ELLENSBURG, Wash.—On the heels of one of the most exciting victories in recent memory, Central Washington returns to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday when the Wildcats face Western Oregon, 1:05 p.m., Saturday, in Monmouth, Ore.
 
The Wildcats (3-2 overall, 1-0 GNAC) return to their quest for a fourth straight conference title after taking down No. 11 Midwestern State, 30-30, last Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium. Quincy Glasper tossed a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another in his first career start, and Donte Hamilton tied a school and GNAC record with three interceptions as the Wildcats rallied in the fourth quarter.
 
"It's a quality win against a quality opponent," CWU head coach Chris Fisk said. "We really won that game in all three phases. I'm excited about the overall defensive performance. Quincy Glasper played really well in his first career start. He showed poise and savvy. There's a lot to build on from that game."
 
Western Oregon (2-3, 1-0) picked up its own impressive victory last weekend with a 41-38 triumph over West Texas A&M. Wolves running back Omari Land is second in the GNAC with 457 yards rushing, right behind leader and CWU back Rashaad Boddie's 461 yards.
 
With the Wildcats coming into the weekend on an understandable high, Fisk isn't worried about his team's ability to refocus on Western Oregon.
 
"We talk a lot about destination disease," he said. "As you accomplish things, you have to live in the rule of 24, where you have 24 hours to enjoy a win and then it's time to get back to work. I'm happy we're playing Western Oregon this weekend. It's won't be hard for us to get back in there and refocus because of the opponent."
 
The Wildcats and Wolves shared the GNAC title in 2019, and with no season in 2020, the rivalry takes a step up this season. In a scheduling oddity, the Wildcats will also face the Wolves in back-to-back games. The Wildcats are off next weekend and welcome the Wolves to Ellensburg on Oct. 23 for a Homecoming matchup.
 
"We have an interesting three-week span with having Western back to back and a bye week for us mixed in," Fisk said. "During 2019, they had a real senior-dominated team. This year their defense is big and physical. They have a young offensive line and a new quarterback. They're trending the right way. This will be a stiff challenge. I have a lot of respect for their personnel."
 
STORYLINES
•Saturday's game is the 64th meeting all-time between the Wildcats and Wolves, in a series which dates back to 1936. CWU leads the all-time series with Western Oregon, 42-21.
•The Wildcats have won the last four meetings in Monmouth, including a 42-41 overtime victory in the teams' last meeting on Oct. 19, 2019
•CWU and WOU shared the 2019 GNAC regular season title
•Saturday's game is a matchup of the GNAC's top individual rushing leaders. CWU's Rashaad Boddie leads the conference with 461 yards, while Western Oregon's Omari land is right behind Boddie with 457 yards.
•Freshman safety Tanner Volk will be playing against his father's alma mater on Saturday. Bill Volk played for the Wolves from 1992-95 and is still the school's all-time leading rusher (3,172 yards). He is a member of the WOU Athletic Hall of Fame.
•The younger Volk is off to a pretty good start to his collegiate career. Tanner has started the last three games and intercepted a pass in last Saturday's win over Midwestern State.
 
ABOUT WESTERN OREGON
•The Wolves are 2-3 overall and have won their last two games following last week's surprising 41-38 home win against West Texas A&M
•Western Oregon also defeated Simon Fraser, 24-7, the week before
•As a team, Western Oregon averages just 17 points per game, but the Wolves have scored 65 of their 85 total points in the last two weeks
•Western averages just 127 yards rushing per games, but a healthy 236 yards through the air
•Running back Omari Land is among national leaders in both rushing yards (457) and rushing touchdowns (6)
 
GNAC DOMINANCE
•Central Washington has won 10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships (2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019) since joining the league as a founding member in 2001
•CWU's 10 GNAC titles are the most in conference history
•The Wildcats are 90-24 (.788) all-time in GNAC games, easily the most wins and best winning percentage out of any of the eight schools to ever play a GNAC season