Central gets back on track

ST. GEORGE, Utah — This was more like it.

A week after struggling in several aspects of its season opener, Central Washington University’s 13th-ranked football team turned in a stout road performance in a 24-14 victory over Dixie State at Hansen Stadium on Saturday.

Senior running back Bryson Kelly spear-headed a rugged ground game with 110 yards on 30 carries for the Wildcats in their GNAC opener.

Kelly

Defensively, Saturday’s performance was a far cry from last week’s 35-10 setback to Minnesota Duluth. The home-field Red Storm managed just 21 yards rushing.

“Our defensive line was outstanding — those guys just dominated inside,” said Central coach Blaine Bennett. “Dixie State has some solid athletes but we kept them in check. It was really good to see the line respond that way.”

After spotting Dixie State an early 7-0 lead, Central Washington dominated the rest of the first half with 24 straight points.

A fumble recovery by Tre Watson set up Central’s go-ahead touchdown early in the second period, and the defense struck again quickly when Jared Purcell-Silva returned an interception 15 yards for a score and a 17-7 lead with 9:36 left in the half.

The Wildcats then pounded away with their best drive of the day, a 12-play, 72-yard march that was culminated by Ishmael Stinson’s 6-yard run for a 24-7 lead with 43 seconds left before the break.

“The biggest difference between last week and today was just bringing to right energy level to the game,” Bennett noted. “We were making plays, finishing blocks, flying to the ball. That’s what we stressed all week long.”

Central’s offense slowed down in the second half and was unable to produce any more scoring. While four punts and a missed field goal was all that came from their five second-half possessions, the Wildcats did drain significant time off the clock thanks to Kelly.

“We got a little conservative in the second half,” Bennett admitted. “Give Dixie credit for that. But our running backs, Kelly and Stinson, did a nice job helping us manage the clock and keep control of the game.”

Senior linebacker Adam Bighill led the defense with nine tackles and Silva-Purcell made six stops for Central (1-0, 1-1).

Dixie State (0-1, 0-2) had the lone score of the second half on Cody Stevenson’s second touchdown pass of the game but it came with 5:49 left in the game.

The Wildcats will take on Eastern Washington next Saturday in the Showdown on the Sound at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The GNAC rematch between CWU and Dixie State will be in Ellensburg on Sept. 18.