Tuesday, November 9, 2021

There is no place like the home field for the end of the regular season after Central Washington and Western Oregon took long road trips last weekend.

For the Wildcats, their trip to Lone Star Conference territory resulted in another offensive blowout. Central finished with 612 yards of total offense en route to a 54-29 win at Western New Mexico.

It was the 28th time in conference history that a team has finished with 600 or more yards in a game.

Freshman quarterback Quincy Glasper had a career night in just his fifth game for the Wildcats, completing 36 of 55 passes for 452 yards and five touchdowns. He also carried the ball nine times for 46 yards to finish with 408 yards of total offense.

The 452 passing yards is the 13th-best in GNAC history and No. 2 among CWU quarterbacks in the GNAC era. The performance earned Glasper selection as the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Freshman wide receiver Darius Morrison caught five of those passes for 117 yards. On the ground, freshman running back Tyler Flanagan carried eight times for 106 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 13.3 yards per carry.

While the offense rolled for Central Washington, it was hard to come by for Western Oregon in a 45-7 loss at Chadron State. The Wolves finished with 389 yards of total offense but went 0 for 3 in red zone scoring opportunities.

Junior wide receiver Thomas Wright had the majority of the 265 receiving yards, catching four passes for 136 yards and the Wolves’ only touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Central Washington will close GNAC play on Saturday by hosting Simon Fraser. The Wildcats will be looking for a solid win to strengthen its case for an NCAA playoff spot. Despite the big win, Central Washington dropped to No. 6 in the Super Region 4 Rankings. The playoff field will be announced on Sunday.

Western Oregon closes the season by hosting a first-year Lincoln (Calif.) program that lost 92-0 to Central Washington on October 30.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Quincy Glasper, Central Washington
QB • 6-3 • Freshman • Stockton, Calif.

Glasper passed for a career-high 452 yards and threw five touchdowns in Central Washington’s 54-29 win at Western New Mexico. He also ran nine times for 46 yards to finish with 498 yards of total offense. It was the 13th-best passing performance in GNAC history and the second-best for a CWU quarterback in the GNAC era.

Also Nominated: Thomas Wright (Western Oregon).

DEFENSIVE
Zach Stecklein, Central Washington
DL • 6-6 • Senior • Mt. Horeb, Iowa

Stecklein finished with six tackles, including three tackles for loss for 17 yards, two sacks for 14 yards and a forced fumble in Central Washington’s 54-29 win at Western New Mexico.

Also Nominated: Jaylin Parnell (Western Oregon).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Curtis Anderson, Western Oregon
DB • 6-2 • Senior • Klamath Falls, Ore.

Anderson returned three kickoffs for 65 yards, including a long return of 30 yards, in the Wolves’ 45-7 loss at Chadron State. Defensively, Anderson also finished with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 6: Won at W. New Mexico, 54-29
THIS WEEK: Nov. 13: vs. Simon Fraser, 1 p.m.

• Central Washington could not be stopped in its last road game of the regular season, rolling up 612 yards of total offense in a 54-29 win at Western New Mexico.

• The 612 yards of total offense is the most by a GNAC team this season and is the 28th time a conference team has finished with more than 600 yards of total offense.

• Freshman quarterback Quincy Glasper had a career day, completing 36 of 55 passes for 452 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 46 yards for 498 yards of total offense to earn GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The passing performance is the 13th-best in GNAC history and the second-best for CWU in the GNAC era. In five games this season, Glasper is averaging 196.2 passing yards per game.

• Freshman wide receiver Darius Morrison led eight CWU receivers, making five passes for 117 yards. Senior wide receiver JoJo Hillel caught 11 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. In all, five Central Washington receivers caught touchdown receptions. Morrison ranks third in the GNAC with 51.8 receiving yards per game and is third in Division II with 24.53 yards per reception. Hillel is seventh in the GNAC with 31.9 receiving yards per game.

• Freshman running back Tyler Flanagan led the CWU ground game with eight carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. Flanagan also caught three passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Flanagan enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 58.4 rushing yards per game.

• Junior kicker Patrick Hagerty had another solid game, going 6 for 7 on extra points and making field goals from 31 yards and 28 yards. Hegarty is now 46 of 47 on point-after opportunities this season and 11 of 14 on field goals, both of which lead the GNAC. Hegarty is 14th in Division II in both field goal percentage (.786) and field goals per game (1.22), 18th in scoring (8.8 points per game) and 24th in total points scored (79).

• Senior defensive lineman Zack Stecklein was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with six tackles, three tackles for loss for 17 yards, two sacks and a forced fumble. Stecklein leads the conference with 7.5 sacks.

• Sophomore defensive back Jahleel Breland led all defensive players with eight tackles while sophomore defensive back Patrick Rogers had six tackles. Breland is tied for fourth in the GNAC with senior linebacker Donte Hamilton with 65 tackles. Hamilton is tied for 27th in Division II with 1.4 tackles for loss per game.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC with 45.6 points per game, 410.2 total offense yards per game, 182.3 rushing yards per game and 227.9 passing yards per game. The Wildcats rank second in Division II in turnover margin (1.78), fourth in scoring offense, fumbles lost (2) and red zone offense (.927), eighth in passes intercepted (15) and 10th in fourth-down conversion defense (.263).

• Despite the win, Central Washington dropped three spots in the final NCAA Super Region 4 Rankings to No. 6.

• Central Washington will close the regular season on Saturday, hosting Simon Fraser for the Wildcats’ only home afternoon game of the season.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Idle
THIS WEEK: Nov. 13: at Central Washington, 1 p.m.
 
• Simon Fraser did not play last week. The team will close the 2021 season on Saturday at Central Washington.

• Simon Fraser was held to 97 yards of total offense and entered the red zone just once in a 42-3 loss at Western Oregon on October 30.

• Simon Fraser’s one trip into the red zone proved successful with a 28-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Kristie Elliott with 4:21 left in the second quarter. Elliott is now 3 for 5 on field-goal attempts this season.

• The majority of SFU’s net offense came on 95 passing yards. Sophomore quarterback Justin Sieber completed 8 of 19 passes for 68 yards while sophomore Brandon Niksich completed 3 of 11 passes for 27 yards. Sieber leads the GNAC with 196.3 passing yards and 194 total offense yards per game.

• Junior wide receiver Robert Meadors was the primary target for the quarterbacks, making three catches for 36 yards. Meadors also had seven kick returns for 123 yards, averaging 17.6 yards per return. Meadors leads the GNAC in kick returns with an average of 19 yards per return.

• Junior running back Somto Anyadike was SFU’s top rusher once again, carrying seven times for 24 yards. Anyadike is fifth in the GNAC with 21.6 rushing yards per game.

• Senior linebacker Griffin Barrett led SFU defensively with 13 tackles, which included nine solo tackles. Junior defensive back Kolby Buljevic and junior linebacker Justice Kremler each had seven tackles, with Buljevic adding a tackle for loss. Barrett continues to lead the GNAC with 87 tackles. He is ranked second in Division II with 12.4 tackles per game and third with 6.7 solo tackles per game.

• Simon Fraser is averaging 233.6 total offense yards and 193.7 passing yards per game. The team is second in Division II for fewest penalty yards (261), fifth in fewest penalties (38) and 28th in red zone defense (.694).

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 6: Lost at Chadron State, 45-7
THIS WEEK: Nov. 13: vs. Lincoln (Calif.), 1:05 p.m.
 
• Western Oregon’s 389 yards of total offense yielded little in the way of scoring as the Wolves dropped their final road game of the season 45-7 to Chadron State in Chadron, Nebraska.

• The Wolves used three quarterbacks in the game, finishing with 265 passing yards. Freshman Gannon Winker completed 4 of 12 passes for 137 yards and WOU’s only touchdown, a 58-yard reception to junior wide receiver Thomas Wright in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Ryan Worthley completed 3 of 11 passes for 65 yards while freshman Wyatt Harsh completed 3 of 10 for 63 yards. Worthley is second in the GNAC with 170.6 passing yards and 171.2 yards of total offense per game.

• Wright led three WOU receivers, making four catches for 136 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Jarren Ford made two catches for 73 yards and sophomore wide receiver Damon Hickok made four catches for 56 yards. Western Oregon averaged 26.5 yards per catch. Wright leads the GNAC with 57.1 receiving yards per game while Ford is sixth with 33.4 receiving yards per game.

• Western Oregon picked up 124 rushing yards, led by junior running back Omari Land’s 87 yards on 17 carries. Land leads the GNAC with 99.2 rushing yards per game and 107.6 all-purpose yards per game. He is 23rd in Division II in rushing yards per game and 28th with nine rushing touchdowns.

• Senior defensive back Curtis Anderson earned GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he had three kick returns for a total of 63 yards, including a long return of 30 yards. Anderson leads the GNAC with an average of 19.3 yards per return.

• Senior punter Andrew Gross did his part on special teams, averaging 41.6 yards per punt on nine punts with a long punt of 63 yards. Gross is second in the GNAC with an average of 38.7 yards per punt.

• Junior linebacker Jaylin Parnell led the WOU defense with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss for 13 yards and a sack. Parnell is second in the GNAC with 72 total tackles and is tied for first with 13 tackles for loss. He is tied for 27th in Division II with 1.4 tackles for loss per game.

• Western Oregon is second in the GNAC with 359.8 total offense yards, 156.4 rushing yards and 203.3 passing yards per game.

• Western Oregon closes out the 2021 season at home on Saturday, hosting Lincoln (Calif.). The Oaklanders lost on October 30 at Central Washington 92-0.