ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Azusa Pacific scored touchdowns on all five second-half possessions to rally from an early 14-point deficit and clinch the Great Northwest Athletic Conference football co-championship with a 42-35 win at No. 18-ranked Central Washington.

The victory wrapped up the regular season for the Cougars, who posted an 8-3 overall record (8-2 vs. NCAA Division II) and went 7-1 in GNAC play to claim its fourth conference title in six years.

Tyrone Williams Jr. had the best game of his young career, as the redshirt sophomore quarterback completed 26-of-33 passes for 425 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He led the Cougars to 566 yards of total offense, as the two offenses combined for over 1,100 total yards. Williams also rushed 10 times for 63 yards in a breakout performance.

After a scoreless opening quarter, Central Washington took a 14-0 lead with a pair of touchdowns just two minutes apart. Bryce Grandison punched in a two-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 14-7 at halftime, and the Cougar offense took over the game from there. In the second half, Williams was 14-for-18 for 264 yards and all five of his touchdown passes. The Cougars answered a pair of fourth-quarter Wildcat touchdowns to tie the game at 28-28 and 35-35 before the defense produced back-to-back three-and-out stops.

Between those defensive stands, Williams found senior receiver Gaige Allen for the game-winning score on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 1:21 to play. Azusa Pacific got the ball back with less than a minute to play and ran out the rest of the clock to seal the victory.

With the win, Azusa Pacific provided a strong closing statement victory for the NCAA Division II regional ranking committee, which will select the seven teams from Super Region Four for the 28-team NCAA Division II playoff field. The Cougars were ranked ninth in last week's regional rankings (Central Washington was eighth).

How It Happened: Central Washington kept Azusa Pacific scoreless for the Cougars' first four possessions, but the Wildcats only made it to halftime with a 14-7 lead after Williams guided a 6-play, 68-yard touchdown drive punctuated by Grandison's two-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. Central Washington scored on its opening second-half drive to extend the lead to 21-7, but there was no stopping the Williams-led offense the rest of the way.

It took just four plays and less than two minutes for the Cougars to answer, as Williams connected with Darrell Adams Jr. for a 56-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 21-14. Azusa Pacific marched 80 yards on 10 plays on its next possession, although a missed extra point allowed CWU to maintain a narrow 21-20 margin. The Wildcats finished off a 6-play, 75-yard drive with a Cedric Cooper touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 28-20.

Williams Jr. rushed for 32 yards and threw for 26 more on a 12-play, 85-yard scoring drive, hitting Lucas Widmer for a three-yard score before tying the game with a keeper for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28. Central Washington went back in front on a Cooper touchdown run with 6:27 to play, but the Wildcats had little time to enjoy it. Williams Jr. found Allen for a 70-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage after the CWU score, tying the game at 35-35 just 16 seconds later.

The Cougar defense produced a three-and-out, allowing Williams to engineer a 10-play, 79-yard scoring drive which finished with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Allen for the go-ahead score with 1:21 to play. Azusa Pacific made another defensive stop, with a turnover on downs giving the ball back to the offense to run out the final 50 seconds of the game.

Turning Point: Although it only tied the game, Allen's 70-yard touchdown reception with 6:11 left turned the momentum in Azusa Pacific's favor for good. On the next Central Washington drive, Hennessey had two passes broken up by Josh Olave before he was stopped short of the first down on a third-and-10 keeper. That forced a punt back to the Cougar offense, which scored the game-winner on a sustained 79-yard drive. The next Wildcat possession started with a pair of dropped passes, and Hennessey's third-and-10 completion to Cooper resulted in a loss of five yards when he was brought down by Adrian Shocks and Willie Fair. Ulysses Pickett broke up Hennessey's fourth-down pass to force the turnover on downs with under a minute to play.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Williams' performance was his second career 400-yard passing game, with his first coming earlier this year against North Alabama. His leading receiver was Allen, who finished with five catches for 153 yards and his pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Senior tight end Matt Orzech had five catches for 81 yards, while sophomore wideout Brandon Jackson registered a game-high six catches for 46 yards.

Junior wide receiver Weston Carr caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, his 12th touchdown of the season. Williams helped lead the rushing attack with 63 yards, and Grandison gained 72 yards on 18 carries with a score.

Aaron Berry registered a team-high nine tackles, while Shocks collected eight including the tackle for loss on the Wildcats' final possession.

Central Washington Standouts: The Wildcat offense generated 255 yards of rushing offense, and Cooper led the way with 121 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns. Hennessey and Michael Roots each finished with 63 rushing yards, while Hennessey added 315 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-27 passing. He completed passes to eight different Wildcats, with Ryan Ramones catching three for a team-high 150 yards and one touchdown. The defense was led by Cody O'Connell's 13-tackle effort.

What's Next: With the regular season complete, all Azusa Pacific can do now is wait for Sunday's NCAA Division II playoff selection show, which will stream live Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific time on ncaa.com.

Quotable:"We knew Central Washington had one of the top offenses in the country, but we got the stops when we needed them. We've been playing four-quarter football and finding ways to win the last couple of weeks, and I saw our team continue to thrive until the end. We got more physical as the game wore on, and every time you're in those battles, it teaches you lessons in how to keep playing and keep believing." – Head coach Victor Santa Cruz

"It's been a year of growth for Tyrone, and this was a culmination of years of growth in our program. I'm proud of offensive coordinator Rudy Carlton and the work he's done with the quarterbacks, and I'm proud of the offensive line protecting him against a high-pressure defense. They got him time and protection, and they found a way to help us run the football. Guys like Gaige Allen made plays when we needed them, and I saw an offense where everybody stepped up. To be a champion, you need those plays and our kids did it today."