No. 15 WESTERN COLORADO at No. 5 CENTRAL WASHINGTON
NCAA Division II Playoffs – Round 1
2 p.m. MT, Sat., Nov. 22 | Tomlinson Stadium, Ellensburg, Wash.
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2025 Stats: Western Colorado | Central Washington

ELLENSBURG, Wash.  For the third consecutive postseason, Western Colorado and Central Washington University will meet in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs, but for the first time, on the Wildcats' home turf.

Central won the first meeting in 2023 in overtime at the Mountaineer Bowl, but the Mountaineers won the repeat matchup at the Bowl in 2024 to advance to the second round of the DII playoffs.

Saturday's game will pit teams against each other who are heavy on defense – both teams are limiting opposing rushing attacks to under 100 yards per game, and both defenses hold opponents to 100 fewer yards in total offense than what their own teams generate.

THE HISTORY

• 2023: Central def. Western, 16-13 OT (Gunnison, Colo.)
• 2024: Western def. Central, 28-21 (Gunnison, Colo.)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

• Western earned its bid after a 9-2 regular season, both losses coming on final play field goals, and both against teams from the region that are also in the playoffs.
• Central Washington put together a 10-1 season, with it's only defeat coming at Division I FCS school, and 10th-ranked at the time and currently ranked 2nd in FCS, Montana.

WHEN WESTERN HAS THE BALL

• The Mountaineers have been building their rushing attack as the season progressed, but All-American quarterback Drew Nash has led the team through the air with 30 touchdown passes and 2,641 total yards, while averaging 272 yards per game with the aerial attack.
• Caden Measner and DJ Allen Jr. have been the leading receivers for Nash. Measner has 49 receptions for 652 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Allen Jr. has 25 catches for 511 yards and 6 touchdowns.
• The ground attack has been split between Nash and freshman Quinn Bailey, who enter Saturday with the exact same rushing yards total – 463. Nash has found paydirt with his legs 10 times while Bailey has found the end zone 7 times. The duo are each averaging approximately 50 yards per game on the ground, but Bailey's number has been increasing each week.
• Central's defense is allowing just 88 YPG on the ground, but is allowing an average of 235 YPG through the air. The defense has been stiff enough to allow team's to average just 18 points per game.
• Defensive back Chase Coalson leads the Wildcats in tackles with 68, while linebacker Brett McCalla has added 61 tackles to the team totals. The duo have accounted for just 8 tackles for loss and zero sacks.
• Spending time behind opponents' line of scrimmage, though, has been defensive end Tyler King. He leads the Central defense with 12 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.
• The Mountaineers will look to keep King and McCalla in check while allowing Bailey to soften up the line and linebackers, allowing Nash to add to his career total of 74 touchdown passes – a new program record he set during the final game of the regular season.

WHEN THE WILDCATS HAVE THE BALL

• The Central offense goes when quarterback Kennedy McGill goes. He leads the team in rushing with 981 yards on the ground and 17 touchdowns, while completing 98 passes for 1,379 yards and 17 touchdowns.
• McGill gets help in the ground attack from Justice Taylor, who has churned out 759 yards and 8 touchdowns while averaging 69 YPG.
• The passing attack, with McGill connecting on only 53 percent of his attempts, has not been the Wildcats' bread and butter, but when he does attack through the air, Jalen Grable (341 yards), Logan Brady (292), Mason Juergens (283) and Samaje Featherstone (216) shoulder the burden in a shared attack.
• The Mountaineers will counter with a defense allowing only 94 yards on the ground per game, 214 through the air, and an average of 309 total yards and 17 points per game.
• The linebacking corps has punished opposing offenses, led by Ian Loomis' 95 tackles, along with 68 by Cameron Cooper and 58 by Kade Musser.
• With 95 tackles for loss at an average of 8.7 per game, the defense ranks third nationally in the category, with defensive end Drew Johnson leading the way with 14.
• The defense is 14th in DII in sacks at 3.27 per game, and a total of 34 sacks, with Johnson (6), Loomis (5), Cooper (5) and Musser (5) sharing the enjoyment of pulling down opposing quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage.

HOW TO WIN THE GAME

• Both teams will want their defenses to set the tone right from the start.
• If the game plays out like Central's season, the Mountaineers will have to stop McGill on the ground and force him to beat them through the air.
• Western will likely utilize a more balanced attack with Nash acting as field general. Set up the dangerous passing attack by running the ball with Bailey and the occasional option keeper from Nash, then find space downfield for Measner, Allen Jr. and tight end Kai Goetze to do damage like the air attack has caused all season.

UP NEXT
The winner of the game will take on the winner of the Colorado State Pueblo versus Texas-Permian Basin game, played Saturday at fourth-ranked Pueblo.