Wildcats Win Wild One Over Wolves, 28-21

The Wolves had 474 yards of total offense but never led in the game and reached paydirt only once in falling to 4-2 on the season.

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ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Western Oregon kicked a school-record five field goals and outgained host Central Washington, but still came up a touchdown short during a 28-21 loss to the Wildcats in front of 3,359 fans at Tomlinson Stadium.

Central Washington rode the arm of Mike Reilly, who hit 22 of 32 passes for 314 yards (a season high) and three touchdowns. All three scoring tosses were to Johnny Spevak, who had nine catches on the day for 139 yards, also a career best.

Western Oregon’s Eliot Vinzant rushed for over 100 yards for the 13th consecutive time, gaining 132 on 22 carries. That gives him an even 1,000 yards for the season, making him the only WOU back in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back years.

In between the accolades, a very entertaining football was played.

Central Washington and Western Oregon both put points on the board in their first two possessions of the game, but the Wildcats scored touchdowns while WOU settled for field goals. Reilly hit Spevak for scoring tosses of 56 yards and 31 yards, while Bruce Voges connected on three-pointers from 29 and 28 yards out.

That would become a common theme in the first half for Western Oregon, as the Wolves would drive the ball into the red zone (inside the 20-yard line), but couldn’t punch it into the end zone. Voges had two more field goals of 34 and 24 yards in the first half, and at the same time, WOU’s defense managed to keep CWU from scoring any more before the break, thanks in part to a pair of fumble recoveries by Anthony Marin that stopped Wildcat drives. It was 14-12, CWU at the break.

After a first half in which both teams combined for nearly 540 yards, the third quarter nearly came and went without a score. But the points that did go on the board in that period were controversial and game-changing for WOU.

After a nine-minute drive by CWU did not result in any points, WOU took over at their own 23-yard line. Two first downs moved the ball to the Wildcat 45-yard line, and on the next play, WOU quarterback Mark Thorson hit tight end Kevin Boss on a sideline route. Boss gathered in the catch with cornerback Brandon Kennedy drapped all over him, then raced down the sidelines, hurdling one would-be tackler for what appeared to be the go-ahead score.

But Boss was called for offensive pass interference, even though a television replay showed no contact initiated by Boss. After the penalty, the Wolves were forced to punt, and Josh Vanlue’s kick was blocked by Buddy Wood and returned by Kyle Williams all the way to WOU two-yard line. Josh Lopez scored on the next play to make the count 21-12, instead of a WOU lead at 19-14.

The Wildcats then tried to nail the lid on the coffin, scoring again on a Reilly-Spevak combination, this time for 15 yards, giving CWU a 28-12 lead with 11:16 remaining.

But WOU wouldn’t go away just yet, as the Wolves went on back-to-back impressive drives. Their next drive got them in the end zone with 8:31 remaining, after Tyler Knudsen capped a seven-play, 81-yard drive with a 25-yard scoring run on a reverse. Boss, who had all eight of his catches on the day in the second half, had three grabs on that drive.

After a Western defensive stand, the Wolves got the ball back and went on a nine-play, 66-yard drive. Boss had three more catches, but on the last one, he hurt his shoulder and left the game. The Wolves again went to the leg of Voges, who hit a 40-yarder to pull the visitors to within a touchdown with 3:34 left (28-21).

But CWU then crushed any final Wolves comeback hopes by killing the remaining clock, thanks mostly to a 29-yard third-down run by Lopez.

Central converted 10 of 13 third down opportunities in the game, while WOU hit on just 4 of 13.

WOU’s Thorson was 20 of 33 for a career-best 314 yards. Boss had the eight catches for 81 yards, while Isaiah Smith had his first three catches of the season for 97 total yards. Voges five field goals tied a WOU record held by Jon Freeman, who kicked five on this very same field in 1998.

Western Oregon, who began the year 4-0, will now try and get back on the winning track next Saturday against Southern Oregon. Kick-off is set for 2:00 PM at McArthur Field.

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