MONMOUTH, Ore. -- Weston Carr caught three touchdown passes in a 153-yard receiving performance to help lead Azusa Pacific to a come-from-behind 28-17 road win over Western Oregon.

The Cougars rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit by pitching a second-half shutout against a Western Oregon offense led by dual-threat quarterback Ty Currie, who engineered three first-half scoring drives for the Wolves.

Carr finished with season-highs of nine catches for 153 yards, and his three touchdowns also represented a season-high after he caught two touchdowns in last week's 58-14 win over Simon Fraser. Early in the fourth quarter, Carr hauled in a short fade on third-and-goal from the one-yard line to push Azusa Pacific in front, 21-17. On another crucial short-yardage third down with less than three minutes remaining, Carr turned a short wide receiver screen into a broken tackle and 53-yard touchdown reception that gave the Cougars breathing room and a final 28-17 cushion.

The defense forced four Western Oregon turnovers, picking up three fumbles before a fourth-quarter interception by Edward Ware with less than minute to play. Aaron Berry led the defense with a game-high 11 tackles, registering 3.0 tackles for loss, one sack, and a fumble recovery.

How It Happened: Azusa Pacific struck first, turning a bad snap on a punt into outstanding field position at the Western Oregon 10-yard line, where Tyrone Williams Jr. scored on the next play from scrimmage on a 10-yard keeper. The Wolves answered and took the lead, 10-7, on a field goal followed by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Currie to Tyjuan Prince, but Carr closed out a high-scoring first quarter with a 34-yard touchdown reception to give the Cougars a 14-10 lead in the final minute of the opening quarter.

Western Oregon took the lead on another Currie touchdown pass to Prince, this time from 17 yards out to give WOU a 17-14 halftime lead. That margin held until Carr's one-yard grab with 12:38 left in the fourth quarter, giving the Cougars a 21-17 edge, and Carr gave Azusa Pacific some breathing room with his 53-yard catch-and-run with 2:37 to play.

Turning Point: After Carr capped a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive with his second touchdown of the game to put the Cougars back in front, the defense forced punts after surrendering just 26 combined yards on the next three Western Oregon possessions. That gave Azusa Pacific's offense enough opportunities to break a big play when Williams found Carr with as short pass on third-and-two near midfield, which Carr took all the way to the end zone for his third score of the game.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Williams completed 21-of-35 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, and he found seven different receivers for his 21 completions. He was also the Cougars' leading rusher, carrying 12 times for 37 yards with an early 10-yard touchdown that gave Azusa Pacific a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

Berry led the defense with 11 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss, and Willie Fair added seven tackles with a pair of sacks to lead the Cougar defense to six sacks of Currie. Fair also had a fumble recovery, and Josh Olave collected seven tackles and a pass breakup which was nearly intercepted. On special teams, Jacob Hall averaged 46.2 yards on six punts, including a long of 63 yards.

Western Oregon Standouts: Currie completed 18-of-31 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, while Omari Land led the Western Oregon rushing attack with 15 carries for 130 yards. Prince caught seven passes for 60 yards and scored both of the Wolves' touchdowns. Defensively, WOU was led by Bo Highburger, who tallied 11 tackles including 4.0 tackles for loss.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific takes its perfect 3-0 record to Florence, Alabama, for a Sept. 22 visit to North Alabama, a former Division II program which is in the first season of a transition to Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision). The Cougars return to Citrus Stadium for consecutive home matchups against Humboldt State and Central Washington, with the Oct. 6 clash against last year's GNAC champion Central Washington playing to a national broadcast audience on ESPN 3.

Quotable:

"What I liked about this game is that we didn't blink; we were resilient. Western Oregon plays really good football, and we knew we would get tested, and those early tests help you grow. We just kept supporting each other and moved on to the next play, and that's the sign of a mature team that believes in each other. I love the victory but what I love even more is how the team held together." -- Head Coach Victor Santa Cruz

"Weston Carr's last touchdown came at the best moment when we had a chance to close the game out against a team that played great defense against us. Our receiving corps across the board helped make sure we could handle Western Oregon's pressure by getting open, and Weston found his one-on-one and created opportunities." -- Santa Cruz

"At halftime, our biggest emphasis was doing the simple things better. The number one thing we did better was tackling. (Western Oregon quarterback) Ty Currie was a very good rusher, and he has a knack for scrambling and extending plays. We were able to re-establish our goals of shutting down rush lanes, and we did a better job taking away the run in the second half." -- Santa Cruz