ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University Football Team will look towards their longest road trip of the season so far with a long trek down to Silver City, N.M. to continue in Lone Star Conference play at the Western New Mexico Mustangs this Saturday.
GAME INFORMATION:
Saturday, September 27
#17 Central Washington at Western New Mexico
5:00 p.m. PST
Ben Altamirano Field
Silver City, N.M.
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QUOTING CWU HEAD FOOTBALL COACH CHRIS FISK:
"It's a team that's scored in bunches, but they've been scored on in bunches as well. We really have to have the same approach to what we do week in and week out. We have to keep that quarterback off the field because he is dangerous. We have to go about our gameplan. They're a little unique defensively, so we have to be able to handle three man fronts, four man fronts, different blitz patterns out of both and so what we do with the offensive line will be very important this week. Similar to the Montana week, we have to be very queued up. I think the biggest thing is handling what we are in control of. If we do that I think we'll be fine this week."
LAST GAME:
Central Washington wasted no time jumping ahead of West Texas A&M, turning an early interception into a
Kennedy McGill touchdown just 45 seconds into the game. The Wildcats kept piling on as
Justice Taylor punched in another score, and McGill later connected with
Mason Juergens for a 78-yard strike to make it 21-0 in the first quarter. CWU's defense set the tone with multiple sacks, a key fourth-down stop, and another interception that set up Taylor's 31-yard rushing touchdown. The Buffs finally got on the board with an RJ Martinez touchdown pass to C'ing Blanton, but a blocked PAT kept the score at 28-6. CWU answered before the half with McGill finding
Samaje Featherstone to send the Wildcats into the break leading 35-6.
The second half was more of the same. McGill tossed touchdowns to
Logan Brady and
Andrew Molloy, while
Beau Phillips and
Ryder Bumgarner kept the ground game rolling. The Wildcats defense continued to dominate, forcing punts and turnovers that kept WT out of rhythm. A late 35-yard field goal from
David Weber capped the scoring and secured a commanding 52-6 CWU victory. The win showcased explosive plays on offense, lockdown defense, and special teams execution that overwhelmed the Buffs from start to finish.
The Wildcats offense was firing on all cylinders behind quarterback
Kennedy McGill, who connected on 10 of 16 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns while also leading the ground attack with 62 rushing yards and another score.
Justice Taylor contributed 48 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while
Mason Juergens added 55 yards on the ground. Juergens also led the receiving corps with 78 yards and a touchdown on a single catch.
Logan Brady hauled in five passes for 68 yards, while
Samaje Featherstone and
Andrew Molloy both found the end zone with touchdown receptions.
Defensively, CWU dominated with disruptive plays all over the field.
Logan Lisherness paced the unit with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.
Tyler King had a standout performance, recording five tackles, three tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks for a loss of 34 yards.
Jalen Owens and
Javonte Walker each logged a pass breakup alongside their four and three tackles, respectively.
Brogan De'Asis added three tackles, a half tackle for loss, and a forced fumble, while
Kuma Scanlan tallied three tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery.
Chase Coalson chipped in with three tackles and a breakup, while
Jalen Webber and
Mikaio Edward contributed with tackles for loss.
King Williams and
Mika Roberson both intercepted passes and broke up another, while
Chase Loidhamer added a breakup and a blocked kick.
On special teams,
Wyatt Redding handled the punting duties with two kicks for 61 yards and added eight kickoffs totaling 490 yards. Kicker
David Weber was sharp, drilling a 35-yard field goal and going a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points to round out the Wildcats' dominant performance.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS:
Western New Mexico is currently 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in Lone Star Conference play. They opened their season with a big 35-21 victory over Adams State at home before falling 69-55 at New Mexico Highlands in the La Batalla Bowl. In their LSC opener, WNMU fell 58-27 to West Texas A&M at home before falling 56-27 on the road at sixth-ranked Angelo State.
The Mustangs are currently averaging 36 points per game while giving up 51 points per game to their opponents. WNMU has leaned into the pass attack, averaging 366.5 passing yards per game while their opponents average 251.25 passing yards per game. On the ground the 'Stangs are averaging 100 yards per game while their opponents average 259 rushing yards per game.
Connor Ackerley has been one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NCAA Division II this year, averaging 345.5 passing yards per game for 1,382 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. He's passing at a clip of 65.06 percent this season. He's added 60 rushing yards on a team-high 45 attempts this year. Leading the rushing charge for WNMU is Gabriel Levy and Diego Morales who have accumulated 117 and 114 rushing yards so far this season with Levy earning a touchdown, however Zay Savoie leads the team with three rushing touchdowns. Deuce Zimmerman is leading the receiving corps with 26 receptions for 439 yards and six touchdowns. Anthony Flores and Morales are next in line for the 'Stangs with 265 and 203 receiving yards and three and two touchdowns, respectfully.
Diego Diaz and Bradly Harris are leading the tackling for the Mustang defense, each logging 20 tackles. Chris Kalu-Benjamin, Cole Lalama, and Diaz are pacing WNMU with 2.5 tackles for loss each while Seth Barron, Christian Nunally, Nate Bohlken, and Kalu-Benjamin all have a sack to their name to lead the Mustangs. Clayton Zentner and Sheldon Williams have each snagged an interception this season while Zentner leads the 'Stangs with four pass breakups. Terrell Dolberry has two quarterback hurries while six different Mustangs have recovered a fumble, but Zentner and Lalama lead the way forcing two fumbles apiece.
Benjamin Crouch has 15 punts on the season for a total of 525 yards and an average of 35 yards per punt with one punt landing in the opponents' 20-yard line and three sailing for over 50 yards. The 'Stangs have yet to attempt a field goal this season. Talan Tinsley is the main kicker for kickoffs having kicked off 16 times this season for a total of 854 yards and an average of 53.4 yards per kick. Davey Morales has returned two punts for a total of 12 yards while Williams is the main returner on kickoffs with 10 returns so far this season for 210 yards and an average of 21 yards per return.
UP NEXT:
The 'Cats will return back to The 'Burg to face the other team representing New Mexico in the Lone Star Conference, the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds (1-3, 1-1 LSC). The 'Cats and 'Hounds get after it on Saturday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. from Steve Hertling Field at Tomlinson Stadium.
