ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington Wildcats Football opened up Great Northwest Athletic play Saturday night against Western Oregon. The Wildcats traded shots for much of the game but a late rally lifted the Wolves to a 36-26 win inside Tomlinson Stadium.
 
Western Oregon (2-2, 2-0 GNAC) secured its first win over Central Washington (1-3, 0-1 GNAC) since 2015 with the help of 499 yards of total offense and 328 total rushing yards. The Wildcats managed just 145 yards on the ground and 340 yards of total offense.
 
"It felt like the University of Idaho game again. We failed to stop the run and we're trying to do things to correct that but we're not getting the job done," CWU Head Coach Chris Fisk said. "It starts and ends with me. I have to do a better job with our defensive staff and with our players in setting the tempo and getting the run stop."
 
The Wolves got on the board first when quarterback Ty Currie hit a wide open Thomas Wright down the far sideline for a 50 yard touchdown pass. Western Oregon grabbed a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
 
The Wildcats tried to answer in the opening frame but was forced to punt a pair of times. Late in the quarter, quarterback Canon Racanelli looked toward the near side of the field in the end zone for Tony Archie but he was picked off by Curtis Anderson at the Western Oregon one yard line.
 
The score remained at 7-0 going into the second quarter but it was short lived. Currie led a drive that lasted just over two minutes. On a fourth and goal at the four yard line, Currie hit Marquis Sampson in the back of the end zone to cap a 19 play, 99 yard drive that lasted for over 10 minutes. The Wolves lead grew to 14-0.
 
The Wildcats finally found the end zone with 5:38 left in the second quarter when Michael Roots punched in a one yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked and put the score at 14-6 in favor of Western Oregon.
 
The Wildcats drive was a long one but paid off as they marched 75 yards in 12 plays and chewed up 5:38 of clock time. The score ensured the Wildcats streak of scoring at least one touchdown in a game to 168 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to week four of the 2004 season.
 
Following a punt by the Wolves late in the first half, the Wildcats started a drive at their own 26 and went down the field to cut the score one point to thanks to another Roots touchdown. He had help from nearly every member of the offense who pushed him into the end zone. Going into halftime, CWU trailed 14-13.
 
The second half was the first time that the Wildcats found themselves in front thanks yet again to Roots scoring from one yard out. He scored with 12:12 on the clock in the third and the Wildcats grabbed a 20-14 lead early in the second half.
 
The Wolves countered midway through the third quarter when Currie kept the ball for a seven yard run into the end zone. His merit put the visitors up 21-20 with 8:24 left in the third quarter.
 
Roots continued his dominance for the Wildcats as he found the end zone for a fourth time of the night. This run was good for 20 yards and the Wildcats jumped back in front 26-21. The Wildcats defense managed to get the ball back on the next WOU drive with a pick by Chaz McKenzie at the home 33 yard line but were forced to punt after the fact.
 
The score remained in favor of the Wildcats going into the fourth, but yet again the Wolves answered early on. It took WOU just 45 seconds to score in the fourth quarter and they converted on a two-point try to retake the lead 29-26.
 
The Wolves picked off Racanelli on the ensuing possession and made it count as they went 65 yards in just five plays to extend their lead to 36-26. With 9:28 left in regulation, the Wolves maintained the lead to hold on for a 10-point road win.
 
Helping the Wolves secure the road win was not only the number of yards they had on total offense but also the possession time they had. Western Oregon had the ball for 38:23 of the 60 -contest, while CWU had possession time of just 21:37.
 
"I thought our guys played hard and played until the end but we obviously got to get the job done," Coach Fisk said. "We need to get better with time of possession and get off the field on third down and even on third and long. We've got to find a way to capitalize on those plays and get off the field."
 
Roots was the driving force of the Wildcats offense as he accounted for all four of the team's touchdowns. All four came from the ground attack as he totaled 99 yards on 19 carries. He also grabbed two receptions for 31 yards.
 
"Michael [Roots] continues to be a special player and is still a bright point for our team," Coach Fisk added. "He did some good things in the red zone and willed his way into the end zone a couple of times. We had some good stuff from him and there are some things to build off of, but overall we need to get better with time of possession."
 
Racanelli had 195 yards through the air as he went 14-26 on the night but was picked off twice. Ryan Ramones and JoJo Hillel each grabbed three receptions in the game, while Ramones led the team with 47 receiving yards.
 
Defensively, CWU was led by Hamilton Hunt who put up a game-high 18 total tackles to go along with 11 solo tackles to lead all players. Jeremiah Vasquez also had double digit tackles with 10 on the night. Billy Greer had two sacks on the night for a loss of nine yards and forced a fumble.
 
The Wildcats head to lone star state next weekend to play in their fourth non-conference game of the season. CWU will take on West Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 5 in Canyon, Texas. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. PT.