Western Oregon Dumps Simon Fraser, 38-14

Photo Courtesy: WOU Athletics

(BURNABY, B.C.) — Seventeen consecutive points over a seven-minute span was a key factor in the Western Oregon University football team's first victory of the season at Simon Fraser University Saturday, 38-14.
 
The Wolves (1-1) beat Simon Fraser for the 10th straight time, and remain unbeaten against the Clan under Head Coach Arne Ferguson. WOU remains the lone Great Northwest Athletic Conference program Simon Fraser has not beaten since joining the NCAA in 2010. Saturday's matchup between GNAC foes was a non-conference contest.
 
Western Oregon broke open a tied game in the second quarter with 24 points in the period, 17 unanswered before halftime. The Wolves then stretched the margin with two quick scores to open the second half.
 
After netting only 17 yards on the ground against Portland State a week ago, WOU ran for 148 against the Clan. The Wolves' ground attack averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Conversely, Western Oregon's defense held Simon Fraser to just 39 rushing yards.
 
The Clan (0-2) outgained WOU overall, courtesy of 410 yards through the air. The final tally of 449 total offensive yards to 408 was overshadowed by four turnovers by SFU. The Wolves lost one fumble.
 
The Wolves' Ryan Bergman completed 20 of his 35 pass attempts for 247 yards. The senior tossed four touchdown passes and no interceptions. He moved to fourth all-time at WOU with 39 touchdown pass completions. Tyrell Williams and Paul Revis combined for 197 receiving yards. Williams caught seven passes for 105 yards, while Revis had 92 yards on four receptions. Joe Harris ran for 82 yards on 13 carries.
 
"Anytime you can run for 148 yards it's a good thing for your offense," Ferguson said. "It helps balance your offense a bit. I thought Ryan (Bergman) played real well and had a good percentage on his completions. Tyrell (Williams) and Paul (Revis) had real positive games. We wanted to get better in the red zone and we were four-for-four today. We also won the turnover battle."
 
After a scoreless first quarter, Harris opened the scoring with a four-yard run just into the second period. The Coquille, Ore. native, beat SFU defenders to the corner of the endzone and capped a nine-play 80-yard drive. The Clan countered on the ensuing possession with a five-yard run from Chris Tolbert.
 
Williams then pulled in a short pass and raced 62 yards for a score. The senior showed why he the GNAC 200-meter champion last year. He turned a first down reception into six points on race up the sideline. On the following SFU possession, Tyler Johnson ended a promising drive with an interception and return of 53 yards. He picked off a Ryan Stanford pass and ran all the way to the Clan seven-yard line.

"It was nice having a game like this today after getting double-teamed in coverage last week," Williams said. "I still saw a lot of bracketing from today, but Ryan (Bergman) was able to still find me."
 
Exactly three minutes after Williams touchdown, Phillip Fenumiai grabbed his first career touchdown on a four-yard pass from Bergman. Jesse Correa completed WOU's first half scoring with a 38-yard field goal with 1:36 left in the second quarter. But, Simon Fraser answered with an 11-play 75-yard drive that ended in a nine-yard touchdown pass with just 12 seconds left in the first half.
 
A 50-yard connection between Bergman and Revis was the first score of the second half. A five-yard pitch and catch from Bergman to Kamakana Apelu completed the game's scoring at the 8:15 mark of the third quarter.
 
Along with his interception, Johnson recovered a fumble and recorded a team-high six tackles. Roger Garrett had a timely interception in the endzone that ended a Clan scoring chance in the first quarter.
 
Stanford threw for 387 yards, completing 34 of his 60 passes. Bobby Pospischil caught 10 passes for 145 yards. Tolbert ran for 53 yards. Jordan Herdman led the Clan with a game-high nine tackles.
 
Western Oregon returns to Monmouth for its home opener against Central Washington next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Tickets are available on WOUWolves.com. Live coverage will be available on WOUWolves.com.
 
"Our guys enjoy playing Central Washington," Ferguson said. "They are a well-coached team. We expect a very talented team. I predict it will be a very fast, physical game. After two road games to open the season, we're just excited to be playing at home."

The Wolves split their season series with Central Washington last season, as both teams won on their home fields. Western Oregon completed its 2013 home schedule with a victory over the Wildcats.

"I can't wait for Central," Williams said. "I love playing against them. It will be awesome to play this home opener too. We're all really excited to play a home game."

Source: WOU Athletics