CWU-Dixie, the sequel, goes today in Ellensburg

YAKIMA -- Yes, Blaine Bennett conceded for the umpteenth time, a win last week would have been great.

But given the opponent, the venue, the crowd and the odds, Central Washington's 38-35 loss at Montana was hardly a season-breaker. As Bennett proudly noted, "We certainly got their attention."

Just as Dixie State had gotten the Wildcats' in Week 1.

Dixie, in its very first game as a member of the GNAC, had in fact come even closer to rocking the Division II world than Central had at Missoula. Only some last half-minute slight-of-hand by Mike Reilly and a 44-yard field goal by Garrett Rolsma got CWU into overtime, during which it prevailed 44-38.

So with that in mind, as well as the Rebels' visit Tomlinson Stadium today for a 1 p.m. rematch, Bennett hastened to add, "We were very fortunate to win that game."

Since Central's near-death experience on Aug. 30 at St. George, Utah, however, both teams have moved in decidedly different directions.

The No. 12 Wildcats, though forced into another comeback two weeks later at Western Oregon, have been as good as advertised. They're 4-1 overall with a 20-game winning streak against conference opponents.

Dixie, on the other hand, followed a 35-3 defeat of Western New Mexico with successive losses to Weber State (44-7), Western Oregon (34-27) and Western Washington (29-27) -- the latter coming on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds left.

But the closeness of the latter two games, Bennett said, is as telling as that of the Rebels' first.

"They're good," Bennett said. "They are the classic example of a team whose record is not indicative of its quality."

Of particular concern remains quarterback Dexter Hill, who last time threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

"He's very elusive," Bennett said, "and he extends plays with his feet much like Mike Reilly does for us."

Reilly, meanwhile, has continued to post otherworldly numbers despite the relative lack of a running game. In fact, Reilly has been CWU's top ground gainer with 187 yards on 38 carries.

It's true that both J.R. Hasty and his backup, Jerome Morris, have been sidelined by injuries. Hasty (ankle) should be available today, Bennett said, while Morris (shoulder) won't.

But maybe it's not that crucial when Reilly is completing 67 percent of his passes for 1,560 yards and 14 touchdowns with only two interceptions.

Four more TD tosses, in fact, will bring the 6-foot-3 senior even with Jon Kitna's CWU career record of 99.

Even a back injury to first-team wideout Chris Rohrbach hasn't noticeably slowed the air game with Johnny Spevak hauling in 41 throws for 692 yards and seven scores.

And, Bennett said, in the grand scheme of the season, the Wildcats are where they need to be.

"You look at our schedule, and you'd figure at 4-1 you've played some pretty good football," he said. "We went to the wire against a team that a lot of people think would do pretty well in the Pac-10.

"But what we're concerned with right now is getting to 4-0 in the GNAC, because your first goal is always to win your league championship. And another thing that's important is you're only as good as your last game."

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