Wolves Roll to 42-0 Win Over Bearcats

Western Oregon will continue local rivalry play next week, traveling to McMinnville to take on Linfield on Saturday, at 6:00 PM.

Salem-News.com Sports

SALEM - Eliot Vinzant rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns and Western Oregon’s defense shutout Willamette for the second year in a row as the Wolves topped the Bearcats 42-0 on Saturday night at McCulloch Stadium.

Vinzant, a senior from Scappoose, had touchdowns runs of 36 and 55 yards and averaged 8.3 yards a carry. He helped the Wolves carve out 423 yards of total offense, including 266 on the ground.

Vinzant got the Wolves on the board first, but it wasn’t until a scoreless first quarter was over.

Both teams struggled on offense in the opening stanza, and the host Bearcats had two turnovers in the first 15 minutes to cut short a pair of their drives.

But the Wolves opened things up in the second quarter with Vinzant’s 36-yard dash, and then they scored again with 4:54 left on a Mark Thorson strike to Brad Ching of 26 yards. WOU, who blanked the Bearcats 35-0 in the 2005 season opener, then used the Thorson to Ching combination again on the final play of the first half, this time for 43 yards and a score.

WOU also scored on the its first possession of the second half, going 48 yards on nine plays, capped by a quarterback sneak by Thorson.

Vinzant sped to a 55-yard six-pointer four minutes later, clearing the way for both teams to rest their starters in the fourth quarter.

Tyler Wilson scored his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter on a three-yard run to cap the scoring.

WOU’s defense had three interceptions in the game, including two by junior cornerback Jay Darden. True freshman Bryan Huber had the other.

Josh Vanlue debuted nicely in the punting department, averaging 46.6 yards on five kicks, including one for 54 yards.

Ching had his first two collegiate touchdowns and finished with three catches for 79 yards.

Thorson was an efficient 13 of 23 for 157 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.

Wilson, a redshirt freshman from Dayton, rushed for 43 yards on eight carries in the fourth quarter.

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