Tuesday, November 12, 2019

At long last, Western Oregon secured its first GNAC football championship trophy, but Azusa Pacific didn’t make it easy.

The Cougars stretched the Wolves to the brink on Saturday, never allowing WOU more than a seven-point lead the entire way. Azusa Pacific was a field goal from the win as time expired, but Nate Proctor, Jr., emerged as the hero with the blocked kick as the Wolves escaped with the 23-21 win.

It is the type of moment that may ensure that Proctor never has to buy a beverage in Monmouth again as the block assured the Wolves a share of their first-ever GNAC football championship in nearly 20 seasons of conference play.

While Proctor was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his heroics, the offensive firepower belonged to quarterback Ty Currie. The senior did it all as he finished with 335 of the Wolves’ 506 yards of total offense. In addition to completing 12 of 16 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, Currie rushed 22 times for an impressive 178 yards and another touchdown.

The stellar performance earned Currie his third GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award of the season.

While Western Oregon is assured a trophy, Central Washington still has a chance to tie the Wolves and earn a third consecutive trophy of its own at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

The Wildcats closed the home portion of their schedule with a bang, tying the GNAC single-game record with 10 touchdowns in a 72-17 rout of Southwest Baptist. The 10 touchdowns ties a mark accomplished three other times, most recently between these same two teams last year. Central finished with 552 yards of total offense in the game, led by quarterback Christian Moore’s 300 yards and five touchdowns.

Central Washington had a GNAC season-high four interceptions in the game. Freshman defensive back Patrick Rogers had two of those, including one he ran back 85 yards for a touchdown. He was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Both Azusa Pacific and Western Oregon close the regular season with non-conference games. The Cougars travel to Black Hills State while Western Oregon hosts Eastern New Mexico.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Ty Currie, Western Oregon
QB • 6-2 • Senior • Yreka, Calif.

Currie finished with 335 yards of total offense as the Wolves clinched a share of the GNAC title in a 23-21 win over Azusa Pacific. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown while also carrying the ball 22 times for 178 yards and another touchdown. He completed passes to six different receivers and had three passes over 30 yards while also finishing with a long run of 32 yards.

Also Nominated: Christian Moore (Central Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Patrick Rogers, Central Washington
DB • 5-11 • Freshman • Tacoma, Wash.

Rogers had two of the Wildcats’ four interceptions in the 72-17 rout of Southwest Baptist on Saturday. He ran his fourth-quarter interception back 85 yards for a touchdown. In addition, Rogers finished with three tackles as the Wildcats limited Southwest Baptist to 252 yards of total offense.

Also Nominated: Derek Parnell (Western Oregon).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Nate Proctor, Jr., Western Oregon
LB • 6-2 • Senior • Seattle, Wash.

Proctor blocked Azusa Pacific’s last-second 37-yard field goal attempt to preserve Western Oregon’s 23-21 victory as the team clinched a share of the GNAC title. Proctor also had four tackles and a sack in the victory.

Also Nominated: Patrick Hegarty (Central Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Nov. 9, Lost at Western Oregon, 23-21
THIS WEEK: Nov. 16: at Black Hills State, 1 p.m.

• For the second straight week, a fourth-quarter comeback was stopped short as Azusa Pacific took a 23-21 loss at Western Oregon. The Cougars’ last two losses have come by a combined total of five points.

• The Cougars never trailed by more than seven points and narrowed the deficit to the final margin when junior quarterback Tyrone Williams, Jr., connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Jasiah Richard-Lewis with 2:22 left in the game. Azusa Pacific got the ball back late for a chance to win, but freshman kicker Ramzee Jaridly’s 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked as time expired.

• Azusa Pacific finished with 360 yards of total offense, all but seven of those passing yards. Williams completed 28 of 37 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns. He enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 210.8 passing yards per game and fourth with 211.1 total offense yards per game.

• Senior wide receiver Gaige Allen led APU receivers with six catches for 97 yards and scored a touchdown on a 23-yard pass from Williams late in the second quarter. Richard-Lewis caught seven balls for 81 yards and a touchdown. Richard-Lewis is fifth in the GNAC with 60.1 receiving yards per game while Allen is averaging 35.8 receiving yards per game.

• Junior punter Jake Gerardi punted just two times, but averaging 48 yards per punt on those two kicks. He leads the GNAC with 39.9 yards per punt while the Cougars rank 19th in Division II with 37.57 yards per punt.

• Junior defensive end Maeaeafe Alailima led the APU defense with 10 tackles, five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Junior defensive back Quentin Frazier also had 10 tackles, nine of those solo. Frazier continues to rank second in the GNAC with 7.4 tackles per game.

• Azusa Pacific enters the week averaging 350.2 total offense yards per game and 22.4 points per game. The Cougars are second in the GNAC in passing offense, averaging 258 yards per game.

• Azusa Pacific closes the season with a non-conference tilt on Saturday at Black Hills State.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 9: Beat Southwest Baptist, 72-17
THIS WEEK: Nov. 16: at Simon Fraser, 1 p.m.

• Central Washington tied a GNAC single-game record with 10 touchdowns as the Wildcats closed non-conference play with a 72-17 drubbing of Southwest Baptist on Saturday.

• The 10 touchdowns tied a GNAC record that was initially set by Western Washington against Montana-Western on Sept. 15, 2001, and three other times, most recently by the Wildcats at Southwest Baptist on Nov. 3, 2018.

• Central did damage in every part of the offensive game with 552 yards of total offense with 309 passing yards and 243 rushing yards. Sophomore quarterback Christian Moore completed 19 of 37 passes for 300 yards and five touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns came in the first half. Moore leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II with 248.1 passing yards per game. He ranks second in the GNAC and 17th in Division II with 280.5 total offense yards per game.

• Junior running back Michael Roots posted his eighth 100-plus yard rushing performance of the season, carrying 25 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Roots leads the GNAC and is sixth in Division II with 143.1 rushing yards per game. He also leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with 181.7 all-purpose yards per game.

• The Central defense came alive for four interceptions in the contest. Freshman defensive back Patrick Rogers had two of those picks, running one of them back 85 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The efforts earned Rogers selection as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

• Sophomore defensive back Cody O’Connell and senior defensive back Tyren Sams had the other interceptions. Sams is 14th in Division II with 0.6 interceptions per game.

• Central spread its receiving between 10 different players. Junior tight end Samuel Sanchez led the way with 60 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. The Wildcats have two of the top-three receivers in the GNAC with sophomore Tyson Rainwater ranking second with 68.5 receiving yards per game and junior Tony Archie ranking third with 64.1 receiving yards per game.  

• Sophomore kicker Patrick Hegarty converted on 9 of 10 point-after attempts and converted a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. Hegarty is second in the GNAC with 0.60 field goals per game. He is 31 of 33 this season on point-after attempts.

• In addition to the interceptions, junior linebacker Hamilton Hunt finished with a team-leading nine tackles, including two tackles for loss. He is third in the GNAC with 6.9 tackles per game.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with 510.7 yards of total offense per game. The Wildcats lead the GNAC and rank 11th in Division II with 296.8 passing yards per game and rank 13th in scoring offense with 40.9 points per game.

• Central Washington will look to clinch a share of its third consecutive GNAC championship on Saturday when it travels to Simon Fraser.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Idle
THIS WEEK: Nov. 16: vs. Central Washington, 1 p.m.

• Simon Fraser did not play last week. The Clan will close the 2019 season by hosting Central Washington on Saturday.

• In the team’s last game, Nov. 2 in Burnaby, Simon Fraser finished with a solid 301 yards of total offense, but struggled to find the end zone in a 45-14 loss to Western Oregon.

• All of those 301 yards of total offense came in the passing game. Freshman quarterback Brandon Niksich completed 21 of 37 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown. Niksich is second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with 241.1 passing yards per game.

• Senior wide receiver Rysen John accounted for well over half of the Clan’s receiving yards, making 11 passes for 172 yards and a nine-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. It was John’s fifth 100-plus yard receiving performance of the season. John leads the GNAC and is 23rd in Division II with 91.4 receiving yards per game. He also ranks 13th in Division II with nine receiving touchdowns.

• Freshman linebacker Ian Crocker led the Simon Fraser defense with 12 tackles, including eight solo tackles and a forced fumble. Sophomore defensive back Kolby Buljevic finished with six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and a forced fumble.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 299.4 yards of total offense per game. The Clan is third in the GNAC with 252.8 passing yards per game and leads the conference in PAT kicking, making 14 of 15 on the season.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 9: Beat Azusa Pacific, 23-21
THIS WEEK: Nov. 16: vs. Eastern New Mexico, 1:05 p.m.
 
• Western Oregon clinched a share of the program’s first-ever GNAC championship by holding off a late rally by Azusa Pacific, beating the Cougars 23-21 at McArthur Field.

• The Wolves led most of the game and saw the lead cut to 23-21 with 2:22 left in regulation. Azusa Pacific forced a turnover on downs and was in position to win the game before senior linebacker Nate Proctor, Jr., blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt as time expired to secure the win and the title. The block helped earned Proctor selection as the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

• Despite the close score, the Wolves were the dominant offensive team with 506 yards of total offense in the contest. Of that, 349 of those yards came on the ground.

• Senior quarterback Ty Currie was a one-man offensive dynamo for Western Oregon, finishing with 335 yards of total offense. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown and also carried 22 times for 178 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry and was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week. Currie leads the GNAC and ranks 14th in Division II with 290.9 yards of total offense per game. He is third in the GNAC with 214 passing yards per game and 76.9 rushing yards per game and is 27th in Division II with 6.25 rushing yards per carry.

• Sophomore running back Omari Land finished just short of his seventh 100-plus yard rushing performance, carrying the ball 21 times for 96 yards. Land is second in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with 95.1 rushing yards per game and is 26th in Division II with 951 total rushing yards.

• Sophomore wide receiver Marquis Sampson led six players to make receptions for the Wolves as he finished with 66 yards on three catches with a 22-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.

• Senior defensive back Derek Parnell led the WOU defense with nine tackles, including eight solo tackles. In all, the defense finished with six tackles for loss for 23 yards and four sacks for 23 yards.

• Western Oregon leads the GNAC and is 16th in Division II with 253 rushing yards per game. The Wolves rank second in the GNAC and 14th in Division II with 472.5 total offense yards per game while ranking 29th in Division II with 218 first downs. Defensively, WOU leads the GNAC in scoring defense (26.8 points allowed per game), rushing defense (106.3 yards allowed per game), and total defense (357.9 yards allowed per game).

• The share of the championship marks the first time that Western Oregon has earned a GNAC trophy in football. The Wolves finished second in the conference in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. The seven overall wins for the program is the most since 2015.

• Western Oregon will end the regular season and hope to build a case for an NCAA Championships berth when they host Eastern New Mexico on Saturday.