Football | 10/31/2013 12:30:00 PM

GNAC WEEKLY REPORT        WOU WOLVES WEEKLY

MONMOUTH, Ore. – On Saturday, the Western Oregon University football team will be looking to do something the program has done only seven times in the past 30 years, and that is win four consecutive games. To accomplish that feat, the Wolves will have to beat the leader in the conference, Azusa Pacific, on the road.

Western Oregon (5-3, 5-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) rides into the weekend clash with APU on a three-game win streak, and winners of four of its last five. The lone loss during that stretch came to Azusa Pacific at home on Oct. 5. WOU trailed 34-19 with five minutes left in the game, before scoring 13 unanswered points. A two-point conversion failed with a minute left in regulation, and the Cougars were able to secure the onside kick and leave with the two-point win.

Azusa Pacific outgained the Wolves, 377-315, in offensive yards in the game, behind 191 yards on the ground. Terrel Watson carried the ball 28 times for 102 yards. Dasmen Stewart also ran for 72 yards, while also completing 16 of his 23 passes for 186 yards. Sean Barber made 16 tackles in the win, along with forcing two fumbles. WOU was led by Ryan Bergman's 257 passing yards. The junior was 20-for-39 with four touchdown passes.

The Cougars (6-2, 6-1 GNAC) enter the game on a four-game win streak, all by single digits. Azusa Pacific grabbed a key 24-17 road win at Central Washington last weekend for sole possession of first place in the GNAC standings. In a wild game that APU relied on its defense for the win, Azusa Pacific led 14-10 at halftime, despite running just three offensive plays until the final minute of the second quarter. The Cougars returned an interception 50 yards and a kickoff 92 yards for touchdowns.

In the game, Central Washington had the ball for 40 minutes, while APU was just under 20 minutes. CWU almost doubled the Cougars in offensive plays (80-43), and total yards (311-187), but it was Azusa Pacific that took advantage the big plays. Azusa's 42 total plays equaled the lowest in conference history. APU had the ball for only one minute and 48 seconds in the 30-minute first half.

With the victory, Azusa Pacific sits alone in first place in the GNAC standings, with Central Washington and Western Oregon a game behind with three games left in the regular season. APU slid into the AFCA Div. II national poll this week in the receiving votes category, ranked No. 34 in the country.

Watson's 2,382 career rushing yards in sixth in the conference all-time. He has six games this season over 100 yards. His 170.2 all-purpose yards per game and 10.5 points per game lead the conference. Watson also tops the GNAC in rushing yards per game (160.8) and yards per rush (6.2). The APU defense is surrendering 20.6 points and 347.6 yards per game, both second in the conference.

The Wolves' Kraig Akins is 12th in NCAA Div. II in forced fumbles, and Bergman is 23rd in passing yards per game. Western Oregon now leads the GNAC in scoring with an average of 31 points per outing. WOU's 403.4 yards per game is second in the conference. The Wolves also own the best fourth-down conversion percentage in the conference at 60 percent.

Last week, Western Oregon defeated Simon Fraser for the ninth straight time. Devauntae Hoffman and Joe Harris both finished over 100 yards rushing in WOU's 30-16 win. The dynamic duo combined for 227 yards on the ground, with Hoffman amassing 126. The GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week, Jesse Correa, made all three of his field goal attempts. The sophomore entered the game with a season-long make of 36 yards, but he made kicks from 48, 46, and 32 yards. On defense, three of Gustave Benthin's six tackles were for a loss, with two sacks.

This will be the eighth all-time meeting with Azusa Pacific. Western Oregon holds a slim 4-3 advantage in the series. The Wolves are 1-2 at APU all-time, with the victory coming last season, 20-7. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game will have live video and stats on WOUWolves.com. Mark Gilman will provide play-by-play on KLOO 1340 AM locally, and http://klooam.com worldwide.