MONMOUTH, Ore. – Each season had been building for the Western Oregon University football team to reach the top of the conference mountain. That came to fruition in 2019 when the Wolves were able to go 5-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play to earn their first share of the conference title in program history. For Curtis Anderson, being a member of this team entering into his senior season, they will look to use the success as even further motivation to make a push towards not just another GNAC crown in 2020, but a possible playoff spot.
The versatile defensive back and return specialist from Klamath Falls, Ore., has been a cornerstone of the team since 2017, starting every game that season and has continued his strong play since. Following an 0-2 start, WOU went 7-2 down the stretch to turn the season around and nearly securing a spot in postseason play. The team used a strong bond on and off the field that helped carry them through the tough times on the field throughout the season.
"When I think back to last season, the thing that comes to my mind the most is our sense of family. Regardless of if you were on offense, defense or special teams, guys who play a lot and guys who didn't get the time they wanted, still helped pushing this team to win together," Anderson said. "We won together, we lost together, we had fun every step of the way, form the games to the bus rides, it was the most unified I've felt our team has been since I've been here."
Of course, the chase for the GNAC crown had it's challenges. Following the big win in Ellensburg for the first time since 1998, the 2019 Wolves could taste a possible conference title. After going 3-0 through the first round of the GNAC slate, the second time around was a challenge. WOU played an epic overtime game with Central Washington at home falling just short. Following a big non-conference win over Midwestern State, WOU went to 4-1 in conference with a win over Simon Fraser. That setup the game at home with Azusa Pacific to basically decide if WOU would claim a share of the conference crown or not. Fittingly, the game went right down to the wire before the late blocked field goal sent the players into an emotional overload knowing what they had just accomplished.
"To be part of something big, to see the energy it brought to our team, our coaches and players, just the pure joy of that success and seeing the fruit of your work and your faith brings is awesome," he said. "It also gives momentum and the confidence that we can expand on what we've done and accomplish more. Winning breeds winning, so even bigger that just the title of champs was knowing we were helping further the culture of winning the guys have been working on for these past few seasons."
It's been a steady climb to the top since Anderson arrived a few seasons ago. The team opened the 2017 season with three wins and then after a five-win campaign in 2018, the team made the next jump to seven wins and although the team had four losses, three of them went right down to the wire. Sometimes close games against really good opponents – even losses – can help shape a season. This was true last year with the team taking No. 12 and the 2017 national champion Texas A&M-Commerce Lions right down to the wire, having the final possession of the game to possibly tie or win the game. After that, WOU put together a key four-game winning streak, that included the clutch road wins at Azusa Pacific and Central Washington. Most of the success can be tracked back down to the culture change that was evident from the opening of fall camp.
"I think there were several things that played into our success this past season, but that sense of family was at the top of the list. Head Coach Arne Ferguson has always been a football savant and Cori Metzgar (Director of Sports Performance) always has gotten the most of her student-athletes, but the change was certainly in the culture," Anderson said. The desire of guys to compete as hard as they can against and with each other, without ever feeling like your boys and your coaches don't have your back. It was to me the atmosphere and the culture this year that made all the difference. I also can't say enough about the leadership of guys on defense like Nate Proctor Jr., and Derek Parnell, or even the emergence of young leaders on the offense like Omari Land and Marquis Sampson, who were able to see everyday how someone like Ty Currie or Jakob Pruitt compete."
To think back to "the block" really sets everything in perspective. Coming off of a few weeks ago the difficult game against Central Washington, the Wolves were trying to move past that and found themselves in almost an identical situation with Azusa Pacific. The resiliency of the team that day made it only fitting that it helped WOU secure the first-ever GNAC title in program history.
"It was amazing when that field goal got blocked. We had been beating ourselves up so badly over losing that second game to Central Washington, but that is football. Not that you win every rep or every time, but that you keep getting up and going," he said. "That blocked field goal in that game against Azusa Pacific showed more about the resilience of our team and our ability to maintain our positive spirit than most people probably realize."
Anderson finished the season earning first team All-GNAC honors on both defense and special teams. In the return game, he returned 29 kickoffs for 626 yards, with a long of 63. While starting every game in the secondary, Anderson compiled 40 tackles, 27 solo and five interceptions, along with a pair of passes broken up and a blocked kick. His interceptions came in bunches, taking away two at Central Washington in the big road win and then two in another road win at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
"It's always an honor to be recognized when I see how talented some of the athletes we play against are or even how talented the guys at my position are. Joey Sinclair and Ryan Minniti are two of the best football players I've met and I have them to be pushed by and compete with and against everyday just on my team alone," Anderson said. "I'm not going to lie, I feel blessed, this was a difficult season for me health wise and I know how tough things got and how much I started to beat myself up about what I couldn't do, but I was upheld and so to be recognized for what I was able to do is a blessing."
Being able to compete against tough circumstances has helped with the schedule that the Wolves have continually played over the years. In 2019 alone, the team faced three teams that were either ranked or receiving votes at the time of the contest, along with playing teams with a strong tradition of winning including Central Washington (twice) and Midwestern State gave the team plenty of challenges to ready against the best.
"I think playing these difficult schedules is essential to our growth as a program," Anderson said. "Confidence comes from challenging ourselves and the best way to do that is to seek out the best and prove to ourselves we belong right there with them."
Having always been close to breaking through over the years always left that sort of "what if" feeling that this team could achieve. By posting a record well above .500, the Wolves know that they can reach even greater heights for future seasons coming off of the big 2019 year.
"It's been great, the air of excitement is just that much stronger knowing we aren't trying to prove we can be just a .500 team next year, we are trying to prove we can compete for National Championships," he said. "It's a different feeling, the incoming recruiting class probably also has a different feeling because they're immediately coming into a program full of talented players who are ready to win."
While this time of the year would be getting ready for spring ball, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has the players working remotely to keeping grinding for the coming season. Like most athletes, the desire to compete as the best level against the top competition keeps him pursuing greatness even in the offseason.
"For myself, it's about using this offseason to really refine technique on the field. I often rely on my competitiveness and doing whatever it takes just to win the rep/game, but that can be to the overall detriment of myself as a football player if I don't get better at becoming better at all the little things that you have to couple with competitiveness, that take your game to the next level," Anderson said.
With his final season approaching, Anderson knows that he has truly enjoyed his journey to this point, but that he still has a lot that he hopes to achieve and improve on before the final game arrives in 2020.
"I want mostly the same thing that I've wanted since I've shown up on campus, is to be the absolute best football player and leader, along with being a brother to my guys that I can be," he said. "To give every last bit of me every Saturday and to be confident after this senior season that I'm the best football player I have ever been at any point in my career. Everything about my journey at WOU up to this point has been amazing. I thank God constantly for these relationships and these experiences. I'm excited for another year to do what I love and soak up all that comes with being a Wolf."
It will be another challenging schedule in 2020, one that the Wolves will be ready to compete each and every week. WOU opens at Division I Idaho on the road on Sep. 5. The first home game of the season arrives on Sep. 12 against Texas A&M-Kingsville. In addition to the first GNAC game of the season at home on Sep. 19 against Azusa Pacific, the team will once against see Central Washington and Simon Fraser twice, before closing the season at Azusa Pacific on Nov. 14. Two other non-conference games will arrive during the season traveling to West Texas A&M on Oct. 3 and then hosting Chadron State for Senior Day on Nov. 7.
