Football | 9/13/2008 1:22:12 AM
Box Score Reilly to Spevak combination strikes often and late for Central Washington
MONMOUTH, Ore.--No. 8 nationally ranked Central Washington led for only eight total minutes in the game, but they took the lead for good with 5:54 left on their way to a 31-24 win over Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon at McArthur Field.
The Wildcats' winning score came via a familiar combination, a 71-yard passing strike from Mike Reilly to Johnny Spevak. The senior wide receiver had 11 catches on the day for 197 yards and two scores, and his thrower Reilly hit on a precise 29 of 35 attempts for 330 yards, with no interceptions.
The victory allowed the visiting Wildcats to remain unbeaten on the year at 3-0, and they improved to 2-0 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Oregon dropped to 1-2 on the season and to 1-1 in the GNAC.
The Wolves will travel to Dixie State next Saturday, while CWU will host Humboldt State.
The Wolves looked to be the team in control early in the third quarter as quarterback Josh Riddell found receiver Isaiah Smith on a 53-yard pass to give WOU a 24-10 lead with 14:16 remaining in the third quarter.
But the Wildcats then rattled off 21 unanswered points, including two scoring connections from Reilly to Spevak, and the Wolves found themselves down 31-24. After a defensive stand the Wolves got the ball back at the 23-yard line with 1:24 remaining and a chance to tie the game, but Riddell's next pass was intercepted by Adam Bighill to seal the victory for Central Washington.
One of the keys to the game was on the ground, where Central Washington was able to hold the WOU rushing attack to only 17 yards on 23 attempts. Meanwhile, CWU cranked out 109 rushing yards. Last week against Western Washington, the Wolves rolled up 252 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Riddell had a 300-yard passing game in his second career start as he racked up 332 yards on 13-of-24 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior wide receiver Smith was the team leader with three catches for 114 yards and one touchdown. Demario Ballard caught a touchdown pass for third straight game and had the first multiple touchdown game of his career as he hauled in two passes for 79 yards and two scores. Ben Kuenzi paced the Wolves in rushing with 26 yards.
Gavin Romanick led the team with 11 tackles including a sack and a tackle for loss. JT Gilmore contributed with 10 tackles while Andrew Jackson chipped in nine and Andy Douglas added eight.
Western Oregon had two opportunities for field goals in the second half but both of Juan Rodriguez's kicks went wide left, from 42 and 36 yards.
Central Washington had advantages over Western Oregon in both time of possession and total plays. The Wildcats held a 36:14 to 23:46 advantage in time of possession and ran 23 more plays (70-47) than the Wolves.
Reilly led the Wildcats in passing and rushing as he was 29-of-35 for 330 yards and two touchdowns through the air and had 67 yards on the ground including a 53-yarder to the Wolves 10-yard line that led to a score in the third quarter. Spevak had a career-high with 197 yards receiving yards, the tenth time that he has topped the 100-yard mark, while Mike Waller had eight grabs for 61 yards in his first collegiate start.
