Central Washington University Athletics

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The 14th-ranked Central Washington University Football Team (2-2, 2-0 LSC) remained undefeated in conference play Saturday evening with a 61-22 victory over the visiting Sul Ross State Lobos (1-3, 0-2 LSC).
 
QUOTING CWU HEAD FOOTBALL COACH SCOTT POWER:
 
"It was a point of emphasis for us this week to get back to dominating the line of scrimmage and playing our brand of football. I think we were able to do that, to have two guys rush over 100 tonight is impressive and just the way we were able to consistently move the ball on offense, I'm very pleased with those guys and thought they did a good job.
 
One thing you learn is that wins are hard, so you learn to cherish them and you celebrate them when you get them. You can't be any better than 2-0 in the league and that's where we are right now, so we're excited about that."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• The 'Cats got off with a bang after the first play of the game saw SRSU quarterback Will Howell fumble the ball and get covered by Hudson Hardy at the SRSU 21-yard line and two plays later saw Ryder Bumgarner run in the 21-yard touchdown, however, the PAT attempt was no good to make it 6-0 CWU with 14:41 left in the first.
• The Lobos drove down the field thanks to big plays from Howell who made up for his fumble, and after a penalty on the 'Cats put the Lobos in the 'Cats red zone, saw Howell rush for the 22-yard touchdown and a failed PAT attempt kept the game tied with 12:29 left in the first.
• Antoine Lee and Ki'Marree Washington took over the ground attack and paired with a Lobo penalty helped set up David Weber for the 38-yard field goal to give the 'Cats the lead once again at 9-6.
• A 74-yard kick return by Kyree Payton set up Sul Ross State at the CWU 26-yard line, however after a one-yard tackle for loss by Trishion Sullivan, Cale Allen forced the fumble to see Sullivan recover it and give the ball back to the 'Cats.
• Bumgarner took it from there to get the 'Cats into Lobo territory followed by a 19-yard rush from Mason Juergens and after a 13-yard rush by Lee Bumgarner punched it in for the six-yard touchdown and with the successful Weber PAT, the 'Cats took the 16-6 lead with 6:12 left in the first.
• Howell put the Lobos right back in it, earning big gains both in the air and on the ground as the 'Cats cornered him but he kept escaping to eventually connect with Aaron Martinez for the two-yard touchdown and with Marcos Garcia's PAT, cut the Wildcat lead to 16-13 with 1:02 left in the first.
• Bumgarner immediately grabbed a first down with a 10-yard rush before Brennan ended the first quarter with a 25-yard connection to Bumgarner to the SRSU 32-yard line to end the first quarter with the 'Cats leading 16-13.
• A penalty on the Lobos began the second quarter and Lee took it from there, using four plays to punch in the ball the final 22 yards and after the Weber PAT, the 'Cats took the 23-13 lead with 12:43 left in the second.
• Howell continued to lead the Lobo offense, staying evasive from the Wildcat defense and paired with a penalty on the 'Cats, quickly put SRSU deep in Wildcat territory. A big connection to Taribbean Ramirez saw the lobos in the Wildcat red zone and thanks to a Brady Phillips and Keenan Landry tackle for loss and a pass breakup by Connor Goff, the Lobos settled for a field goal which Garcia drilled from 24-yards out to cut it to a 23-16 CWU lead with 6:40 left in the second.
• The Wildcats saw a pair of penalties and a deep incomplete pass to begin their next drive until Bumgarner broke free for a 60-yard gain and earned a Lobo penalty in the process to set up Washington for the 12-yard touchdown and with Weber's PAT, the 'Cats saw their lead extend to 30-16 with 5:48 left in the second.
• The Wildcat defense stiffened up and earned a huge three-and-out thanks to a pass breakup by Kayo Wallace and capped by a 10-yard sack from King Williams to give the ball back to the crimson and black.
• The Lobo punt wound up getting shanked, giving the 'Cats prime positioning for their next drive which saw Lee put the 'Cats at the six-yard line of Sul Ross State and was capped for a touchdown by a six-yard catch from Justin Brennan to Samaje Featherstone and after Weber's PAT, the 'Cats saw their lead extend to 37-16 with 3:06 left in the second.
• Sul Ross State got back in an offensive groove and saw a huge fourth down fake by the punter Logan Johnson to Byron Carter for an 18-yard first down catch to extend the drive which eventually saw Howell connect with Ronald Bell for a 10-yard touchdown and after Garcia's PAT missed, made it a 37-22 CWU lead with 34 seconds left before the half.
• The 'Cats took over and immediately saw a first down thanks to a connection from Brennan to Isaac Torres for 11 yards which was followed by a seven-yard gain from Brennan before back-to-back connections by Brennan to Ty Snider and Wiley Donnerberg for 12 and 13-yards to set up Weber for the 39-yard field goal that sailed through the uprights to send the teams to the locker rooms at the half with the 'Cats on top 40-22.
• The Wildcats began the second half with the ball and wasted no time as Bumgarner earned a handful of big gains including big 13 and 24-yard rushes and paired with a connection from Brennan to Juergens for 16-yards, saw Bumgarner punch it in for a one-yard touchdown with 11:36 left in the third and the 'Cats leading 47-22.
• The Wildcat defense came out with a bang forcing a three-and-out to see the 'Cats march down the field just for the ball to get fumbled at the one-yard line and go into the endzone for a touchback and to give the Lobos the ball back.
• Another huge three-and-out with a big sack from Brady Phillips in the process helped the Wildcat defense keep the momentum and give the ball back to the offense.
• The 'Cats took the lead heading into the fourth quarter by a 47-22 score.
• The 'Cats attempted a 47-yard field goal, but it was unsuccessful, however, the Wildcat defense kept it going on the second play of the drive when Goff intercepted Howell for a 35-yard pick six and with the Austin Ferencz PAT, made it a 54-22 lead with 14:05 left in the game.
• Another huge stop by the 'Cats defense gave the ball back to the offense who pounded the ball with the combination of Washington and Chace Webster who made his collegiate debut and added in a pair of big connections from Caleb Christensen to AJ Perez for 25 and 37 yards, respectfully before Webster punched in the ball for the five-yard touchdown and with Ferencz's PAT it was a 61-22 lead with 7:49 left in the game.
• Another big three-and-out by the Wildcat defense gave the ball back to the 'Cats who wound down the clock and earned the 61-22 victory.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:
 

• Justin Brennan finished the game completing 9/16 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown while Christensen went 2/5 on passes for 62 yards.
• Bumgarner finished with 196 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and 25 receiving yards on one catch.
• Lee added 114 rushing yards and a touchdown while Washington tacked on 85 yards and another touchdown and Webster finished with 24 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate debut.
• Perez led the receiving corps with 62 yards on two receptions while Juergens finished with four catches for 48 yards.
• Allen led the defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble while Isaiah Paul added five tackles and a tackle for loss.
• Landry finished with five tackles in his Wildcat debut and added a 0.5 tackle for loss while Indell tacked on four tackles, a 0.5 tackle for loss, and a pass breakup.
• Williams had four tackles, a sack of 10 yards, and a pass breakup while Ty Evans added four tackles and a 0.5 tackle for loss.
• Phillips had three tackles, a 1.5 tackle for loss and a sack.
• Goff had one tackle, one interception, and a pass breakup while Wallace had a tackle and three pass breakups.
• Weber went 2/3 on field goal attempts on the evening with his longest coming from 39 yards out while adding eight kickoffs for 520 yards and was 5/6 on PAT attempts.
• Ferencz finished with two kickoffs for 130 yards and was a perfect 2/2 on PAT attempts.
• Juergens had the only punt return of the day for 14 yards while Bumgarner had three kick returns for 71 yards and Featherstone added two kick returns for 58 yards.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• The Wildcats will head back on the road for the first time in conference play when they travel to San Angelo, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 3 to face the Angelo State Rams (1-3, 1-1 LSC) from 1st Community Credit Union Field at LeGrand Stadium.