ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- For the second straight week, Azusa Pacific rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit in a challenging road environment as the No. 16-ranked Cougars scored two touchdowns in the final 4:02 to claim a 27-17 win over Central Washington Saturday afternoon before 4,376 at Tomlinson Stadium.

Junior QB Andrew Elffers completed 12-of-22 passes for 169 yards and three TDs, including the go-ahead score on a 45-yard screen pass to junior RB Aaron Baltazar that answered a Central Washington score and pushed the Cougars in front, 21-17, with 4:02 to play.

After a C.J. Broussard interception in Wildcat territory, Elffers connected with senior WR Ethan Zeidler from 20 yards out to extend the lead to 27-17 with 1:59 left.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 3-0 overall and owns the early GNAC lead with a 2-0 conference mark.

"I love the character in this group," Azusa Pacific head coach Victor Santa Cruz said. "We've had three hard tests, with two of them on the road, but they are a positive, energetic group, and you can see how much they love playing the game and how much they believe in each other."

The Cougars outgained the Wildcats offensively by a 355-323 margin, doing so in 17 fewer plays from scrimmage. Seeing his first action of the year, Baltazar rushed for a game-high 93 yards and one TD in addition to his 45-yard scoring reception late in the game. Elffers added 39 rushing yards to his passing total, and he spread his 12 completions around to eight different targets while his young offensive line did not surrender a sack.

"The biggest key for us offensively is how our young offensive line held its own against a high-pressure defense like Central Washington," Santa Cruz said. "Our young guys are getting better and better each week, and they did a great job protecting our quarterbacks."

Zeidler was Azusa Pacific's leading receiver with four catches for 54 yards including his 20-yard scoring reception, and redshirt freshman Weston Carr also hauled in four catches for 51 yards.

Senior rover Jonathan Thropay and sophomore LB Aaron Berry tallied 11 tackles each to lead the Cougar defense, which produced a three-turnover performance with three interceptions of Wildcat QB Justin Lane. Broussard, Tyree Davis, and Sam Flemming registered the takeaways, and Flemming also recorded one of four Cougar sacks.

Azusa Pacific jumped out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead after Baltazar punched in a one-yard rushing score on the Cougars' second possession before Elffers tossed a 15-yard TD pass to Tanner Henry with 13 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Central Washington answered with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but the Wildcats' next trip into Cougar territory ended with Davis' interception in the end zone. CWU trimmed the lead to 13-10 after another trip into the red zone netted a 22-yard field goal.

"In a game like today where the weather became a factor with the windy conditions, you have to make things happen in the red zone," Santa Cruz said. "This is why I love playing GNAC football, because I know it's going to be a tough battle week in and out, and we are going to have to earn every victory."

Neither team produced a scoring drive in the first four second-half possessions for both teams, but Lane tossed an 18-yard TD pass to Jesse Zalk with 6:38 left in the game to give Central Washington a 17-13 lead. It only took the Cougars 2:36 to regain the lead, as Elffers guided the offense across the 50-yard line before finding Baltazar for the 45-yard screen pass score with 4:02 to play.

WHAT'S NEXT: Azusa Pacific returns to Southern California for its first home game since an impressive 28-10 win over West Texas A&M on Sept. 1, continuing GNAC play against Simon Fraser.