ELLENSBURG, Washington --- The euphoria of what appeared to be a momentous final drive leading to a go-ahead touchdown for the Western Oregon football team to take a 16-14 lead with nine seconds left was quickly leaving the Wolves sideline as Central Washington blocked the extra point and was sprinting to what appeared to be a game-tying, improbable two-point conversion for the Wildcats.
But the will to win and the fight WOU showed all night was exemplified by kicker
Danny Cossette as he raced down the field, shed a blocker and tackled the Wildcat ball carrier at the 2-yard line to preserve a come-from-behind 16-14 Wolves win Saturday night at Tomlinson Stadium.
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The Wolves (2-4 overall, 1-4 LSC) trailed 14-3 with less than 12 minutes left in the game with the offense only having a Cossette 48-yard field goal to show for itself in the second quarter to give WOU a 3-0 lead in a defensive battle Saturday night with the Wildcats (3-2, 3-1). But the offense got rolling just in time as
Gannon Winker started finding his rhythm with five completions on six attempts - capped by a 41-yard pass to
Damon Hickok - to get the ball inside the Wildcat 10. After a 6-yard scramble by Winker,
Kainoa Jones did the rest for the Wolves - taking it in on the QB keeper to make it 14-10 with exactly 8:00 left on the clock.
WOU put together what turned out to be the game-winning drive starting at its own 25 with 3:45 left. The Wolves moved the ball down ot the CWU 33 with 1:02 remaining and faced a fourth-and-13 when Winker hit Hickok for a 19-yard completion to keep the drive and game alive for WOU.Â
The Wolves faced a third-and-7 from the Wildcat 11 when Winker hit
Omari Dixon-Land on a wheel route on the right side for a touchdown with nine second left to give WOU a 16-14 lead.
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On the extra point, Cossette's attempt ws blocked by Patrick Rogers and he picked it up and sprinted down the right side before navigating to the left and appeared he would score a two-point conversion and tie the game. But Cossette got a good angle on Rogers, shed a block attempt by another CWU player and made the tackle at the WOU 2-yard line to save the game for the Wolves.
Jaylin Parnell paced a strong defensive effort that held CWU to 280 yards of offense and forced three turnovers with a season-high 13 tackles to go along with a forced fumble.
Machiah Lee,
Joey Sinclair and
Ryan Minniti each had five tackles with Sinclair adding an interception.
The Wolves finished with 370 yards of offense with Winker going 16-for-38 for 241 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Hickok finished with a season high in receptions (seven) and yards (108) to lead the Wolves while Land-Dixon finished with a team-best 53 yards rushing.
WOU returns home next Saturday to take on West Texas A&M.
