Wednesday, September 8, 2021

In the triumphant return of GNAC football after a nearly two-year COVID-19 absence, it was a week of celebration for Central Washington.

The Wildcats picked up the conference’s lone win of the first week in record-setting fashion, beating Eastern New Mexico 66-24 on Thursday in Portales, New Mexico. Central Washington set the GNAC single-game record with seven passing touchdowns and scored a total of nine touchdowns on the night.

It was a solid debut for sophomore quarterback JJ Lemming, who was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 14 of 22 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 13 yards and another touchdown.

The Wildcats swept all three conference weekly awards. Senior linebacker Donte Hamilton was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he amassed eight tackles, including seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Junior kicker Patrick Hegarty earned GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he made all nine point-after attempts and converted a 43-yard field goal.

Central Washington will face perhaps its biggest challenge in week two, traveling east to face Eastern Washington. Ranked No. 11 in Division I-FCS, the Eagles are coming off a thrilling 35-33 double-overtime victory at UNLV.

Simon Fraser opened its season at Division I-FCS Idaho on Saturday, losing 68-0. Simon Fraser managed just 90 yards of total offense as sophomore quarterback Brandon Niksich completed  9 of 16 for 77 yards.

Western Oregon opened the 2021 season on Thursday at No. 11 Colorado Mines on Thursday with the Orediggers cruising to the 42-3 victory. The Wolves finished with 264 yards of offense, all but one of which came in the passing game. Freshman Daniel Cossette accounted for the only scoring, a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Simon Fraser returns south of the border this week, playing at Division III powerhouse Linfield on Saturday. Western Oregon will play at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
JJ Lemming, Central Washington
QB • 6-6 • Sophomore • Steilacoom, Wash.

Lemming completed 14 of 22 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns in Central Washington’s 66-24 season-opening win over Eastern New Mexico. He also rushed five times for 13 yards and a touchdown. It was Lemming’s first career start and contributed to a GNAC single-game record seven touchdown passes.

Also Nominated: Justice Murphy (Western Oregon).

DEFENSIVE
Donte Hamilton, Central Washington
LB • 6-3 • Senior • Mukilteo, Wash.

Hamilton finished with eight tackles, including seven solo tackles, had two tackles for loss for 12 yards and one sack for five yards in the Wildcats’ 66-24 win at Eastern New Mexico. The effort helped CWU limit the Greyhounds to 316 yards of total offense.

Also Nominated: Riley Minniti (Western Oregon).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Patrick Hegarty, Central Washington
P/K • 6-2 • Senior • Edmonds, Wash.

Hegarty went a perfect 9 for 9 in extra-point opportunities, one short of the GNAC single-game record, and added a 43-yard field goal in Central Washington’s 66-24 win over Eastern New Mexico.

Also Nominated: Andrew Gross (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 2: Won at E. New Mexico, 66-24
THIS WEEK: Sept. 11: at Eastern Washington, 1 p.m.

• Central Washington set a GNAC single-game record for passing touchdowns and finished one short of its own total touchdowns record as the Wildcats routed Eastern New Mexico, 66-24, in Portales, N.M.

• The seven passing touchdowns between sophomores JJ Lemming and Zach Matlock surpassed the previous record of six set nine different times, most recently by CWU against Azusa Pacific on Oct. 12, 2019.

• Central finished with 501 yards of total offense, 347 of which came in the air. Lemming was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 14 of 22 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 13 yards and another touchdown. Entering in the fourth quarter, Matlock completed 3 of 4 passes for 25 yards and two touchdowns. Lemming leads the GNAC and is 14th in Division II in passing yards per game.

• Senior linebacker Donte Hamilton was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he made eight tackles, including seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Hamilton helped lead a CWU offense that limited Eastern New Mexico to 316 yards of total offense and forced four fumbles and three turnovers. Hamilton ranks 30th in Division II in solo tackles.

• Sophomore defensive back Jahleel Breland led all defensive players in the game with 12 tackles, which included eight solo tackles. Breland ranks 19th in Division II in total tackles and 16th in solo tackles.

• Junior kicker Patrick Hegarty earned GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after making all nine extra-point attempts and converting a 43-yard field goal in the third quarter. Hegarty is tied for 20th in Division II with his 12 points scored.

• Lemming and Matlock spread the passing offense around between eight different players. Sophomore wide receiver Darius Morrison caught four passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns while senior wide receiver Tony Archie caught three passes for 72 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Tai-John Mizutani caught two passes for 12 yards and two touchdowns. Morrison and Mizutani are tied with Hegarty for 20th in Division II in points scored with 12.  

• Central Washington also finished with 154 rushing yards. Freshman running back Tyler Flanagan led the way with 84 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

• Central Washington enters the week ranked third in Division II in scoring offense with its 66 points. The Wildcats are also 10th in Division II in passing offense (347 yards per game) and 23rd in total offense (501 yards per game) and lead Division II in team pass efficiency (266.34). Defensively, CWU is tied for 10th in Division II in fumbles recovered (2) and 15th in turnovers gained (3).

• Central Washington faces a significant early-season challenge on Saturday, traveling east to Cheney to face No. 8 (Division I-FCS) Eastern Washington on Saturday. The Eagles are coming off a 35-33 double-overtime win at UNLV.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Sept. 4: Lost at Idaho, 68-0
THIS WEEK: Sept. 8: at Linfield, 1 p.m.

• In the team’s first game since 2019 and its first game under new head coach Mike Rigell, Simon Fraser had trouble gaining offensive traction in a 68-0 loss at Division I-FCS Idaho on Saturday.

• Simon Fraser finished with just 90 yards of total offense, 77 of which came on pass plays. The team managed just nine first yards in the contest and punted nine times.

•Sophomore quarterback Brandon Niksich captained the offense, completing 9 of 16 passes for 77 yards. Eight different SFU players caught passes, led by senior Dallas Dixon making four catches for 31 yards. Sophomore Riley Morrison caught three passes for 31 yards and an SFU game-long catch of 17 yards.

• Freshman Sam Davenport was quite busy at punter, kicking nine times for 324 yards and an average of 36 yards per punt.

• Senior linebacker Griffin Barrett led the Simon Fraser defense with 11 tackles, including six solo tackles, and had one fumble recovery. Barrett is second in the GNAC in total tackles and is one of three GNAC players tied for third in Division II with one fumble recovery.

• Freshman defensive lineman Tank Brewster had the one SFU forced fumble in the game, resulting in one of two Idaho turnovers on the day. Brewster is one of three GNAC players tied for third in Division II with one forced fumble.

• Simon Fraser enters the week ranked 10th in Division II with two fumble recoveries and 20th in fewest penalty yards (34).

• Simon Fraser returns to the U.S.A. on Saturday to face NCAA Division III power Linfield in McMinnville, Oregon. The Wildcats are ranked No. 16 in the AFCA Division III Poll. The game will be Linfield’s 2021 opener.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 2: Lost at Colorado Mines, 42-3
THIS WEEK: Sept. 11: at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7 p.m. (CDT)
 
• A total of 264 yards of total offense resulted in just one field goal as Western Oregon dropped a 42-3 decision at Colorado Mines on Thursday in Golden, Colorado.

• All but one of those 264 yards came in the passing game. Junior quarterback Ryan Worthley completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards. Freshman quarterback Wyatt Harsh entered late, completing 6 of 8 passes for 41 yards. Worthley is ranked 29th in Division II with 20 completions per game.

• The passing offense was spread out among 10 different receivers. Senior wide receiver Justice Murphy caught four passes for 70 yards. Junior wide receiver Thomas Wright caught four passes for 61 yards, including a game-long catch of 42 yards.

• The only scoring for the Wolves came off the foot of freshman kicker Daniel Cossette, who converted a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter. Cossette is tied for 29th in Division II with one field goal per game.

• Senior kicker Andrew Gross punted six times for the Wolves for 263 yards, averaging 43.8 yards per punt with a long punt of 65 yards.

• On defense, junior defensive back Ryan Minniti led Western Oregon with 10 tackles, which included six solo tackles. Junior linebacker Jaylin Parnell had two tackles for loss for 10 yards and had one of the Wolves’ three sacks in the contest.

• Junior wide receiver Marquis Sampson led the WOU return game, returning a pair of punts for 27 yards and kickoff for 20 yards. Sampson ranks ninth in Division II punt returns, averaging 13.5 yards per return.

• Western Oregon enters the week ranked 17th in Division II in punt returns (13.5 yards per return) and 24th in fourth-down conversion percentage (.667).

• Western Oregon is on the road for the second straight week, traveling to face Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday night. The Javelinas lost their opener at Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, 13-9.