Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Central Washington put a stop to Western Oregon’s early GNAC championship conversation two weeks ago, but talk is getting loud once again.
The Wolves will look to make history on Saturday when they host Azusa Pacific in their GNAC season finale at McArthur Field. Should they win, Western Oregon would claim a share of the program’s first football championship since the formation of the GNAC in 2001.
Western Oregon enters the game with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-1 conference mark. The only blemish on the conference record was the exciting 42-41 overtime loss to the Wildcats on Oct. 19.
That win also keeps Central Washington in the conversation for the trophy. Hosting Southwest Baptist in a non-conference game this Saturday, the Wildcats will close conference play on Nov. 16 at Simon Fraser. A win over the Clan would assure CWU at least a share of its third consecutive conference crown.
Early season losses, however, could keep either team from earning an invitation to the postseason. The GNAC has no ranked teams in this week’s NCAA Super Region 4 rankings, which determine postseason qualification.
Western Oregon had no problem winning its second consecutive game on Saturday, finishing with 541 yards of total offense in a 45-14 rout of Simon Fraser. With the win, the Wolves have won six of their last seven games.
Central Washington escaped with a close 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific on Saturday.
THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Michael Roots, Central Washington
RB • 5-10 • Junior • Sacramento, Calif.
Roots earned the offensive honor for the second consecutive week after he rushed for 196 yards on 22 carries and finished with 245 all-purpose yards in the Wildcats’ 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific. Roots rushed for one touchdown on a six-yard run in the first quarter and also caught two passes for 23 yards and returned one kick for 26 yards.
Also Nominated: Ty Currie (Western Oregon).
DEFENSIVE
Jaylin Parnell, Western Oregon
LB • 6-0 • Sophomore • Medford, Ore.
Parnell finished with six solo tackles in the Wolves’ 45-14 win at Simon Fraser on Saturday. He had two sacks in the game, one of which resulted in a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown.
Also Nominated: Chaz McKenzie (Central Washington).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Patrick Hegarty, Central Washington
P/K • 6-4 • Sophomore • Ferndale, Wash.
Hegarty made a difference in the kicking game in the Wildcats’ 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific. He made a pair of field goals from 22 and 29 yards, with the 29-yarder in the fourth quarter providing the game-winning score. Hegarty also punted three times, averaging 34 yards per punt, and kicked off six times for an average of 56.7 yards per kick.
Also Nominated: Andrew Gross (Western Oregon).
AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2, Lost to Central Washington, 27-24
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: at Western Oregon, 1:05 p.m.
• A fourth-quarter comeback fell just short for Azusa Pacific on Saturday as the Cougars lost a close 27-24 game to Central Washington at Citrus Stadium.
• Azusa Pacific scored the first touchdown of the game on a three-yard run by junior running back Dante Davis, but the Wildcats scored the next 10 points and had the Cougars playing catch-up the rest of the night. Down 27-17 in the fourth quarter, APU came within three on a three-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Tyrell Williams, Jr., but turned the ball over on downs in its final two possessions of the game.
• Azusa Pacific finished with 346 yards of total offense, 182 of those coming in the passing game. Williams completed 16 of 31 passes for those 182 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball nine times for 57 yards and a touchdown. Williams is fourth in the GNAC with 192.7 total offense yards per game and 190.4 passing yards per game.
• Junior wide receiver Brandon Jackson led the receiving corps with six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Jackson ranks fourth in the GNAC with 58.7 receiving yards per game. Davis, meanwhile, finished with 97 all-purpose yards, which included a pair of kick returns for 54 yards.
• Junior running back Gil’Scott Jackson paced four APU ball carriers as he rushed 11 times for 61 yards. Jackson is seventh in the GNAC with 30 rushing yards per game and 10th in the conference with 59.9 all-purpose yards per game.
• Junior defensive back Quentin Frazier once again led the Azusa Pacific defense with 11 tackles, including five solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior linebacker Lucas Olgiati added nine tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Frazier is second in the GNAC with 7.1 tackles per game.
• Azusa Pacific enters the week averaging 349 total offense yards per game and 22.6 points per game. The Cougars lead the GNAC and rank 25th in Division II in punting with an average of 37.26 yards per punt while also leading the GNAC in punt returns with 10.8 yards per return.
• Azusa Pacific will finish the season with two games on the road. The Cougars’ GNAC schedule closes on Saturday at Western Oregon.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Beat Azusa Pacific, 27-24
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Southwest Baptist, Noon
• A 29-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Patrick Hegarty proved to be the difference for Central Washington on Saturday as it extended its win streak to four games with a 27-24 win over Azusa Pacific at Citrus Stadium.
• The Wildcats took the lead on a 22-yard field goal by Hegarty and a six-yard touchdown run by junior running back Michael Roots in the first quarter. Central never trailed again, but pulled away from a 17-17 tie with a 32-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Christian Moore to senior wide receiver JoJo Hillel to end the second quarter. When APU pulled within 27-24 in the fourth, the CWU defense came up with two big stops to secure the win.
• Hegarty was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his two field goals. He also punted three times, averaging 34 yards per punt, and kicked off six times for an average of 56.7 yards per kick. Hegarty is second in the GNAC with 5 of 6 field goals made this season.
• Roots was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week for the consecutive week after he finished with 245 all-purpose yards. He just missed his third 200-plus yard rushing performance of the season, carrying the ball 22 times for 196 yards and a touchdown. Roots also caught one pass for 26 yards and returned one kick for 26 yards. Roots is second in Division II with 184 all-purpose yards per game. He also leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II with 143.6 rushing yards per game, ninth in Division II with nine rushing touchdowns and 10th with 7.26 rush yards per carry.
•Moore completed 19 of 36 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown. Moore leads the GNAC and is 25th in Division with 241.4 passing yards per game. He is also 23rd in Division II with 19 passing touchdowns and 19th with 270.6 total offense yards per game.
• Junior wide receiver Tony Archie led seven CWU players to catch passes with six receptions for 743 yards. Archie is third in the GNAC with 68.6 receiving yards per game.
• Senior defensive back Tyren Sams led the Central Washington defense with seven tackles. Senior linebacker Tevin Gray finished with six tackles.
• Central Washington leads the GNAC and is 10th in Division II with 506.1 yards of total offense per game. The Wildcats lead the GNAC and rank 13th in Division II with 295.4 passing yards per game and rank 26th in scoring offense with 36.4 points per game. Central is also ninth in fumbles lost (3), 12th in first downs (218) and 16th in red zone offense (.900).
• Central Washington will close its home schedule this weekend, hosting Southwest Baptist in a non-conference game on Saturday afternoon.
SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Lost to Western Oregon, 45-14
THIS WEEK: Idle
• 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 at Swangard Stadium.
• The Clan only entered the red zone three times, converting two times, but were limited to 6 of 14 on third-down conversions. The Clan also turned the ball over four times with two fumbles and two interceptions.
• 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 26th 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 20th in Division II with 91.4 receiving yards per game. He also ranks 17th in Division II with 823 total receiving yards and 20th with nine receiving touchdowns.
• Freshman running back Solomon Hines led SFU in the ground game, finishing with 34 yards on 11 carries. Hines also returned one kick for 23 yards. Hine is fourth in the GNAC with 82.1 all-purpose yards per game and fifth with 36.6 rushing yards per game.
• 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 second in the GNAC with 252.8 passing yards per game and leads the conference in PAT kicking, making 14 of 15 on the season.
• Simon Fraser is idle this week. The Clan will close the 2019 season by hosting Central Washington on Saturday, Nov. 16.
WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Won at Simon Fraser, 45-14
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Azusa Pacific, 1:05 p.m.
• Western Oregon rolled for 541 yards of total offense and took one step closer to claiming a share of the GNAC title with a 45-14 road win over Simon Fraser. The win was the Wolves’ second straight and its sixth in seven games after starting the season 0-2.
• The game proved another outstanding effort in passing department with 314 yards coming in the air. Senior quarterback Ty Currie completed 15 of 25 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing five times for 50 yards and a touchdown. Currie leads the GNAC and is 15th in Division II with 286 total offense yards per game. Currie is third in the conference with 220.3 passing yards per game and fourth with 65.7 rushing yards per game. Currie is also 12th in Division II with 166 points responsible for and 30th with 18 passing touchdowns.
• Sophomore wide receiver Thomas Wright posted his first 100-plus receiving yard game of the season, making 15 catches for 101 yards and a 48-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Wright is sixth in the GNAC with 49.4 receiving yards per game and ranks 14th in Division II with 21.19 yards per reception.
• Sophomore running back Omari Land had his sixth 100-plus rushing yard game of the season, carrying the ball 15 times for 101 yards. He scored the game’s first touchdown on an 18-yard run on the opening drive of the game. Land is second in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with 95 rushing yards per game. He is also second in the GNAC with 113.7 all-purpose yards per game.
• Sophomore linebacker Jaylin Parnell was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with six solo tackles and two sacks worth 21 lost yards. One of those sacks resulted in a fumble which was returned by sophomore defensive back Joey Sinclair for a touchdown. Parnell is tied for 10th in the GNAC with six tackles per game.
• Senior linebacker Nate Proctor, Jr., paced the Western Oregon defense with eight tackles, which included four solo tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack. He ranks fifth in the GNAC with 6.7 tackles per game.
• Western Oregon leads the GNAC and is 18th in Division II with 242.3 rushing yards per game. The Wolves rank second in the GNAC with 468.8 total offense yards per game. Defensively, WOU leads the GNAC in scoring defense (27.4 points allowed per game), rushing defense (117.3 yards allowed per game), and total defense (357.7 yards allowed per game).
• Western Oregon will play to earn a share of the program’s first GNAC championship on Saturday, hosting Azusa Pacific.