Football | 10/15/2011 4:17:00 PM

Box Score [Box score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Bryce Peila had three takeaways and Kenneth Haynes rushed for two touchdowns to lead Western Oregon to a 34-10 win over Simon Fraser in front of a crowd of 1,950 fans Saturday (Oct. 15) at McArthur Field.

Peila's takeaways helped lead a 21-point fourth quarter charge for the Wolves (4-3, 4-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference). He recovered a fumble and returned it 30 yards to set up Haynes' second touchdown of the half. He then intercepted a pass two plays later and returned it 48 yards for the score. He was not done there however, as he picked off SFU's Trey Wheeler again and took it back 42 yards to seal the fourth straight home win for Western Oregon dating back to last season.

"Peila's two picks were very crucial plays," Western Oregon head football coach Arne Ferguson said. "They really put the game away."

Trevor Gates went over 100 yards receiving for the fourth straight game. He had nine catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. Evan Mozzochi was 17-of-23 for 216 yards and that one score. He also put WOU in front early in the first quarter with his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

Mozzochi's touchdown run would be the only scoring the Wolves would get in the first half. They would botch the snap on the extra point and found themselves down 7-6 at halftime thanks to an 80-yard touchdown strike from Wheeler to Tore Corrando midway through the second quarter.

"In the first half we didn't play as well as we would have liked but we want to give the credit to Simon Fraser too," Ferguson explained. "We knew this game would be very physical and very close. We just had to keep on pushing tempo, which our offense did."

Haynes helped lead the second half charge by rushing for 60 of his 90 yards after the break and both touchdowns. His touchdown run from three yards out with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter capped off a nine-play, 91-yard drive for Western Oregon and gave them the lead for good (13-7).

The Western Oregon defense held the conference's top ranked rushing offense to just 75 yards on the ground, 146 below their season average. The Clans' top running back, Bo Palmer, who averages 153.3 all-purpose yards per game, was limited to just 54 yards from scrimmage.

"We felt we really contained their two really good running backs," Ferguson noted. "We were able to play 65 guys today and really wear them down which I think ended up being the key to the game today."

Isaiah Buchanan led WOU with 10 tackles. Peila had nine stops and Benjamin Merrill added seven. The Wolves' first touchdown of the game was set up by Robert Young, who scooped up a botched exchange by SFU in the backfield and rumbled 56 yards to SFU's three yardline before he was tracked down from behind.

Despite the final score Simon Fraser played a very solid game in the trenches. Their defensive line sacked Western Oregon's quarterbacks six times. Justin Capicciotti had 3.5 of those sacks to finish just a half-sack short of tying the GNAC record.

"We knew their offensive and defensive lines were going to be very tough and we had to wear them down," Ferguson explained. "The game ended up the way we hoped it would because they are not a team you can jump up on because they are so solid up front.

"It was nice to have our second home game," continued Ferguson. "Our kids are still getting their energy and excitement back, and it showed in that fourth quarter."

The win by Western Oregon sets up a homecoming battle with GNAC leader Humboldt State (6-0, 4-0 GNAC). The Wolves and Lumberjacks will square off with first place on the line next Saturday (Oct. 22) at 2:00 p.m. at McArthur Field.

For tickets to the WOU-HSU game contact Michael Feuling at feulingm@wou.edu or by phone at 503-838-8449.