ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- A year ago, the only blemish on Azusa Pacific's Great Northwest Athletic Conference title was a loss to Central Washington, whose defense was the only one all year to hold Terrell Watson under 100 yards rushing. In the Cougars' first conference game of the 2014 season Saturday afternoon, Watson took care of last year's unfinished business by rushing for a season-high 256 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-20 road win over the Wildcats.

Watson, held under 100 yards in each of the last three meetings with CWU, surpassed his combined total from those previous three games (193) in a single half, rushing for 199 of his 256 yards in the first two quarters alone. His opening carry in the second quarter went for 64 yards, which he followed two plays later with a one-yard TD, and he took off for 40 more yards on the opening play of the next possession.

The first-half performance from Azusa Pacific's single-game, season, and career rushing record holder gave the 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior another program record, this time surpassing the Cougars' first-half rushing record of 197 yards, previously held by Christian Okoye.

With the win, Azusa Pacific has now won eight consecutive GNAC road games dating back to 2012, and the Cougars (4-1 overall, 1-0 GNAC) return home to face unbeaten Humboldt State on Thursday, Oct. 9. Central Washington drops to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the GNAC.

"I'm excited about this team and the way they have responded to the start of the year, because they have shown quite a bit of grit to them," Azusa Pacific head coach Victor Santa Cruz said. "GNAC football is a fight to the final second, so our opponents are proud teams we know are going to fight, and we're finding a way to win by playing all 4 quarters."

As effective as the Watson-led offense was, the Cougars were just as dominant defensively, halting seven of the first eight Central Washington drives in 16 yards or less. Three of those first eight Wildcat drives ended with turnovers, and the only drive to exceed 16 yards stalled in Cougar territory with a turnover on downs.

Senior FS Tyler Thornton picked off a Jake Nelson pass on the Wildcats' first play from scrimmage, and sophomore CB C.J. Broussard forced and recovered a fumble on the first play of the next Central Washington possession. The third drive resulted in the turnover on downs at the Cougar 35-yard line, which preceded Watson's 64-yard breakout. The lone first-half bright spot for Central Washington was special teams, which produced a 65-yard Isaiah Davis punt return that set up a three-play, 14-yard scoring drive that cut Azusa Pacific's lead to 20-7, as well as a blocked field goal on the next Cougar possession.

However, the ensuing drive was halted again by a turnover when junior LB Na'im Colbert picked off Nelson again with just 1:32 left in the first half. Colbert's 19-yard return set up a quick four-play, 31-yard drive, which was capped by a 19-yard TD hookup from redshirt freshman QB Chad Jeffries to junior WR Tanner Henry to send the Cougars into halftime with a 27-7 edge.

Central Washington cut into the 27-7 lead late in the third quarter, capitalizing on starting field position in Cougar territory by grinding out a 10-play drive that netted 28 yards and resulted in a 29-yard Sean McDonald field goal. After Azusa Pacific went three-and-out its next possession, a 42-yard punt return set up the Central Washington offense with starting position inside the red zone at the Cougar 18. The Wildcats got as close as the five-yard line before turning it over on downs for the second time in the game, keeping the Cougars' 17-point lead intact heading into the fourth quarter.

Nelson found Kent McKinney Jr. for an 87-yard scoring strike with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game, cutting the lead to 27-17, but Azusa Pacific's defense held for back-to-back three-and-out drives. Central Washington cut the lead to 27-20 on a 21-yard McDonald field goal with less than two minutes to play, but a 30-yard Watson scamper gave Azusa Pacific a game-clinching first down that allowed the Cougars to bleed the rest of the clock and hang on for the win.

Through the first three quarters, Azusa Pacific surrendered just 181 yards of total offense. Despite giving up another 129 yards in the fourth quarter, the Cougars outgained Central Washington's offense by over 100 yards (425-310), including a 315-yard team rushing effort for Azusa Pacific. Jeffries rushed for 59 yards, and he completed nine-of-15 passes for 110 yards and two TDs, both to Henry.

"I give credit to the coaches and their preparation, because offensive coordinator Rudy Carlton and the offensive coaching staff did an amazing job scouting the opponent and knowing how to establish our system against a quality defense," Santa Cruz said. "The fortitude and conviction of our offensive line in the run game helped out quite a bit. We believe in running the football, and that was evident today."

Colbert led the defense with a productive team-high seven tackles, adding 2.0 tackles for loss, one sack, and an interception, while seven other Cougars contributed to at least five tackles. Among those were Broussard, who recorded six solo tackles along with the fumble he forced and recovered, and Thornton, who finished with five tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup.

"The defensive coaching staff did a great job knowing first and foremost what we do well, and they established it against one of the hottest offenses in the league," Santa Cruz said. "Central Washington had a lot of dangerous weapons, so to get turnovers the way we did was at the heart of what we need to do defensively. When those opportunities came, they rose to the challenge and made the most of it."

QUICK STATS

-Each of the last three Cougar victories over Central Washington have knocked the Wildcats out of first place in the GNAC standings
-Azusa Pacific's four wins in the 10-game series history have all been by a margin of exactly seven points. Central Washington's average margin of victory in its six wins over the Cougars is 24 points.
-Terrell Watson's 64-yard run in the second quarter was his longest play from scrimmage since his game-winning 68-yard TD run against Simon Fraser (Oct. 12, 2013), when he set Azusa Pacific's single-game rushing record with 302 yards and five TDs in a 44-36 win.
-Watson's 256 rushing yards moved him up the Cougars' total offense career leaders into third place with 4,510 yards, surpassing former QB and current Cougar offensive coordinator Rudy Carlton as well as another former QB, longtime Whitworth College head coach John Tully.
-Tyler Thornton's interception was the 11th of his career, moving him into a tie for fifth among the program's career interception leaders.
-Azusa Pacific has held its opponent to seven points or less for one half in 11 consecutive games.
-Azusa Pacific is 14-1 in its past 15 games of GNAC play. The Cougars are 18-3 in the past 21 games overall, and the Cougars have won 16 of their past 18 against GNAC opponents.
-Azusa Pacific owns an eight-game GNAC road winning streak dating back to 2012, and the Cougars have won seven consecutive games played outside the state of California.

AROUND THE GNAC

All seven GNAC teams were in action Saturday, including the GNAC's newest program, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, in its first-ever GNAC game:

*indicates GNAC game
*Simon Fraser 29, Dixie State 19
*Humboldt State 53, South Dakota Mines 0
#5 North Alabama 30, Western Oregon 10

COUGARS' UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Thursday, Oct. 9, 6:00 pm vs. Humboldt State
Saturday, Oct. 18, 6:00 pm vs. Dixie State (Homecoming)
Saturday, Oct. 25, 1:00 pm at South Dakota Mines