Box Score BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - The Central Washington University football team opened their season by traveling to face the reigning National Champions and #1 ranked Ferris State Bulldogs. After a tough battle, the Wildcats lost by a score of 20-36.

"Our players gave great effort and worked extremely hard tonight. We needed to be more disciplined on offense to keep drives moving and keep our defense off the field," CWU Head Coach Chris Fisk said. "Our staff needs to do a better job getting players in position to make plays, and our players need to be more disciplined within our gameplan."
 
Against a potent Ferris State offense, the CWU defense battled hard. They forced one fumble and sacked Mylik Mitchell, the Ferris State quarterback, four times.
 
Daeon Hudson had a big night, recording 11 solo tackles (14 total), two sacks and a fumble recovery. Tanner Volk recorded 12 total tackles and Jahleel Breland logged 10 total tackles. Bridger Feldmann and Chase Loidhamer each had one sack.

"Daeon Hudson played his best game as a Wildcat, it was fun to watch him run around and make plays," Fisk said. "It was a special game for him, being from Ohio he had a lot of family on hand to watch him play."
 
Darius Morrison led CWU receivers with 71 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, new transfer Tre'Jon Henderson rushed for 67 yards on 13 attempts, averaging 5.2 yards per rush.
 
The 'Cats played relatively clean football with only four penalties for 26 yards.

"I was very proud of the way our guys handled a tough travel schedule and a late game start. I feel like we were up to the physical challenge for the majority of the game. We need to find a way to finish in the 4th quarter," Fisk said.
 
The Wildcats started the game on defense. The Ferris State offense marched down the field until Volk made a stop on fourth down, causing a turnover on downs. The Wildcat offense failed to generate anything from the turnover and punted the ball back.
 
CWU's defense stood strong and held the Bulldogs to another fourth down stop, this time on a tackle from Breland. After another drive resulting in a punt, Ferris State had the ball once again.
 
On 3rd and 9, Isaiah Carbajal forced a fumble, recovered by Hudson, setting the Wildcat offense up with elite field position at the Ferris State 31-yard line. The Wildcats converted thanks to a 45-yard field goal from Jude Mullette. CWU had a 3-0 lead with 1:42 left in the first quarter.
 
The explosive Ferris State offense bounced right back as Mitchell hit Xavier Wade down the right sideline for a 64-yard touchdown to end the quarter.
 
On the next possession, CWU drove the ball into Bulldog territory. A personal foul on FSU set the Wildcats up at the Bulldog 39-yard line. On the very next play, Glasper hit a wide-open Morrison down the middle of the field for a touchdown. CWU took to the lead 10-7 with 13:24 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
 
On the next drive for Ferris State, they drove the ball down the field, resulting in a touchdown. An 11-yard rush from Marcus Taylor ended the drive and FSU took the lead 14-10.
 
The next FSU drive started on the CWU 35-yard line. The Bulldogs pushed through the Wildcat defense, scored another touchdown, and expanded their lead. After a missed extra point, FSU led by 10.
 
The last points of the half came on a 33-yard field goal from Jude Mullette. The score at halftime was 13-20.
 
The Wildcat offense failed to score on their opening possession of the second half. Ferris State didn't have the same issue. A 35-yard pass from Mitchell to CJ Jefferson led to a two-yard rushing touchdown from Mitchell with 7:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Ferris State led 27-13.
 
The next two CWU possessions ended in punts with a combined 61 yards.
 
The Bulldogs continued to apply pressure, scoring another touchdown with 12:17 left in the 4th quarter.
 
The Wildcat's next scoring possession started on the FSU 37-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Bulldogs followed by a 17-yard pass from Glasper to Payton Glasser put the Wildcats at the FSU 10-yard line. On 2nd and Goal, Glasper rushed up the middle, evading multiple tackles, and punched the ball in. CWU cut the deficit to 20-34.
 
CWU failed an onside kick attempt and FSU took over on the CWU 49. The Wildcat defense forced a punt, giving the offense the opportunity to strike again.
 
The 'Cats took over at their own nine-yard line. An intentional grounding call in the endzone led to a team safety and CWU trailed by 16 points at 20-36 with 4:13 left in the 4th quarter.
 
Both teams failed to score on their remaining possessions the game ended 20-36.

"I like our potential as a team. If we stay engaged and invested, we have some big things ahead of us," Fisk said. "We will make our biggest improvement from game one to game two."
 
CWU's home opener is next Saturday, Sept. 10, versus Western New Mexico. CWU beat Western New Mexico by a score of 54-29 last season.