Perry
Perry
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.