Football | 8/20/2018 4:52:00 PM

>>> Free admission announced for home opener
>>> GNAC Preseason Poll
>>> 2018 WOU Football Roster

MONMOUTH, Ore.--With home games dominating the early portion of the schedule, the 2018 Western Oregon University football season will prove to be a tale of two halves and head coach Arne Ferguson is looking forward to the early benefit this will provide his team.

The Wolves will open their schedule at McArthur Field in Monmouth on Saturday, Sept. 1, against Angelo State University (Texas) and will not see the road until week No. 4 of the season.

"Obviously we like the first part of the schedule," Ferguson said of the four home dates in the first five weeks. "Our players are able to be more comfortable coming in. It also gives us a chance to develop some young guys."

Conference play will open on the second week of the season when Western Oregon plays host to No. 6 Central Washington for the first of their two meetings of the year. It will be the first of four consecutive games the Wolves will play against a Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe with three of those games coming at home.

Conversely to their home-heavy start, WOU will close out the year with five of their final six games on the road, facing three of those opponents for a second time on the year.

"The second half of the schedule is going to be tough, no question – playing that much on the road can wear on you – but we are working hard to get the tools we need to be successful in a very competitive conference," Ferguson said.

The Wolves are returning nearly 70 players from the 2017 team, including some key pieces from last year's defensive secondary.

"Curtis Anderson and Derek Parnell are really stepping up," Ferguson said. "It's really good to see how they're playing and the communication improvements they're making. It's not all perfect yet, but we're seeing huge progress from last year in our secondary."

Anderson and Parnell are returning from a defensive backfield that nabbed the conference's second-most interceptions in 2017, three of which went for touchdowns. Anderson, a sophomore from Klamath Falls, finished the 2017 campaign tied for team lead with four interceptions while also finishing second among defensive backs with 43 total tackles. Parnell, a junior from Portland, made an impressive 24 solo tackles last season while defending the third most passes on the team at seven.

Offensively, the Wolves will feature new key starters at quarterback and the wide receiver spots, but the offensive line will be comprised of several incumbents.

"We are very fortunate to have four offensive lineman that have had significant playing experience. Joe Gonzales and Aaron Turner bring experience at the tackles and we also have Ron Rose and Jakob Pruitt back and that solidifies a lot of things off while bringing in a new quarterback," Ferguson said.

In total, the Wolves will play 11 regular-season games with five of those coming at home. Homecoming will take place Oct. 20 with Humboldt State coming to town for their second meeting of the year. The Wolves will close the season with three road dates facing Azusa Pacific, Simon Fraser and Eastern New Mexico, respectively.

WOU's season opener on Sept. 1 in Monmouth will include free entry as a part of Polk County Labor Day Appreciation.

Fans are invited to purchase tailgate spots inside the stadium parking lot. The tailgating lot will open at 9 a.m. on game day while entry to the stadium will begin at 11 a.m. For more information about reserving tailgating spots, contact Michael Feuling at 503-838-8449 or feulingm@wou.edu.

For season ticket information, contact the WOU Ticket Office at: 503-838-8917