ELLENSBURG – Wildcats quarterback Kennedy McGill was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week, according to a statement by the conference. This comes after he aided the Wildcats to a 41-14 win over Colorado Mesa in the Rodeo Bowl.  

“We are extremely proud of the efforts that Kennedy and his teammates put into our week one effort to garner this award,” CWU head football coach Chris Fisk said in a statement by Central Washington Athletics. 

McGill is a junior for the Wildcats. Last year, he threw for 1,700 yards, 15 touchdowns and a 60% completion percentage. He was also a problem on the run with 1,200 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.  

McGill played a key role in helping the Wildcats' offense earn their first victory last Thursday. He accounted for four touchdowns, including three in the second half alone and helped lead the team to the highest offensive output in the conference with 516 total yards. 

The Wildcats scored first on a four-play drive. McGill found a wide-open Jalen Grable for a 51-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.  

Beau Phillips opened the Wildcats' second half with a 20-yard gain. Shortly after, McGill followed it up with a 41-yard rush to make it to the Colorado Mesa 14-yard line, then three plays later McGill completed the final 14 yards for a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead. 

On their next drive, Justice Taylor erupted with an 18-yard gain. McGill followed it up by finding a wide-open Mason Juergens for a 55-yard touchdown to take a 21-7 lead.  

After leading the Wildcats downfield at the end of the third quarter, McGill opened the fourth by running the ball himself for a 23-yard touchdown, increasing their lead to 34-7.  

After other key contributions on offense from Ryder Bumgarner and Camden Loidhamer, the Wildcats secured a 41-14 win over CMU.  

“We are very excited to get a victory in the reboot of the Rodeo Bowl. We are excited about the potential of this team and can't wait to get back to work to fix our issues. We are very proud of the way the kids represented the university and alumni today,” Fisk said. 

He finished the day completing 8 out of 13 passes for a total of 190 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception. On top of a great day in the air, McGill added 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts. McGill accounts for the highest output on the ground in the conference by over 30 yards after week 0.  

McGill and the Wildcats will be back in action next Saturday when they face the ninth-ranked FCS team, the Montana Grizzlies. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. from inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont.