Wildcats win in shootout against Texas A&M-Kingsville
- Story byColumbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, Wash.
- Wildcats win in shootout against Texas A&M-Kingsville
Oct. 21—KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Central Washington University Wildcats (5-2) travelled south over the weekend for an offensive matchup against the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas where they won 52-49. With this victory, the Wildcats remain undefeated in conference play.
"I'm happy to get the win," said Wildcats Head Coach Scott Power in a statement by CWU Athletics. "I'm happy for the players and coaches and proud of the effort tonight."
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The Wildcat defense began the game with a three-and-out to start the game and only allowed a six-yard completion before forcing the Javelinas to punt, according to a release from CWU Athletics. After forcing a 3 and out on CWU, Texas took over at the Wildcats 41-yard line to make a push that resulted in a 32-yard field goal.
Two early turnovers from the Javelinas then led to 14 points for the Wildcats, according to a statement from Javelina Athletics. The first came off a 38-yard touchdown from Ryder Bumgarner, and the second was another from Bumgarner on a one-yard touchdown to end the first quarter at 14-3.
Texas cut into CWU's lead early in the second quarter as they scored their first touchdown of the game to put the score at 14-10. The Wildcats responded with their ground game in the following drive, which led to a six-yard touchdown run from Antoine Lee.
David Weber's following kickoff was fumbled by the Javelinas and recovered by Connor Goff to set the Wildcats up at the 18-yard line. The following play Bumgarner punched it in to put the Wildcats up 28-10 with 9:25 left in the second.
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This offensive battle continued through the remainder of the quarter as CWU saw another touchdown from Bumgarner, and the Javelinas gained another 10 points, to put the game at 35-20 at halftime.
The Javelina defense came out stronger in the second half as they forced a three-and-out to start the third quarter and followed up with an 80-yard touchdown reception to close the gap to 35-27. The Wildcats responded quickly after recovering the onside kick and Bumgardner found the endzone again soon after to lead 42-27.
Texas snapped back as they maneuvered across the field to find the endzone and put the game within one possession at 42-34.
A costly penalty gave the Wildcats an opportunity to create some more wiggle room, and quarterback Justin Brennan found Isaac Torres who battled 26 yards to score a touchdown with 4:04 left in the third. From here, CWU's defense stiffened to prevent scores from Texas and kept the score at 49-34 entering the fourth quarter.
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The Javelinas battled hard in the fourth quarter, and despite the Wildcats forcing them into two different fourth down scenarios, Texas found the endzone and scored the two-point conversion to put the game at 49-42 with 11:08 left in the game.
After further back and forth, the Javelinas tied the game with a 40-yard touchdown with 7:37 left on the clock. The Wildcats scored their final points in the game after a long drive where they once again claimed the lead 52-49 with a 32-yard field goal from Weber.
Isaiah Paul called the game on the first play of the Javelinas, taking over the ball with an interception to give CWU the ball back with 1:42 left in the game. After three rush plays by Bumgarner and a Kneel by Brennan, the Wildcats claimed the 52-49 victory.
"It took all three phases to get it done and at times each unit made big time plays that impacted and contributed to the success," said Power. "On the other hand, at times each unit had some snaps we'd like to have back. Good teams find ways to win and good teams that compete for championships find ways to win. I'm proud of (our) players and am ready to get back home and get to work."
CWU returns home this week to host the UT Permian Basin Falcons Saturday at 6 p.m.
BOX SCORE
CWU: 14-21-14-3: 52
TXAM: 3-17-14-15: 49
