Game No. 5

  VS   

Western Oregon (2-2, 1-1 GNAC) vs. No. 14 Azusa Pacific (4-0, 3-0 GNAC)
Oct. 1, 2016 • McArthur Field (2,500) – Monmouth, Ore. / 1 p.m. PT
 
Television: KWVT-17 Salem (Matt Palumbo)
Radio: KLOO 1340am (Mark Gilman & Jerry Gilman)
Live Stats/Video: WOUWolves.com/Live
Social Media: Facebook: Western Oregon Athletics | Twitter: @WOUWolves  @WOU_Football | Instagram: @WOUWolves  @WOU_Football
 
 
Series: Series tied at 5-5
Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2015; WOU 17-14 in Monmouth

Coaches:
Arne Ferguson (Western Oregon, 1991)
Western Oregon Record: 73-50 (12th Season)
Career Record: Same
Career vs. Azusa Pacific: 3-4

Victor Santa Cruz (Hawaii, 1995)
Record: 63-49 (11th Season)
Career Record: Same
Career vs. Western Oregon: 5-5
 
 
   

• The Western Oregon football team will host No. 14 Azusa Pacific in a Red Out and Chamber of Commerce Challenge affair at McArthur Field on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set at 1 p.m. The Wolves come into the contest 2-2 overall and 1-1 in GNAC action, while the Cougars are 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the GNAC.
• Saturday's game against APU will be a RED OUT – We ask all WOU fans to come decked out in Wolves' red for the game. The first 250 students will receive a free RED OUT t-shirt when they register at the student entry gate.
• Arne Ferguson's teams since 2011 have gone 2-6 against nationally-ranked Division II opponents, but the record at McArthur Field in those games is 2-1:

• 2015: W, 24-22 vs. #6 North Alabama
• 2014: L, 18-19 at #24 Azusa Pacific
• 2014: L, 10-30 at #5 North Alabama
• 2012: L, 20-48 vs. #7 Grand Valley State
• 2011: L, 7-37 at #14 Humboldt State
• 2011: W, 40-24 vs. #15 Humboldt State
• 2011: L, 35-51 at #11 Abilene Christian
• 2011: L, 20-44 at #5 Grand Valley State
   

TICKETS – Tickets for Saturday's game may be purchased at the McArthur Field box office on game day. Fans may also purchase tickets for the three remaining home games (10/1 vs. APU, 10/8 vs. SFU, 10/22 vs. HSU) online at WOUWolves.com/WOUtickets or by calling the WOU Ticket Office (503-838-8917).
 
 
1^st Down: Western Oregon had 539 yards of offense in last Saturday's win at Humboldt State. The total was the highest output for the Wolves in three years. Back on Oct. 19, 2013, WOU put up 567 yards against Dixie State on the road in a 46-34 win. Current San Diego Charger Tyrell Williams had 184 receiving yards and two TD's in the 2013 win over DSU.

2^nd Down: Malik Braxton, the GNAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, has posted the last five 100-yard rushing game for Western Oregon football. Prior to Saturday's 191-yard performance, he had a string of four games in 2015 with 100 or more yards in win s over CWU, SFU, APU and South Dakota Mines. The last person not named Braxton to have triple digits rushing in a game was Nathaniel Penaranda with 143 yards in the 2014 season finale at SD Mines.

3^rd Down: On third down, the WOU offense is still looking to improve conversion rates. After going 5-for-14 in week one at Sacramento State, the Wolves have gone 7-for-51 over the past three weeks on third down. On a positive note, WOU has converted at least once on fourth down in three straight games.

4^th Down: Good things happen inside the red zone. WOU has been inside the red zone 10 times through four games and scored on eight trips – five touchdowns and three field goals. Last Saturday against HSU, the Wolves scored on both red zone trips with a rushing TD from Malik Braxton and a Jacob Bannister field goal.
 
 
Offense: MVP – Malik Braxton; Top Performers – Phillip Fenumiai
Defense: MVP – Michael Kluge; Top Performers – Bo Highburger
Special Teams: MVP – Paul Revis; Top Performers – Donnevon Ito
 
 
Azusa Pacific is the lone unbeaten team in the GNAC and comes into Saturday's game at McArthur Field ranked 14^th in the AFCA Division II national poll. The Cougars rolled to a 64-14 victory of Simon Fraser last Saturday at home to improve to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in league play. APU racked up 371 yards through the air with a combined quarterback effort from Andrew Elffers (12-16, 174 yards, 3 TD) and Chad Jeffries (6-11, 188 yards, 3 TD). Two receivers eclipsed 100 yards – Weston Carr with 120 yards on three catches and Brandon Jackson with 112 yards with five grabs. After surrendering an opening touchdown, the Cougars led 41-7 at the half. They scored all 64 of their points consecutively before a late Clan TD in the fourth quarter made the final score, 64-14.
 
Elffers has thrown for 557 yards and eight touchdowns while completing 63 percent of his passes (46-72). Jeffries had added three throwing scores and 252 passing yards. Kurt Scoby leads a deep rushing attack for the Cougars with 184 yards (5.8 per rush average) in four games. Carr leads a trio in the receiving corps with 217 yards, followed by Ethan Zeidler (188) and Jackson (178, 4 TD). Anchoring the eagle defense, rover Aaron Berry has 37 tackles while Mykal Walker and Jonathan Thropay each have 30 stops. The Cougars' defense has intercepted 10 passes while the quaterbacks have not been picked at all.
 
Azusa Pacific was picked second in the preseason GNAC coaches vote after a 6-4 campaign (3-3 GNAC) in 2015.

    

• Idaho State (2-2, 1-0 Big Sky) 42, Sacramento State (0-4, 0-1 Big Sky) 34.
• North Dakota (2-2, 1-0 Big Sky) 17, Montana State 14 (2-2, 0-1 Big Sky)
• Azusa Pacific (4-0, 3-0 GNAC) 64, Simon Fraser (0-4, 0-2 GNAC) 14.
• Central Washington (2-2, 1-1 GNAC) 40, Dixie State (1-3, 1-1 RMAC) 18

 
 
WOLVES DOWN D-1 HORNETS: Paul Revis' two first quarter touchdowns provided all the momentum that Western Oregon needed to score a 38-30 upset of Division I-FCS Sacramento State at Hornet Stadium. Revis opened scoring on a trick play, catching a 19-yard pass from Malik Braxton with 4:41 left in the first quarter. A minute later, Revis returned a punt 74 yards for the touchdown, putting the Wolves up 14-0. The Hornets added a pair of touchdowns and a field goal, but Braxton's 10-yard touchdown reception from Phillip Fenumiai allowed the Wolves a 21-16 halftime lead. Sacramento State was within two, 24-22, thanks to a 18-yard touchdown pass from Nate Ketteringham to Jaelin Ratliff with 14:03 left in the game, but the Wolves responded with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Nick Duckworth to Wesley Gray with 10:31 left and a Torreahno Sweet 30-yard scoring run with 5:11 left. Sacramento State scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion on their next possession and had a chance to tie the game late before Danny Hankins intercepted Ketteringham in the end zone with 19 seconds left to win it. Revis finished the night with 175 all-purpose yards, making seven catches for 64 yards and a touchdown and returning two punts for 111 yards and a score. Fenumiai completed 8 of 15 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown while Duckworth completed 6 of 9 for 73 yards and a score. Ketteringham completed 34 of 58 for 370 yards and three touchdowns for Sacramento State, but was also intercepted twice. Western Oregon won the game despite being outgained by the Hornets 465 to 341. Bo Highburger led the Western Oregon defense with 14 tackles, including one for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
 
WOLVES DROP HOME OPENER TO CWU: Senior tight end Andy Avgi had two touchdown grabs and junior receiver Paul Revis caught 11 passes for 132 yards, but Central Washington scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to pick up a 41-20 Great Northwest Athletic Conference win on Saturday afternoon at McArthur Field. Avgi hauled in a 29-yard pass from junior quarterback Phillip Fenumiai in the first quarter and the duo synced up again late in the fourth quarter for a five-yard score. Fenumiai was 13-of-25 for 169 yards in a starting role and fellow junior Nick Duckworth amassed 177 passing yards for the Wolves (1-1, 0-1 GNAC) going 13-for-19 during action beginning late in the first half. Central Washington (1-1, 1-0 GNAC) quarterback Justin Lane threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats outgained WOU 45-1 353 for the game. Three WOU played paced the defensive effort with 10 or more tackles. Bo Highburger led the team for the second consecutive game posting a game-high 15 tackles with five stops coming for loss. Tyler Johnson had 12 stops including a sack while Tafatolu Tafai had three stops for loss in his 11 total tackles. Kui Williams had a pair of sacks and Nathan Jones had a pick and two breakups in the secondary.
 
WOU FALLS TO FCS MONTANA STATE: Division I-FCS Montana State limited Western Oregon to 190 yards of total offense Saturday, handing the Wolves a 55-0 loss at Bobcat Stadium. Despite the final score, the opening quarter proved a defensive battle with the Bobcats opening with a Gabe Peppenger 32-yard field goal as the first quarter expired. The floodgates opened in the second with Montana State scoring four straight touchdowns and took a 34-0 lead on Devon Tandberg's 37-yard field goal with 2:46 left in the first half. The Bobcats added a touchdown in the third quarter and two in the fourth. Nick Duckworth led three Western Oregon quarterbacks to play in the game, completing 10 of 17 passes for 57 yards. Wesley Gray caught seven passes for 36 yards while Steven Long carried nine times for 49 yards. Montana State's Tyler Bruggman completed 17 of 29 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. He was one of four Montana State quarterbacks to throw passes in the game. Mitch Herbert caught six passes for 100 yards and Gunnar Brekke carried 16 times for 52 yards. Tafatolu Tafai and Tyler Johnson each had six tackles to lead the Western Oregon defense.

WOLVES HOLD OFF NO. 24 HUMBOLDT STATE: After building a 34-7 first half lead, Western Oregon held off a torrid comeback by Humboldt State to escape with a 48-42 win over the Lumberjacks at the Redwood Bowl. The Wolves jumped out to a 23-0 lead late in the first quarter thanks to a pair of touchdowns runs by Malik Braxton and a 26- yard touchdown pass from Phillip Fenumiai to Andy Avgi. The Wolves made it a 34-7 lead on a 39-yard Jacob Bannister field goal before the Lumberjacks started to make their charge. Chase Krivashei scored on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Robert Webber and Ja'Quan Gardner scored on a two-yard run to come within 34-21 at the half. Western Oregon opened the third quarter by taking both touchdowns back on a 16-yard Braxton touchdown run and a 27-yard scoring pass from Fenumiai to Paul Revis. Humboldt State scored the final three touchdowns of the game to challenge late, coming within 48-42 on Webber's 17-yard touchdown pass to Marjani Ellison. Humboldt State had the ball to end the game, but could not convert in the red zone for the win. Braxton carried 23 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns to lead Western Oregon while Fenumiai completed 11 of 21 for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Webber set GNAC single game records with 502 yards passing and 44 completions. He passed for four touchdowns. Krivashei caught 13 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Humboldt State outgained Western Oregon 579 to 539. Bo Highburger led WOU defensively with 16 tackles while Cameron Buell paced Humboldt State with eight tackles.