Azusa Pacific running back Terrell Watson recorded a season-high 256 rushing-yards as the Cougars opened their conference schedule with a 27-20 win over Central Washington in Ellensburg on Saturday afternoon.
Watson, who has 881 yards this season, also had two touchdowns in the winning effort. Additionally, he set an APU record for first-half rushing-yards with 199, breaking previous record holder Christian Okoye’s of 197.
APU took the lead from the beginning of the game, getting a Watson 20-yard touchdown in its opening possession. Junior Tanner Henry caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Chad Jeffries with 4:38 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Watson had his second touchdown, giving APU a 20-0 lead. With 4:53 left in that quarter, CWU’s Ishmael Stinson broke the potential shutout with an eight-yard touchdown rush.
Jeffries connected with Henry again for a 19-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first half, giving the Cougars a 27-7 lead.
In the second half, CWU began chipping away at the Cougars. In the third quarter, Sean McDonald kicked a field goal. Kent McKinney ran in an 87-yard pass from Jake Nelson to narrow the lead to 27-17. Central Washington’s final offensive effort came with 1:58 left in the game as McDonald kicked a 21-yard field goal to make the score 27-20.
That was all CWU could get, however, as the Cougars grabbed their first conference win this season and improved to 4-1 overall.
The Cougars return home Oct. 9 for a matchup against conference rival Humboldt State at 6 p.m.