GLENDORA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific welcomed Central Washington to Citrus Stadium on Saturday for the home finale of the 2019 season, as the visiting Wildcats snuck off with a 27-24 victory.
 
The game proved to be a battle throughout, as it was a one possession game for all but three minutes of action.
 
Azusa Pacific opened the game with an impressive 15 play, 87 yard drive that took a little over nine minutes of the clock. The drive was capped off with rushing touchdown for Dante Davis from three yards out, as kicker Ramzee Jaridly added the PAT to put the Cougars up 7-0 with 5:49 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Less than two minutes later, Central put itself on the board for the first time, as kicker Patrick Hegarty made a 22-yard field to make the score 7-3 with 4:14 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Wildcats would take the lead for the first time in the game at the end of the first quarter, as running back Michael Roots found the endzone from six yards out. Following the PAT, Central held a 10-7 lead 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
 
Jaridly would tie the game up at 10-10 for the Cougars, as he made a 20-yard field goal with 9:56 left before halftime. The two teams remained tied for about four minutes of action, before the Wildcats struck with six minutes left before halftime. Central took a 17-10 lead with 5:59 left in the first half when quarterback Christian Moore rushed for a 17-yard touchdown, and Hegarty made the PAT.
 
Once again, Azusa Pacific responded. Wide receiver Brandon Jackson made a highlight-reel play, as a pass from quarterback Tyrone Williams Jr. towards Jackson appeared to be deflected by a defender, pop up into the air, and Jackson was able to haul it in and take it into the endzone for a 34-yard touchdown reception. The catch evened the score at 17-17 with 3:50 on the clock.
 
The Wildcats would take a lead into halftime, as Moore found receiver JoJo Hillel for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds remaining in the first half. Following the touchdown and PAT, Central held a 24-17 at the half.
 
Both defenses kept the opponent off the scoreboard in the third quarter, as the next points came by way of a 29-yard field goal off the foot of Hegarty with 13:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, which gave the Wildcats a 27-17 lead.
 
The two possession lead would not hold for long, as Azusa Pacific cut the deficit down to 27-24 on its ensuing possession. The Cougars were able to string together a seven play, 50-yard drive, as Williams Jr. finished it off with a physical three-yard touchdown rush, bouncing off of multiple potential tacklers and lowering his shoulder on his way into the endzone. The ensuing PAT by Jaridly would be the final point in the ball game.
 
Azusa Pacific found itself in a position to tie or win the game in the fourth quarter, as the Cougar defense needed a stop on fourth-and-two for the Wildcats with just 30 seconds. The defense delivered, as the Central running back was hit behind the line of scrimmage by Quentin Frazier and David Jimenez for a turnover on downs. Azusa Pacific's offense took over on their own 25-yard line with 39 seconds left in the game. Following a 16-yard reception by Gaige Allen on the first play of the drive, the Cougars fell behind schedule with a dropped pass and a holding call, which put them at 1st and 20. Running Bryce Grandison caught a pass on the next play for five yards and made his way out of bounds to stop the clock, however, the final two plays of the ball game were incomplete passing attempts to end the game.

Offensively, both teams were able to limit their turnovers, as each team had just one interception in the game. The Wildcats outgained the Cougars 477-346 yards in total offense, 248-182 in passing yards, and 229-164 in rushing yards.
 
Azusa Pacific had a trio of players rush for more than 40 yards, led by Williams Jr. who rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown. Through the air, Williams Jr. threw for 182 yards, finding Jackson for nearly half of those yards, as he finished with 91 receiving yards.
 
Defensively, Quentin Frazer, Lucas Oligiati and Josh Olave led the Cougars. Frazier had a game-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Oligiati finished with nine tackles and a sack in the game, while Olave had an interception and five tackles.
 
While the Cougars dropped to 1-7 on the season, head coach Victor Santa Cruz was encouraged by the growth his young team made in the game, "I cannot allow myself to be emotionally high-jacked by the moment, we could have won that game, but rather than dwell on the loss, I saw a bunch of guys take another step forward in developing as individuals and as a program. While this has been a difficult year in some aspects, I am really encouraged to see where we are headed in the overall process for this program."
 
Azusa Pacific closed out the 2019 home schedule against Central Washington, and will hit the road for the final two weeks of the season. Up next is a trip to Monmouth, Oregon, where the Cougars will face Western Oregon on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1:00 p.m.