Sports - Local Colleges

POSTED: Monday, Nov. 10, 2008

WWU FOOTBALL: Vikings accept invitation to Rotary Bowl

Western Washington University football coach Robin Ross would like to get his team to six victories this season.

On Monday, Nov. 10, he found out the Vikings will get one more chance to get that victory.

WWU (5-5), which finished second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 5-3 conference record, was selected to participate in the 23rd Annual Dixie Rotary Bowl on Dec. 6 at Hansen Stadium in St. George, Utah. The Vikings will face Colorado School of Mines in the game, which will represent Western's first postseason game since a 27-24 loss at Northeastern (Okla.) in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Division II playoffs.

The game will be shown on DirectTV (Channel 644 and 661) and Dish Network (Channel 410), according to a WWU press release.

"This is a big step forward for us in terms of where we want to go," Ross said in a phone interview after a press conference in Utah. "Obviously, we want to play in the playoffs. But to make the playoffs, you first have to learn to play in the postseason ... This shows that we're moving in the right direction, and I think there are a number of positive things to come out of this for our program and our university."

In addition to making the eighth postseason appearance in the program's history, one of the positives for the Vikings will be the 10 to 12 additional practices Ross will get to hold to help his team prepare for the bowl game.

"There's no question that will help us now and in the future," Ross said. "It gives our young players a little more time to work with our coaches and continue to develop. Plus our players that have been going at it for 10 straight weeks now will get a little bit of time to rest up before we get into the heavy practices again."

And Ross knows his team will have to practice hard to prepare for Colorado Mines (8-3).

The Orediggers are led by junior quarterback David Pesek, who threw for 2,507 and 21 touchdowns this year, most of which went to senior receiver Adam Sauer (66 receptions, 13 TDs). Sophomore defensive lineman Marc Schiechl had 13 sacks for Colorado Mines, which finished second to Chadron State in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

"We got to meet with their coaching staff a little today, and they have a quality program," Ross said. "We know they're a young team - they're only starting three seniors. And they have a heck of a quarterback, who is completing 65 percent of his passes ... This should be a great challenge for us."

But if Western can find a way to get a victory, it would finish with the first winning record since Rob Smith's final year as head coach in 2004.

"We get one more opportunity to get that sixth win," Ross said. "The first year I was here (in 2005), we felt we made some positive steps, but last year we didn't make as much progress. We felt this year our goal was to come back strong. It's very rewarding for the players and the coaches to reach that goal. This bowl game is very rewarding for our seniors, who have done such a great job for us."

Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2271.