Sunday, November 12, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since 2009, Central Washington is in the NCAA Division II football playoffs. But that first game will have to wait a week.

Thanks to its convincing 42-28 win at Humboldt State on Saturday to win the GNAC championship, Central Washington earned the No. 1 seed in Super Region 4 and a first-round bye in the 28-team NCAA Division II Playoffs. That means the Wildcats will host the winner on this Saturday’s game between No. 4 seed Winona State (10-1) and No. 5 seed Texas A&M-Commerce (9-1) in a second-round game on Sat., Nov. 25 in Ellensburg, Wash. The bye also assures the Wildcats home field advantage through the semifinals.

This is the third straight year that the GNAC has been represented in the football postseason. Azusa Pacific played in its first Division II playoff game last year while Humboldt State advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2015.

Central Washington enters the postseason after rolling through the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record and have 13 straight games dating back to 2016. The Wildcats are averaging 40.2 points per game and have outscored opponents by an average of 21 points per game. The closest they came to defeat was in a 17-16 win at Azusa Pacific on Sept. 16 and in a 17-10 come-from-behind win over North Alabama at home on Oct. 21.

The Wildcats lead the GNAC and is 14th in Division II in rushing, averaging 242 yards per game while averaging 464.5 yards of total offense per game. Where CWU has won games, though, is on defense. The Wildcats are third in Division II in total defense, allowing opponents 244.5 yards per game, and are second in rushing defense with 45.5 rushing yards allowed per game. Central Washington leads Division II with 4.70 sacks per game.

Central Washington is 3-3 all-time in the Division II playoffs. In 2009, the Wildcats opened the playoffs with a 27-6 home win over Tarleton State before falling to Northwest Missouri State in the second round, 21-20.