ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University Football Team (9-1, 8-0 LSC) will look to outright clinch the programs first-ever Lone Star Conference title, but will have a tough obstacle in order to accomplish that in the 24th-ranked Western Oregon Wolves (8-2, 7-1 LSC) in a matchup that also has serious playoff indications for both teams.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
 
Saturday, November 15
#6 Central Washington at #24 Western Oregon
1:05 p.m.
McArthur Field
Monmouth, Ore.
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QUOTING CWU HEAD FOOTBALL COACH CHRIS FISK:
 
"It's like looking in a mirror. They're a program that's built the same way as us. It's a program that prides themselves on their defensive prowess. It's a program that prides themselves at running the football. They have a dynamic quarterback that can run the football. I really think that he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league right next to Kennedy McGill. I think he's pretty special in his own right. I think that they have a big, strong, tough offensive line with great tight ends and capable wide receivers. Then you take a look over at the defensive side of the ball and they're probably the most consistent program next to ours in defensive football, and they have been clear back to when I got here in '16. Coach Ferguson has been running that defense himself and so it doesn't change a whole lot every year, but the consistency and the effort they play with, the edge they play with remain the same. They're great tacklers, they rally and run to the football, and they play defense the way that defense should be played. Those two things pop off on their film and then I do think that of the other teams in the Lone Star Conference this is a team that is a worthy opponent in terms of special teams. They're well-coached, they're aggressive, they get after it, they go for blocks, they call things aggressively like we do, and so, it really is when you look at all three phases of the game like you're looking in a mirror."
 
LAST GAME:
 
Central Washington wasted no time setting the tone, recovering an onside kick to open the game before Justice Taylor broke free for a 44-yard touchdown, and David Weber's PAT made it 7-0 with 13:40 left in the first. After key defensive stops, Kennedy McGill capped the next drive with a 9-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 14-0 lead after one. In the second quarter, a 34-yard strike from McGill to Samaje Featherstone set up another Taylor score from 10 yards out to make it 21-0. A Mika Roberson interception led to McGill's second rushing touchdown, this time from 15 yards, pushing the margin to 28-0. Moments later, another interception set up McGill's four-yard TD pass to Taylor for a 35-0 lead. Sul Ross answered with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Kye Callicoatte to Yamil Oaxaca, closing the half at 35-7.
 
Weber opened the second-half scoring with a 29-yard field goal to extend the lead to 38-7, followed by a one-yard TD run from Ryder Bumgarner to make it 45-7. Caleb Christensen entered the game and found Featherstone for a 32-yard touchdown, stretching it to 52-7. Early in the fourth, Christensen connected with AJ Perez for a 21-yard score to make it 59-7, then Ki'Marree Washington added a short rushing TD after a Lobo fumble to make it 66-7. Antoine Lee capped the rout with a 27-yard touchdown run, his first collegiate score, sealing a 73-7 victory as CWU clinched at least a share of the Lone Star Conference title.
 
McGill and Christensen led a balanced offensive attack, with McGill completing 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown while adding 43 rushing yards and two more scores. Christensen went 3-for-4 for 55 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Taylor powered the rushing offense with 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns, plus nine receiving yards and another score. Lee, Bumgarner, and Washington each contributed a rushing touchdown, gaining 78, 64, and 52 yards respectively. Featherstone led the receiving corps with 85 yards and a touchdown on four catches, while Grable added 48 yards on four receptions, Brady tallied 30 yards on two catches, and Perez caught a 21-yard touchdown.
 
Defensively, Brett McCalla led the Wildcats with six tackles. Connor Goff, Chase Coalson, Tyler King, and Mikaio Edward each had four tackles, with Goff recovering a fumble, Coalson recording a tackle for loss, and King collecting two sacks. Wahi Emmsly added three tackles and a pass breakup, while Mika Roberson recorded a tackle, an interception, and a pass breakup. Brogan De'Asis, Treyson Eddleman, Zeke Stefano, and David Jones each had two tackles, including one tackle for loss apiece, with Jones also adding a pass breakup. Logan Lisherness added a sack, and King Williams snagged an interception.
On special teams, Wyatt Redding punted three times for 113 yards and kicked off 11 times for 638 yards. Weber was perfect on the night, converting all 10 PATs and hitting his lone field goal from 29 yards out. Bumgarner added a 35-yard kick return.
 
ABOUT THE #24 WOLVES:
 
WOU opened their season with a home victory over perennial NAIA powerhouse Southern Oregon in a 27-7 fashion. They then went on the road and suffered a 56-7 setback at the hands of NCAA Division I FCS Cal Poly but bounced back for a big 66-3 victory over Sul Ross State at home. They suffered their only conference setback on the road the following week at West Texas A&M by a 35-7 score. Since then the Wolves have rattled off six-straight: 41-20 at home against Western New Mexico, 21-18 at Eastern New Mexico, 31-28 at home against then #13 UTPB, 34-27 at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 31-3 at home against Midwestern State, and a 31-7 victory last week at then #22 Angelo State.
 
The Wolves currently average 29.60 points per game while giving up 20.40 points per game to their opponents. WOU averages 183.3 rushing yards per game and are very stingy with their rush defense only allowing 93 rushing yards per game. Opponents are outgaining the Wolves in the air however by a 250.9 to 158.4 margin per game. The Wolves are successful on 37.5 percent of their third down attempts and 36.36 percent of their fourth down attempts while opponents are successful on 33.57 percent of their third down attempts and 52.17 percent of their fourth down attempts. WOU spends just slightly more time with the ball, averaging 30:01 minutes per game with the ball compared to the 29:59 minutes per game their opponents spend with the ball. Western Oregon has accumulated 74 penalties this season for a total of 700 yards and an average of 70 penalty yards per game.
 
Jordan McCarty has taken over the Wolves offense this season completing 119/212 passes for 1,389 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He's also added a team second-best 443 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns this season. Jermaine Land has paced the rushing attack with 555 rushing yards, adding three touchdowns. Carson Workman has racked up the most rushing touchdowns with seven while adding 184 yards. Cody Hall and Keyvaun Eady have been the favorite targets in the receiving corps this season. Hall has 309 yards and two touchdowns on 26 catches while Eady has 283 yards and two touchdowns on 24 catches.
 
Malcolm Liufau and Aden Murphy have paced the defensive unit at 70 and 67 tackles so far this season, respectfully. Joseph Northcutt has done the best job at getting to the pocket, dropping 9.5 tackles for loss including seven sacks and has added 17 quarterback hurries. Malik Ross has four interceptions this season, but Tyler Copeland and Dylan Camp aren't far behind with three each. Camp also paces the team with six pass breakups. Six different Wolves have forced a fumble while Armaad Hubbard leads WOU with two fumble recoveries. Cyris Taylor has the only blocked kick this season for WOU.
 
Kyle Babcock has 45 punts for WOU for a total of 1,837 yards with 15 landing in the opponents 20-yard line. Both Zane Colson and Logan South are 2/3 on field goal attempts this season with Colson's longest coming at 28-yards while South's longest is 26. Babcock also assumes lead kickoff duties for the Wolves, having 53 for 3,073 yards. Jaylen Fite has 12 punt returns for a total of 106 yards, but Terayon Sweet has a 16-yard punt return for a touchdown to his name. Taylor has 14 kick returns this season for a total of 292 yards
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Wildcats will await their fate and see where they land for the NCAA Division II Playoffs. They've held onto the second-seed in Super Region 4 and need to be in the top eight in the region to qualify for the playoffs and with a win against WOU will clinch the Lone Star Conference's automatic bid to the playoffs. The NCAA Division II Football Selection Show will be held on Sunday Nov. 16 at 3:00 p.m. PST on NCAA.com.