Dec. 6, 2008
Final Stats
GALLERY
ST. GEORGE, Utah --- Quarterback Adam Perry (Sr., Longview/R.A. Long) threw a pair of second-half touchdowns to tight end Logan Cullen (Sr., Anacortes) as Western Washington University overcame an early 10-point deficit and defeated Colorado School of Mines, 25-10, in the Dixie Rotary Bowl on Saturday at Hansen Stadium.
Western completed its season 6-5, giving the Vikings their first winning season since 2004. It was also the first post-season appearance since 1999 and first post-season win since a 28-21 victory at No.1-ranked Findlay OH in the 1996 NAIA Division II national semifinals.
Colorado Mines ended its season 8-4. It was the second straight Rotary Bowl appearance for the Orediggers, who lost 26-12 to Western Oregon last year.
Perry put Western in front, 16-10, on an 8-yard pass to Cullen on the opening possession of the third quarter. The extra point was blocked, but the Vikings were able to extend the lead to 19-10 on their next drive, as Josh Lider (Jr., Bellevue/Sammamish) capped a 14-play, 78-yard drive that started on their own 1-yard line with a 39-yard field goal.
The Vikings grabbed an insurance touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as Perry rolled out and found Cullen for an 11-yard score. The 2-point conversion failed. An interception by safety Zach Schrader (So., Issaquah), his second of the day and fourth of the season, set up the touchdown.
Perry, who was named Western's game MVP, completed 21-of-33 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, completing 12-of-16 for 165 yards and two scores after halftime. He became Western's record holder in three single-season passing categories, establishing new standards for yardage (3,244) and completions (240) and tying the record for touchdown passes (28), and also became the record holder in single-season total yards (3,256).
"Adam is such a leader," said Western coach Robin Ross. "He's a quiet guy, but the players respect him so much. He'll go down as one of the great quarterbacks in Western history."
Running back Randall Eldridge (Jr., Lynnwood) rushed for 134 yards on 24 carries for Western, which had a 388-234 advantage in total offense, including a 215-83 margin in the second half.
Perry's 275 yards passing and Eldridge's rushing total were both the best marks in the three-year history of the Dixie Rotary Bowl as an NCAA II contest.
CSM quarterback David Pesek was 18-of-35 for 137 yards with three interceptions.
"This was a great way to end our season," said Ross. "It was a great victory for our team and our program. This gives us a winning season and a bowl win, and I definitely feel better about where we are now compared to where we were a year ago."
CSM jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Sean Sweeney opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal that capped a 14-play drive, then on the following possession, running back Corey Huck scored on a 1-yard run. The score was set up by a 60-yard punt return to the to the Western 7 by Tom Kastens.
Western narrowed the margin to 10-7 with 4:58 left in the half. Perry scored on a 1-yard run, two plays after the drive had seemingly been stopped on a third-and-goal play only to be kept alive by a personal foul penalty on the Orediggers.
The Vikings nearly took the lead on their next possession, only to have Perry intercepted in the end zone by Drew Ferren, Ferren's fifth pick of the year. But just three plays later, Schrader intercepted a Pesek pass initially tipped by cornerback Anthony Zackery (So., Spokane/Ferris), leading to a 29-yard field goal by Lider that tied the score at 10-10 with 45 seconds left in the half.
Western was without two starting offensive linemen - senior center Dan Trask (Aberdeen) and sophomore tackle Nick Bassett (Gig Harbor/Peninsula). They were replaced by redshirt freshman Mike Spears (Vancouver/Skyview) and junior Jason Paull (Vancouver/Mountain View), respectively, with Spears making his first career start.
Middle linebacker Caleb Jessup (Jr., Kenmore/Inglemoor), who entered the contest ranked seventh nationally in NCAA II in tackles, had a game-high 14 tackles, seven of them unassisted.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Vikings win Rotary Bowl
Sports Desk - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
ST. GEORGE - The host city's relative indifference to the Rotary Bowl certainly didn't waft over to the Western Washington sidelines.
If you were on the field after the game, you needed to keep your head on a swivel lest you get barreled over by a Viking performing a gig.
Imagine "Soul Train" and "So You Think You Can Dance" rolled into one.
WWU had every reason to be joyous after erasing an early 10-0 deficit and pushing Colorado School of Mines all over the field in the second half en route to a 25-10 win on Saturday, Dec. 6, in front of 2,598 spectators at Hansen Stadium.
"It's a great ending for our season," said Western Washington coach Robin Ross. "I'm really happy with our effort."
Who wouldn't be? Adam Perry threw for 275 yards and a pair of scores, in addition to running one in himself, and was named Rotary Bowl MVP. Randall Eldridge rushed for 134 yards on 24 carries in a performance so workmanlike that his longest rush was for 16 yards. And the Vikings' defense, at times maligned throughout the season, held their opponent scoreless the final three quarters.
"Last year was a down year for us, but we stayed confident in what we were doing on offense," said Perry, who broke single-season WWU records in passing yards, completions and total yards, while tying the mark for touchdown passes. "We had confidence in our system. It was tough last year because it was put in so quick, but everyone took it upon themselves to learn it in the off-season. It really paid off for us this year."
It's a contrast from the way 2007 turned out, when WWU, then 2-8, never quite figured out the new offensive system. With a year of it under their belts, the Vikings (6-5) have flourished - as displayed in a 15-minute stretch beginning late in the second quarter.
Ironically, it started with a Perry interception with 2:17 remaining in the first half. The WWU signal-caller marched his team 55 yards to the CSM 20, but was picked off by Drew Ferren as he tried to find Zach Hekker in the corner of the end zone.
The Vikings' defense answered three plays later when Zach Schrader intercepted the Orediggers' David Pesek on a deflection after cornerback Anthony Zackery and Adam Saur collided going for the ball.
"Anthony Zackery made a great play on the ball," said Schrader, who picked off another pass in the fourth quarter. "He knocked it up and I was lucky enough to get the tip."
Buoyed by the turnover, WWU got a 16- and 3-yard run by Eldridge before the drive stalled and Josh Lider kicked the first of two field goals to tie the score at 10.
Confidence can sometimes be a fickle thing in college football. A three-point deficit after a squandered opportunity can eat at a team. Yet the Vikings were able to force a turnover and cruise into the break focused on what was ahead instead of stewing.
"That was big because now we were going back to 0-0 heading into the locker room - and we get the ball starting the second half," Ross said.
WWU made the most of its opening possession of the third quarter, marching 60 yards for a touchdown after Rick Copsey returned the kickoff 34 yards. The drive culminated with an 8-yard scoring pass from Perry to tight end Logan Cullen - the first of two times the Vikings burned the Orediggers (8-4) on a play-action bootleg toss. Cullen caught an 11-yarder in the fourth quarter.
The possession was aided by a 15-yard face mask penalty by CSM's Hunter Wardlaw, just one of 12 penalties for 106 yards the Orediggers accrued on the afternoon.
"We shot ourselves in the foot with penalties," said Orediggers coach Bob Stitt. "The momentum was on their side and we were never able to get it back."
With a 16-10 lead - Lider's extra-point attempt was blocked - the Vikings began a drive at their own 1. Avoiding a three-and-out with a five-yard completion to Travis McKee (six catches, 71 yards), Perry led WWU on a 78-yard jaunt while completing 6-of-8 passes for 73 yards. The big play was a 29-yarder to Pat McCann (6-86).
The possession ate up 7 minutes, 42 seconds as the Vikings took a 19-10 lead. CSM never pierced the red zone from then on.
"That was huge to put us up two scores," Perry said. "It kind of took the wind out of them a little bit."
Two drives later, Pesek (18-of-35, 137 yards, 29 rushing) threw his second of three interceptions.
"We stopped them on the screen so I knew they were going to start striking deep," said Schrader, who made the grab with nothing but blue shirts in the neighborhood. "I just was patient and he threw it right toward me."
Perry interjected.
"Was there even a receiver around there?" the quarterback asked.
"There wasn't a guy around, so he gave me that one," Schrader said.
The Spectrum and Daily News: Voracious Vikings
W. Washington rallies past CSM for Rotary Bowl win
BY DAVID CORDERO, Sports Editor
ST. GEORGE - Western Washington's players erupted in the kind of celebration normally reserved for the long-awaited homecoming of a family member - or V-J Day for that matter.
If you consider the season the Vikings had a year ago compared to how the 2008 campaign culminated on Saturday afternoon, you'd understand why.
WWU had every reason to be joyous after erasing an early 10-0 deficit and pushing Colorado School of Mines all over the field in the second half en route to a 25-10 win in front of 2,598 spectators at Hansen Stadium.
"It's a great ending for our season," said Western Washington coach Robin Ross, whose team went 2-8 in 2007 but rebounded to finish 6-5 this year. "I'm really happy with our effort."
Who wouldn't be? Adam Perry threw for 275 yards and a pair of scores, in addition to running one in himself as he was named the Vikings' Rotary Bowl MVP. Running back Randall Eldridge rushed for 134 yards on 24 carries in a performance so workmanlike that his longest rush was for 16 yards. And the Vikings' defense, at times maligned throughout the season, held its opponent scoreless the final three quarters.
"Last year was a down year for us, but we stayed confident in what we were doing on offense," said Perry, who broke single-season WWU records in passing yards, completions and total yards, while tying the mark for touchdown passes. "We had confidence in our system. It was tough last year because it was put in so quick, but everyone took it upon themselves to learn it in the off-season. It really paid off for us this year."
Two sequences proved to be the difference for the Vikings, who earned their second win of the season at Hansen Stadium - the first a 20-14 decision Nov. 1 against Dixie State.
Ironically, it started with a Perry interception with 2:17 remaining in the first half. The WWU signal-caller marched his team 55 yards to the CSM 20, but was picked off by Drew Ferren as he tried to find tight end Zach Hekker in the corner of the end zone.
The Vikings' defense answered three plays later when Zach Schrader intercepted the Orediggers' David Pesek on a deflection after cornerback Anthony Zackery and CSM's Adam Saur collided going for the ball.
"Anthony Zackery made a great play on the ball," said Schrader, who picked off another pass in the fourth quarter. "He knocked it up and I was lucky enough to get the tip."
Buoyed by the turnover, WWU got 16- and 3-yard runs by Eldridge before the drive stalled and Josh Lider kicked the first of two field goals to tie the score at 10.
Confidence can sometimes be a fickle thing in college football. A three-point deficit after a squandered opportunity can eat at a team. Yet the Vikings were able to force a turnover and cruise into the break focused on what was ahead instead of dwelling on the past.
"That was big because now we were going back to 0-0 heading into the locker room - and we get the ball starting the second half," said Ross, whose team was without a pair of starting offensive linemen but nevertheless compiled 388 yards of offense.
WWU made the most of its opening possession of the third quarter, marching 60 yards for a touchdown after Rick Copsey returned the kickoff 34 yards. The drive climaxed with an 8-yard scoring pass from Perry to tight end Logan Cullen - the first of two times the Vikings burned the Orediggers (8-4) for a touchdown on a play-action bootleg toss. Cullen caught an 11-yarder in the fourth quarter.
The possession was aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty issued to CSM's Hunter Wardlaw, one of 12 infractions for 106 yards the Orediggers accrued.
"We shot ourselves in the foot with penalties," said Orediggers coach Bob Stitt. "The momentum was on their side and we were never able to get it back."
With a 16-10 lead - Lider's PAT was blocked - the Vikings began a drive at their own 1. Avoiding a three-and-out with a five-yard completion to Travis McKee (six catches, 71 yards), Perry led WWU on a 78-yard jaunt while completing 6-of-8 passes for 73 yards. The big play was a 29-yarder to Pat McCann (six receptions, 86 yards) to get into field-goal range.
The possession ate up 7 minutes, 42 seconds as the Vikings took a 19-10 lead on Lider's 39-yarder. CSM never pierced the red zone from then on.
"That was huge to put us up two scores," Perry said. "It kind of took the wind out of them a little bit."
Two drives later, Pesek (18-of-35, 137 yards, 29 rushing) threw his second of three interceptions.
"We stopped them on the screen so I knew they were going to start striking deep," said Schrader, who made the pick with nothing but blue shirts in the vicinity. "I just was patient and he threw it right toward me."
"Was there even a receiver around there?" Perry interjected.
"There wasn't a guy around, so he gave me that one," Schrader replied.
Running back Corey Huck had 187 all-purpose yards and was named the Orediggers' MVP for the game. His 1-yard plunge in the first quarter - set up by Tom Kastens' 60-yard punt return - was CSM's lone touchdown.
