to tie the contest at 17-all.
• Moore once again led the offense on its next 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. 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. 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.
• 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 CWU secure the win.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
 
THE WILDCATS IN GNAC PLAY
• CWU is 4-1 in GNAC play following the 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific. They are still tied for first in the GNAC.
• The Wildcats are 4-1 in GNAC play under Chris Fisk.
• Overall, CWU is now 88-24 all-time in GNAC play since 2001.
 
THE WILDCATS AT HOME
• The Wildcats are 2-2 in 2019 in games played at Tomlinson Stadium.
• The Wildcats are 190-81-5 (.698) overall in 61 seasons of playing home games at Tomlinson Stadium. They are 2-2 under Chris Fisk.
• CWU has posted 15 undefeated marks at home in the 61-year history of Tomlinson Stadium since its construction ahead of the 1959 season.
 
THE WILDCATS ON THE ROAD
• Central Washington is 3-2 on the road under Chris Fisk.
• The Wildcats third road win of the season also helped them secure a 2-0 season sweep of Azusa Pacific.
• The Wildcats have finished each of the last two seasons with five or more wins on the road, including a perfect 6-0 mark in 2017.
 
WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Wildcats are 3-0 this season when leading opponents at halftime.
• Central Washington in 2-4 under Chris Fisk when tied or trailing at halftime.
• The Wildcats finished 2018 with a record of 7-1 when leading at halftime.
 
21 AND UP
• CWU is 1-2 under Chris Fisk when scoring 21 or more points and is 1-1 when scoring 30 or more points. They are 3-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
• CWU finished the 2018 campaign with 7-2 mark when scoring at least 21 points in a game.
• When scoring 30 or more points, the Wildcats went 8-1 when scoring at least 30 points last season and were 8-0 when scoring 40 or more points.
 
HIGH POWERED CAT ATTACK
• The Wildcats have scored at least one touchdown in 173 consecutive games to keep a streak of not being shutout intact.
• The scoring streak dates back to week four of the 2004 season.
• In 2019, CWU has rushed for 100-plus yards in all nine games.
• CWU has totaled 500-plus yards of total offense in five games overall this season.
 
2019 GNAC STAT LEADERS
• CWU still leads the GNAC in total offense. The team averages 506.1 yards per game. That mark is 10th in Division II going into the weekend.
• The Wildcats still lead the GNAC in scoring with an average of 37.4 points per game, which is 25th in Division II.
• CWU's passing averaging of 295.4 yards per game leads the GNAC. The average is 13th in Division II.
• The Wildcats are second in the conference in rushing offense with 210.7 yards per game. They are 32nd in Division II with that average.
• Defensively, the Wildcats lead the GNAC in team sacks with 22.0, a mark that is tied for 49th in Division II.
• CWU's defense also leads the GNAC in tackles for loss with 64.0.
• Michael Roots is still the GNAC leader in rushing yards per game (143.6) and total yards (1,292).
• Roots' total rushing yards is currently third best in Division II, while his average ranks fifth.
• Christian Moore still leads the GNAC in passing yards average with 241.4 per game.
• Moore's average of 241.4 passing yards per game is currently 27th best in Division II. He second in the GNAC and ranks 34th in Division II with a passing efficiency of 147.2.
• Tyson Rainwater is second in the conference in receiving yards per game with 70.2 and tied for third in touchdowns with four.
• Tony Archie is second in the GNAC in receiving touchdowns with seven and is third in the GNAC in receiving yards per game (68.6).
• Archie's total receptions (46) is second the GNAC and his receptions per game (5.1) is also second in the GNAC.
• Moore is second the GNAC in total offense averaging 270.6 yards per game. His average is 19th in Division II.
• Roots leads the GNAC in all-purpose yards averaging 184.0 per game, which is second best in Division II.
• Defensively, the Wildcats have one individual ranked in the top-five in the GNAC in total tackles. Hamilton Hunt leads the team with 60 and is tied for fifth in the GNAC overall.
• Billy Greer is the conference leader in sacks with 6.0 this season. His 35 sack yards also leads the GNAC. He also leads the GNAC tackles for loss with 9.5 for 44 yards.
• Isaiah Carbajal is second in the GNAC in tackles for loss and fourth in tackles for loss. He has 4.0 sacks for a loss of 14 yards and 8.5 tackles for loss of 20 yards.
• Tevin Gray is fifth in the GNAC in tackles for loss with 6.5. He has 28 yards total in those tackles.
• Tyren Sams is second in interceptions for the GNAC with four on the year.
• Sams' 53 return yards from those four picks also leads the conference. McKenzie is tied for second in total interceptions with four.
• Patrick Hegarty is second in total punt yards with 1,584.
 
WILDCATS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• A pair of Wildcats are climbing the top-10 all-time in the CWU record book in Michael Roots and Gavin Todd.
• Roots is now fifth all-time in total rushing yards with 2,359. He is 149 yards from moving up to fourth on the CWU all-time career list.
• He has 22 career rushing touchdowns is tied for fourth all-time. He needs one to sit alone at fourth.
• Todd is now tied for sixth all-time in program history in field goals made with 18. He needs two more to move up to fifth all-time.
• He is 10th in CWU history in field goals attempted with 23 and is now one away from moving up to a tied for ninth all-time.
 
AROUND THE GNAC
• Three GNAC squads will be in action this Saturday, Nov. 9 with two facing off in a conference bout.
• CWU hosts non-conference foe Southwest Baptist for Senior Day. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. PT.
• Western Oregon will host Azusa Pacific and look for the series sweep. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT.
 
A WIN OVER SOUTHWEST BAPTIST WOULD...
• Give CWU its fifth straight win and second consecutive over the Bearcats.
• Hand SBU its fourth straight loss and seventh overall of the season.
• Push the Wildcats record 6-4 and finish the year 2-3 against non-conference opponents.
• Give Chris Fisk his first career win over SBU.
 
A LOSS TO SOUTHWEST BAPTIST WOULD...
• Be the first ever loss to the Bearcats in program history.
• Snap CWU's four-game win streak and bring the series record to 1-1 overall.
• Hand Chris Fisk his first career loss against SBU.
• Drop the Wildcats record to 5-5 overall and 1-4 against non-conference foes this season.
 
WILDCATS FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In 104 seasons of CWU Football the Wildcats have compiled a 525-338-24 (.610) record in 887 total games played.
• The Wildcats have won 10 or more games nine times in the history of the program and have posted 11 seasons of eight or more wins.
• Since joining the NCAA in 2001, CWU is 143-66 (.684) all time in 209 games played.
• CWU won a school-record 12 games in 2009 and made it to the Quarterfinals of the NCAA-II Playoffs.
• CWU has won or shared a combined 16 conference titles (8 NAIA, 8 NCAA) in school history with the last coming in 2018. As members of the GNAC (2001-05, 08-Pres.), CWU has won or shared eight conference titles.
• The Wildcats have qualified for NCAA-II Playoffs five times in their history since joining the NCAA in 2001, with the last coming in 2017. They are 3-5 all-time in the NCAA-II Playoffs.
• As members of the NAIA, the Wildcats made the NAIA Playoffs nine times and compiled an overall record of 10-8-1. They won a share of the NAIA National Championship in 1995 and made the semifinal round four times.
 
FISK AT THE HELM
• Central Washington Head Coach Chris Fisk is 5-4 all-time in his young career of leading the Wildcats.
• His first career win as the Wildcats head coach came on Sept. 21, 2019 in a 36-27 road win at Western New Mexico. His first career home win was a 44-6 victory over Azusa Pacific on Oct. 12, 2019
• Prior to becoming the CWU Head Coach, Fisk was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for CWU from 2016-18.
• In his second year as the offensive coordinator in 2017, Fisk helped guide the Wildcats offense that was one of the most-prolific in Division II as they made the NCAA-II Playoffs for the fifth time in school history.
• As the offensive coordinator, Fisk had the Wildcats offense rank in the top-five in Division II in total offense and scoring each of the last three seasons.
 
WILDCATS IN THE PROS
• There are five former Wildcats currently playing in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in Bo Banner (DE), Adam Bighill (LB), Kevin Haynes (LB), Bryson Kelly (DL), and Mike Reily (QB).
• Three former CWU football players have been selected in the National Football League (NFL) Draft. Byron Johnson was drafted in 1966 by the Dallas Cowboys, David Knapman was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, and Eric Boles was drafted by the New York Jets in 1992.
• CWU Hall of Fame Quarterback Jon Kitna played in the NFL for 16 seasons from 1997-2013 for four teams in the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and the Dallas Cowboys.
• Kitna finished his professional career with 169 touchdown passes and 29,745 passing yards in 141 games played. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
 
UP NEXT
• CWU closes out the 2019 campaign next Saturday, Nov. 9 on the road. The Wildcats head north to face Simon Fraser for their final GNAC game of the season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT.