Western edges Central 28-21 for Battle in Seattle crown

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, September 25, 2004

SEATTLE – Jake Carlyle scored on a 3-yard run late in the fourth quarter to lift Western Washington University over Central Washington 28-21 in the second annual “Battle in Seattle” Saturday night at Qwest Field.

Carlyle, a 5-foot-7, 200-pound junior from Olympia, capped a five-play, 60-yard drive with 1:06 remaining as the Vikings came back from a 21-10 third quarter deficit.

Quarterback Steve Nichols powered the winning drive, completing two passes for 53 yards. Chris Robinson launched it with a 24-yard reception and Andy Olson took the Vikings to the Central 5 with a 29-yard grab.

Nichols, a 23-year-old, sixth-year senior from Stevenson, finished with 270 yards and two touchdowns on 24 completions in 34 attempts. He had one interception.

Both Robinson and Central’s Brian Potucek had 117 yards receiving, Robinson catching eight passes and Potucek 10.

Western’s Michael Koenen, a senior from Ferndale, kicked field goals of 48 and 46 yards, the last one tying the score at 21 with 6:01 left.

The victory gave Western a 3-1 record and dropped Central to 1-4. It was the opening game for both teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western is the defending champion.

The 93rd meeting between the schools – Central leads 57-32-4 – drew a crowd of 11,458, more than 4,800 less that saw the game last year.