GLENDORA, Calif. -- A midseason clash between Great Northwest Athletic Conference leaders lived up to its Top-25 billing, as No. 24-ranked Azusa Pacific and No. 25-ranked Central Washington traded scores for all four quarters before Central Washington held on in the end for a 45-31 win over the Cougars.
Playing before a national broadcast audience on ESPN 3, Azusa Pacific erased an early 10-point deficit to tie the game at 17-17 at halftime. Even though Central Washington put up a 21-point third quarter, the Cougars pulled within a score, 38-31, on a Bryce Grandison touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and blocked a Wildcat field goal attempt to set up a chance for a game-tying drive. However, Tevin Gray sealed the win for CWU with an interception at midfield with 1:32 to play, and the Wildcats added an insurance score two plays later for the final 45-31 margin.
The teams combined for 942 yards of total offense in drastically different style, with Central Washington grinding out 319 rushing yards of its 496-yard output while Azusa Pacific hit several big plays through the air with 314 passing yards in a 446-yard performance.
Weston Carr broke Azusa Pacific's career record for receiving yards with five catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns, just two weeks after claiming the program's career receiving touchdowns record. He surpassed Paul Nath, who played four seasons (1978-81) and racked up 2,824 yards, for the top spot on the career receiving chart with 2,975 career receiving yards along with 33 receiving touchdowns.
The loss drops Azusa Pacific to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, while Central Washington improves to 4-2 overall and remains unbeaten (4-0) in conference play through the first half of the GNAC schedule.
How It Happened: Central Washington jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, the first of five times the Wildcats led by two scores, but Azusa Pacific answered on the next possession each of the first four times to stay within striking distance. Carr got the Cougars on the board in the first quarter with a 72-yard touchdown pass from Jesse Hanckel less than a minute after falling behind, 10-0.
After a 13-play, 78-yard Wildcat touchdown drive pushed the lead to 17-7, Azusa Pacific scored the last 10 points of the half to tie the game at 17-17 on Carr's eight-yard scoring reception with just 17 seconds left in the second quarter. Central Washington opened the second half with a 76-yard Michael Roots rushing touchdown and added another Roots score on a 34-yard reception to take a 31-17 lead, but the Cougars answered with a seven-play, 60-yard drive capped by a Grandison 10-yard score to pull within 31-24.
Central Washington quarterback Reilly Hennessey scored on a keeper from eight yards out late in the third quarter, but Grandison capped another seven-play drive, this one encompassing 80 yards, with a two-yard touchdown run to trim the margin to 38-31 with 13:35 to play. Roots scored his third touchdown for a game-sealing seven-yard touchdown run with 1:21 remaining in the game.
Turning Point: Grandison's fourth-quarter touchdown pulled Azusa Pacific within a score, facing a 38-31 deficit with 13:35 left in the game. However, Central Washington halted the Cougars' momentum with an 18-play, 68-yard drive which consumed nearly 10 minutes of the remaining time. The Cougars blocked the Wildcats' 34-yard field goal attempt to get the ball back facing that same seven-point deficit, but Tevin Gray's midfield pick and return into the red zone set up Central Washington's game-sealing final score with 1:21 left.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Grandison rushed for a team-high 80 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and Hanckel threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-37 passing in his first start at quarterback for the Cougars. Carr led the receiving effort with his 153-yard effort, which all came in the first half, and Gaige Allen added four catches for 72 yards.
Three Cougars finished with double-digit tackles, with Aaron Berry and Quentin Frazier tallying 11 each, while Ulysses Pickett finished with 10 tackles. Josh Olave had an interception, his third pick of the year, plus two pass breakups to go with five tackles.
Central Washington Standouts: Hennessey completed 67 percent (18-for-27) passing for 177 yards, and he added 108 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on 14 carries to lead the Wildcats' 496-yard offensive production. Roots was the leading rusher for CWU, carrying 17 times for 152 yards and two rushing touchdowns plus a 34-yard touchdown reception.
What's Next: Azusa Pacific finishes the regular season with four road games in its final five weeks, starting with a GNAC road game at Simon Fraser on Oct. 13 before visiting No. 12-ranked Colorado School of Mines in a non-conference clash on Oct. 20.
