Monday, September 30, 2019

It had been 21 years, since before the founding of the GNAC, that Western Oregon managed to beat Central Washington at Tomlinson Stadium.

That losing streak in Ellensburg ended on Saturday. The Wolves surged to take the lead for good on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and stunned the home crowd by taking a 36-26 victory from the Wildcats. The win moved Western Oregon to 2-0 in conference play.

Western Oregon saw senior quarterback Ty Currie have a part in all five touchdowns on the day, completing 12 passes for 171 yards and two scores while also rushing for 62 yards and three more touchdowns. For his part in all of the Wolves’ scoring, Currie was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.

The Wolves proved dominant over a Central Washington team that continues to lead the conference in total offense. Western finished with 499 yards of total offense and held the Wildcats to 340 yards.

The game produced all three GNAC Players of the Week. Wolves’ defensive end Curtis Anderson earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after he made two interceptions, both of which were converted by the WOU offense into touchdowns. Central Washington running back Eric Wilkes was named the Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned five kicks for a total of 104 yards.

In the other GNAC game last week, Azusa Pacific shut the door on what had been a close contest with Simon Fraser by scoring three second-half touchdowns en route to a 38-12 victory in  Burnaby, B.C. The Cougars finished with 477 yards of total offense, but did not truly pull away until scoring 24 unanswered points in the final 30 minutes.

Making his first start for APU, quarterback Anthony Catalano made the most of it. The sophomore completed 14 of 35 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown and also rushed six times for 128 yards. Junior running back Dante Davis rushed for 79 yards and all three of the Cougars’ rushing touchdowns.

Simon Fraser will travel to Western Oregon for the only conference matchup of the week. Central Washington will play at West Texas A&M while Azusa Pacific enjoys a bye week.

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

Currie played a role in all five touchdowns and finished with 233 all-purpose yards in Western Oregon’s 36-26 win at Central Washington, the Wolves’ first win in Ellensburg since 1998. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also rushing 16 times for 62 yards and three more touchdowns. The offensive effort helped Western Oregon jump out to a 2-0 GNAC record.

Also Nominated: Dante Davis (Azusa Pacific), Michael Roots (Central Washington), Rysen John (Simon Fraser).

DEFENSIVE
Curtis Anderson, Western Oregon
DB • 6-2 • Junior • Klamath Falls, Ore.

Anderson posted a GNAC single-game high of two interceptions, both of which Western Oregon converted into touchdowns in a 36-26 win at Central Washington. Anderson also finished with four tackles and a pass breakup. On special teams, Anderson had two kickoff returns for a total of 24 yards.

Also Nominated: Ben Sakut (Azusa Pacific), Hamilton Hunt (Central Washington), Isaac Evans (Simon Fraser).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Eric Wilkes, Central Washington
RB • 5-6 • Junior • Las Vegas, Nev.

Wilkes led the Wildcats with five kickoff returns for a total of 104 yards. His ledger included a long return of 25 yards in the third quarter.

Also Nominated: Andrew Gross (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Sept. 28: Won at Simon Fraser, 38-12
THIS WEEK: Idle

• Azusa Pacific pulled away from a close game with 24 unanswered points in the second half as the Cougars earned their first GNAC win of the season, 38-12, at Simon Fraser.

• The Cougars racked up 477 yards of total offense, gaining 314 of those yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Anthony Catalano, making his first APU start, led the rushing charge with six carries for 128 yards. That included a 49-yard run in the first quarter. Catalano also completed 14 of 35 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. Catalano is fifth in the GNAC with 95.2 passing yards per game and 43.5 rushing yards per game.

• Junior running back Dante Davis carried 16 times for 79 yards and three touchdowns, including both of the Cougars’ first half touchdowns. Junior running back Zidel Reddick carried eight times for 49 yards.

• Freshman wide receiver Jasiah Richard-Lewis was the only APU player with more than one reception, catching eight passes for 104 yards. Richard-Lewis leads the GNAC and is 30th in Division II with 349 receiving yards (87.2 yards per game average). He is also third in the GNAC with 99.5 all-purpose yards per game.

• Freshman kicker Ramzee Jaridly went 1 for 3 on field goals, missing for the first time this season, and went 5 for 5 on extra-point attempts. His made field goal was a 28-yarder with 1:26 left in the game. Jaridly is tied for first in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with 1.50 field goals per game.

• Junior defensive back Quentin Frazier led the APU defense with his eight tackles. Junior linebacker Ben Sukut finished with six tackles, a fumble recovery and also intercepted a pass and returned it 29 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. It is the first interception return for a touchdown in the conference this season.

• Azusa Pacific enters the week averaging 384.2 yards of total offense per game and scoring 26.8 points per game. The Cougars lead the GNAC in passing offense with 265 yards per game. Defensively, APU leads the GNAC in scoring defense (35 points allowed per game) and opponent first downs (82).

• Azusa Pacific enjoys a bye week this weekend. The Cougars return to play on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Central Washington.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 28: Lost to Western Oregon, 36-25
THIS WEEK: Oct. 5: at West Texas A&M, 5 p.m. (CDT)

• Central Washington matched Western Oregon for the first three quarters, but could not stop two fourth-quarter Wolves’ touchdowns as the Wildcats took the 36-26 loss.

• The Wildcats were held well under their total offense average, managing just 340 total yards in the contest. The majority of those yards were passing yards with freshman quarterback Canon Racanelli completing 14 of 26 for 195 yards and two interceptions while also rushing for 28 yards on six carries. Racanelli is currently third in the GNAC with 198.2 passing yards and is fourth with 222.2 yards of total offense per game.

• Senior running back Michael Roots accounted for almost all of CWU’s scoring as he carried the ball 19 times for 99 yards and all four CWU touchdowns. His longest score was on a 20-yard run in the third quarter. Roots leads the GNAC and is 11th in Division II with 123.8 rushing yards per game. He also ranks third in Division II with seven rushing touchdowns and 28th with 142.5 all-purpose yards per game.

• Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Ramones led eight CWU players to catch passes, making three receptions for 47 yards.

• Junior running back Eric Wilkes was named the GNAC Special Teams Player  of the Week after he returned five kicks for 104 yards, including a 25-yard return in the third quarter. Wilkes is currently first in the GNAC in kick returns with 23.4 yards per return.

• Senior linebacker Hamilton Hunt was a one-man wrecking crew on defense, making a total of 18 tackles (including 11 solo tackles). Senior defensive back Jeremiah Vasquez added 10 tackles and a half-tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Donte Hamilton did not play in the game. He is 16th in Division II with his 11 tackles per game.

• Central Washington continues to lead the GNAC in total offense with 426 yards per game. The Wildcats are second in the league in both passing offense (255.2 yards per game) and rushing offense (170.8 yards per game). Central Washington is tied for first in Division II in red zone offense at 1.000 and is 22nd with 15.95 passing yards per completion.

• Central Washington returns its focus to non-conference play this week, traveling to face West Texas A&M on Saturday in Canyon, Texas.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Sept. 28: Lost to Azusa Pacific, 38-12
THIS WEEK: Oct. 5: at Western Oregon, 1:05 p.m.

• Playing its second straight home game, Simon Fraser provided a significant challenge to Azusa Pacific in the first half before the Cougars scored 24 unanswered points in the second half for the 38-12 loss at Swangard Stadium.

• The Clan finished with 312 yards of total offense, with almost all of those coming in the passing game. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Niksich completed 19 of 41 passes for a GNAC season-high 312 yards and two touchdowns. His day included a long 50-yard pass to senior wide receiver Rysen John in the second quarter. Niksich leads the GNAC and is 16th in Division II with 273.7 passing yards per game and ranks 22nd in Division II with 20 completions per game.

• John needed only four catches to lead the SFU receiving game with 122 yards and the one touchdown. Freshman cornerback Solomon Hines had the other touchdown, that coming on a 75-yard reception in the first quarter that was his only catch of the game. John is second in the GNAC with 76 receiving yards per game and is 21st in Division II with 23.38 yards per reception.

• Freshman quarterback Mason Glover led Simon Fraser on the ground, carrying the ball 14 times for 45 yards.

• Junior linebacker Griffin Barrett led the Simon Fraser defense with 11 tackles (2 solo). Barrett leads the GNAC and is seven in Division II with 12 tackles per game. Sophomore defensive back Brendan Lowry had just six tackles, but continues to rank fourth in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with 10 tackles per game.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 287.8 yards per game and 249.8 passing yards per contest. The Clan is tied for 29th in Division II with four forced fumbles.

• The Clan takes to the road this week, playing at Western Oregon on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 28: Won at Central Washington, 36-26
THIS WEEK: Oct. 5: vs. Simon Fraser, 1:05 p.m.
 
• A huge scoring night for senior quarterback Ty Currie, which included the only two touchdowns of the fourth quarter, led Western Oregon to its first win in Ellensburg since 1998, 36-26.

• Currie had a role in all five of the Wolves’ touchdowns. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns and he also rushed 16 times for 62 yards and three touchdowns. Both of his passing touchdowns came in the first half, a 50-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Thomas Wright in the first quarter and a four-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Marquis Sampson in the second quarter. For his efforts, Currie was named the GNAC Football Offensive Player of the Week. Currie is fourth in the GNAC with 179.2 passing yards per game. He ranks 26th in Division II with 14.63 passing yards per completion, 28th with 64 points responsible for and 30th with 16 points responsible for per game.

• While not scoring, sophomore running back Omari Land had a huge game on the ground. He rushed 21 times for a total of 171 yards. Land is second in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II with 98.9 rushing yards per game. Land is also eighth in Division II with six rushing touchdowns and 25th with nine points scored per game.

• Senior running back Niko Jackson added 93 yards rushing on 16 carries. He ranks third in the GNAC with 71 rushing yards per game.

• Junior Curtis Anderson returned two kicks for 24 yards and continues to rank 21st in Division II with 297 combined kick return yards. On defense, Anderson came up with four tackles and two interceptions, both of which WOU converted into offensive touchdowns. The performance earned  Anderson selection as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

• Also on defense, senior linebacker Tyler Wharf added six tackles, including a half-tackle for loss. Sophomore linebacker Jaylin Parnell had five tackles and a pair of tackles for loss.

• Western Oregon leads the GNAC with 31.2 points scored per game and 232.5 rushing yards per game. The Wolves also lead the GNAC in pass defense (234.8 yards allowed per game), rushing defense (146.8 yards allowed per game) and total defense (381.5 yards allowed per game). Western Oregon is 20th in Division II in rushing defense and is 19th in net punting with 39.27 yards per punt.

• The Wolves will aim to take true command of the GNAC race on Saturday when they host Simon Fraser.