ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington Wildcats Football kicked off the home portion of their schedule Saturday inside Tomlinson Stadium against No. 2 Ferris State. The Wildcats dropped a 62-28 contest to the Bulldogs and move to 0-2 on the year.
 
The Bulldogs (2-0) used two quarters of scoring 20 or more points to take down the Wildcats in their home opener. They totaled 627 yards of offense with 356 coming on the ground. They added six rushing touchdowns as well.
 
"I was happy with the way our kids fought up until the end of the third quarter," CWU Head Coach Chris Fisk said. "We had a chance to do something special there for a little bit and Ferris State showed why they're the No. 2 team in the country"
 
The Wildcats passing game put up 318 yards passing between Canon Racanelli and Christian Moore. Of CWU's four touchdowns, three came through the ground game. Michael Roots accounted for all three rushing touchdowns.
 
The opening quarter started off with both defenses batting as it was just a 7-7 tie going into the second. The first combined five drives resulted in four punts and a turnover on downs. The game's first score came at the 4:23 mark when Evan Cummins capped off an eight-play 70 yard drive with a 21 yard touchdown run.
 
The Wildcats answered right when the clock hit :00 in the first quarter. Racanelli hit Drake Owen down the right sideline and he dodged a defender after the catch to get into the end zone for a 48 yard score.
 
The second quarter saw Ferris State put up 20 points while CWU had just seven to make it a 27-14 game entering halftime. 2018 Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jayru Campbell hit Marcus Taylor for a 14 yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead with 12:35 left in the first half.
 
The Wildcats answered with 9:43 to go in the second quarter when Roots finished off an eight play, 80 yard drive with a two yard run into the endzone. CWU forced Ferris State to punt on the ensuing drive but a muffed catch by the home team was recovered by Ferris State at the CWU 11 yard line.
 
The Bulldogs capitalized on the Wildcats error to punched in a five yard touchdown but failed to convert the extra point and it was a 20-14 game with 6:52 left in the first half. On the first play of ensuing CWU possession Racanelli was picked off and Bulldogs offense was back on the field.
 
Ferris State then burned nearly 3:30 off the clock and scored its third touchdown of the second quarter to go up 27-14. Sy Barnett capped of the 20-point quarter with a 42 yard rush to put the visitors up by three scores.
 
The third quarter was similar to the first as both teams put up just one touchdown, respectively. The Bulldogs got on the board with 9:24 on the clock when Evan Cummins scampered into the end zone on a one yard run to make it a 34-14 game.
 
Like they did in the opening frame, the Wildcats did not score until the final minute of the third quarter when Roots scored his second touchdown of the night. He powered his way into the end zone on a two yard rush to cut the Ferris State lead to 34-21 going into the fourth.
 
Roots once again was the answer for the Wildcats early on in the fourth when he got to the end zone for a third time. The junior got out to the left on a handoff and was able dodge and blow by defenders for a 43 yard score. The touchdown brought CWU within six, 34-28.
 
Despite the best efforts of the Wildcats, they were unable to score again. The Bulldogs however added 28 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation to secure the 34-point road win. A pair of touchdown passes by Campbell paired with two long touchdown runs by Tyler Minor made the difference for the Bulldogs to remain undefeated.
 
Roots led the offensive charge as he rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries to go along with three touchdowns. Racanelli finished 8-of-29 passing for 215 yards and one touchdown, while Moore was 6-of-14 passing for 103 yards. Owen led the receivers in yards with 83 on two catches. Tony Archie had the most receptions with four totaling 57 yards.
 
"If you watch Ferris State, their defensive front is very talented so I was really happy with the offensive line with what they did and were able to do," Coach Fisk added. "We've got some things to build on with four new starters on the line but I've been pleased with what they've done through two games."
 
Two Wildcats finished with double-digit tackles in Donte Hamilton and Hamilton Hunt. Hamilton led the way with 13 and had seven come on a solo effort. Hunt totaled 11 for the game and made six of them on his own merit. Both players had a tackle for a loss, while Hunt also had a sack. Tyren Sams pulled down one interception to go along with nine tackles.
 
The Wildcats will hit the road next weekend as they will travel to Silver City, N.M. to take on the Western New Mexico Mustangs in another non-conference bout. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. PT.