Football 4/9/2021 8:59:00 AM

Wildcats Visit FCS Power Montana on Saturday

ELLENSBURG, Wash.--The 2020-21 football season both begins and ends for Central Washington on Saturday as the Wildcats visit perennial FCS power Montana. Kickoff from Washington-Grizzly Stadium is set for 10 a.m. Pacific time.

As has been the case across the country, the COViD-19 pandemic both altered and, in some cases, wiped out the traditional fall football season. Like many programs, the Wildcats were forced to adjust, hence the one-game spring schedule.

Central last took the field for a game on Nov. 16, 2019, when the Wildcats closed out a 7-4 season with a 51-14 victory at Simon Fraser. So, by the time Saturday rolls around, the Wildcats will have gone 510 days between games.

For second-year head coach Chris Fisk, the wait at times has felt longer.

"It felt a long way away," he said. "But it always moves fast and we're here and ready to go."

There are several different ways to approach a one-game season. Some coaches would use it as an opportunity to evaluate the roster for next fall or get a better feel for any off-season changes that may have been made. But Fisk and the Wildcats have other ideas.

"Make no mistake," he said. "We're trying to win this football game. This is not a spring game scenario for us. We're not trying to see who can and cannot play. We're going to try and beat Montana."

Previewing the Wildcats

One key for the Wildcats will be their ability to run the ball, and with an experienced offensive line and a deep stable of running backs, CWU is in good shape.

Senior Michael Roots leads the ground game after earning All-America honors in 2019. Roots led the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in total rush yards (1,515), rushing touchdown (14), and yards per game (137.7).

"Michael is a special talent and he has had some really good offensive lines," Fisk said. "It's a team effort when we're successful in the running game. It's never a one-man show. We bring back a lot of playing experience on the line and in the running back room, so we're looking for big things from those groups."

Roots is joined in the backfield by senior Rey Green and redshirt freshman Tyler Flanagan. That trio runs behind a veteran offensive line which returns four starters from last season, among them Will Ortner, Scottland Vise, Raymond Schalk and Josh Alvarez.

The receiver corps will play a large role on Saturday as well. Fisk mentioned wide receivers Tyson Rainwater, Tony Archie and Tai-John Mizutani, and tight end Samuel Sanchez as keys to success.

Defensively, the Wildcats are led by a strong defensive front and a solid group of linebackers.

Up front, Fisk expects Kai Gamble, Christian Penny and Isaiah Carbajal to have a significant impact, along with linebackers Donte Hamilton and Max Randle. Safety Cody O'Connell, another returning starter, anchors the secondary.

Keys to the Game

For Fisk, there are two things the Wildcats need to do in order to have success on Saturday.

"We have to stop the run and we have to tackle well," he said.

Handling the Grizzlies' physicality and depth will also be another major factor.

"Montana is big, and they are physical," Fisk said. "They play with an intensity in pursuit and a physicality that you just don't see from a lot of Division II opponents. That'll be the biggest hurdle for our kids. Montana is very deep, so there isn't much drop off from the first team to the second team. Our kids are going to have to play more snaps and be more physical than normal. And they're going to have to find a ton of grit and a ton of toughness to knock this team off."

Perhaps the most important key to success on Saturday will be making sure the Wildcats take care of the Wildcats.

"I think the big thing is you go into it talking with the team and the coaches about controlling our controllables," Fisk said. "We can't control who we play, that they have double the amount of scholarships, or the game atmosphere. What we can control is whether we hold onto the football, whether we tackle with good form and have sound schematics. And then emotionally, how we handle the situations, and people keeping their emotions intact. We're just going into this game trying to be as prepared as we can and to control all of the things in the football game that are in our hands."

The Wildcats will have their hands full on Saturday, but Fisk believes the pressure is on the Grizzlies.

"I always look at games when you play up a level as the pressure's not on us," he said. "We can let it loose. The pressure is on them. They can't lose to a Division II team. Our kids can go out there and have a lot of fun and play pressure free."

Pressure or not, the Wildcats get back on the field Saturday. And that's the best news anyone has heard in a long time.

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