BURNABY, B.C. (Oct. 19) – The Western Oregon football team got big plays, including a Great Northwest Athletic Conference record breaking run, at the right times en route to a 37-26 victory over Simon Fraser at Swangard Stadium on Saturday.
 
The win was the fourth in a row for the Wolves, who improved to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Simon Fraser fell to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

CWU finished the game with season-highs of 244 rushing yards and 449 total yards.
 
The teams traded touchdowns on respective first drives. Simon Fraser senior quarterback Ryan Stanford hit Earl Anderson for a 67-yard scoring reception on the third play from scrimmage. WOU responded with some excitement after starting quarter Phillip Fenumiai put the Wolves in Clan territory with a 45-yard run. On the next snap, freshman running back Malik Braxton did his best Fenumiai impression firing a TD pass to sophomore Paul Revis to even the score at 7-7.


A high-scoring first quarter was extended after Braxton broke free for a touchdown run of 75 yards midway through the period. Simon Fraser closed out the quarter with a 48-yard field goal from Tiernan Docherty for a 14-10 WOU lead after 15 minutes.
 
Big plays continued in the second quarter. SFU receiver Justin Buren netted a 75-yard scoring reception from Stanford to push the Clan ahead by three. Dueling field goals, a 32-yard boot from senior Jesse Correa tied the game at 17-17, but Docherty had a response on the final play of the half from 23 yards to put SFU up 20-17 at halftime.
 
The second half started quietly as both teams failed to score on two successive drives. Western Oregon stalled out the second SFU drive with a stop on fourth down near the WOU 40-yard line.
 
With the WOU offense missing a gear, senior quarterback Trey Shimabukuro returned to the field for the first time in three weeks and led the squad to the go-ahead score. From their own 44-yard line, Shimabukuro hit one of his favorite target, Revis, for a score of 56 yards.
 
Simon Fraser again went for a fourth-down conversion in the next series, but a sack of Stanford by sophomore Michael Kluge put the Wolves at midfield. One pass later, sophomore Kamakana Apelu was in the end zone completing a 50-yard scoring play.
 
SFU closed within five points with a six-play drive, but could pull closer when the two-point effort fell incomplete.
 
Needing a big play, Braxton did something that has never been done before in a GNAC game. With the ball placed on the Wolves' 1-yard line, the freshman back sprang outside tackle and headed toward the sideline. He found blockers to shield the Clan defense and ran 99 yards to the house. The run broke the record of teammate Joe Harris, who ran for a 90-yard score against Central Washington on Nov. 9, 2013.
 
From the point forward, the WOU defense made stops with a forced fumble and another Kluge sack on the final play of the game to hold on for victory.
 
Braxton ran for 176 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns. Fenumiai passed for 55 yards and rushed for another 81 yards. Shimabukuro connected on five passes, two for scores, totaling 127 yards. Defensively, Shane Kuenzi led the Wolves for the third straight week with 10 tackles including 2.5 for loss. WOU sacked Stanford six times and had 12 total tackles for loss.
 
The Wolves return home for the final three games of the regular season, taking on Azusa Pacific on Halloween afternoon (Oct. 31) beginning at 1 p.m.