Tuesday, November 7, 2017

There is so much on the line this weekend at the Redwood Bowl where Central Washington and Humboldt State will end the 2017 GNAC regular season.

The Wildcats earned at least a share of their first GNAC title in five seasons thanks to a 51-0 shutout of Simon Fraser north of the border. The victory allowed Central Washington to improve to 10-0 on the season and remain one of 10 Division II teams that are undefeated.

The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, would claim a share to the title should they beat the Wildcats on Saturday. It would be Humboldt State’s first GNAC crown since 2015. The Jacks enjoyed a solid finish to their non-conference schedule on Saturday, taking a 48-3 road win over Western State.

But more than a trophy is on the line in this game, which has been picked up for national streaming on ESPN3 as part of the Division II Football Showcase. Both teams are fighting for the playoffs. Central Washington is ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Super Region 4 rankings. While the chances that CWU will make the postseason are almost assured, the Wildcats would love to back up into the No. 1 seed and earn a bye in the first week of the playoffs.

Humboldt State, meanwhile, will need a win and some help to gain one of the seven Super Region 4 playoff spots. Despite not having lost since gaining a No. 5 ranking in the first regional poll of the season, the Lumberjacks have slipped to No. 10.

The conference’s three other teams are looking to end the season on a positive note. Simon Fraser and Western Oregon play in the other conference game in the final week. The Wolves hope to put an end to a four-game losing streak while the Clan is looking for its first win of the year.

Azusa Pacific will conclude the year with non-conference play, hosting Colorado Mesa.

The fate of Central Washington and Humboldt State in the playoffs will be announced on Sunday during the NCAA Selection Show at 2 p.m. (Pacific).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Robert Webber, Humboldt State
QB • 5-9 • Senior • Corona, Calif.

Webber completed 21 of 29 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns to lead Humboldt State to a 48-3 road win at Western State on Saturday. With the performance, the senior moved into first in NCAA Division II in passing efficiency (194.4) and yards per pass attempt (11.09).

Hasani Childs, Central Washington
RB • 5-7 • Sophomore • University Place, Wash.

Childs rushed 27 times for 226 yards, the second-best rushing performance in the GNAC this season, and scored three touchdowns in Central Washington’s 51-0 win at Simon Fraser. Childs also had two kick returns for 32 yards.

Also Nominated: Tyrone Williams, Jr. (Azusa Pacific).

DEFENSE
Bo Highburger, Western Oregon
LB • 6-1 • Junior • Veneta, Ore.

Highburger led Western Oregon with 15 tackles, including seven solo tackles, and had one fumble recovery in the Wolves’ 41-16 loss to Azusa Pacific. It is the second most tackles by a GNAC player this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Aaron Berry, Azusa Pacific
S • 6-2 • Junior • Perris, Calif.

Berry had a pair of blocked kicks, one on a PAT and one of a punt that led to a fourth-quarter touchdown, as Azusa Pacific won at Western Oregon, 41-16. He also led the Azusa Pacific defense with six tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Nov. 4: Won at Western Oregon, 41-16
THIS WEEK: Nov. 11: vs. Colorado Mesa, 6 p.m.

• Azusa Pacific closed its 2017 GNAC schedule with an impressive offensive performance, racking up 491 yards of offense in a 41-16 win at Western Oregon.

• Tyrone Williams, Jr. handled the quarterback duties for Andrew Elffers, who sat out with an injury. He proceeded to complete 19 of 29 passes for 325 yards and threw for four touchdowns, all in the first half. Williams also rushed for 28 yards.

• Weston Carr and Darrell Adams were Williams’ top targets. Carr caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown while Adams caught three passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Carr enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked fourth in Division II with 125.5 receiving yards per game. Carr is also third in Division II with 1,255 total receiving yards.

• Safety Aaron Berry was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked two kicks in the contest, one of which led to an APU touchdown. Berry also led the APU defense with six tackles.

• Running back Kurt Scoby led the APU ground game with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He enters the week leading the Cougars with 117 rushing yards per game.

• Despite sitting out last week, Elffers enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 14th in Division II in total offense, averaging 308.2 yards per game. He is also third in the GNAC and 28th in Division II with 248.3 passing yards per game.

• Azusa Pacific enters the week third in the GNAC and 30th in Division II in total offense, averaging 451.4 yards per game. The Cougars are second in the GNAC and 24th in Division II with 270.4 passing yards per game and is eighth in Division II with a team pass efficiency rating of 166.68.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 4: Won at Simon Fraser, 51-0
THIS WEEK: Nov. 11: at Humboldt State, 1 p.m.

• Central Washington secured a share of its first GNAC title since 2012 with a 51-0 blanking of Simon Fraser on Saturday. The Wildcats will claim the title outright with a win on Saturday at Humboldt State.

• The win allowed the Wildcats to remain at No. 7 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and moved up to No. 10 on the D2Football.com Poll. Central Washington moved down to No. 2 in the NCAA’s Super Region 4 Rankings.

• Running back Hasani Childs was named the GNAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after he posted the second-best single-game rushing performance in the league this season, carrying 27 times for 226 yards with three touchdowns. Childs also caught three passes for nine yards and a touchdown and returned two kicks for 32 yards.

• While most of the CWU’s offense came on the ground, quarterback Reilly Hennessey completed 10 of 15 passes for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hennessey enters the week third in the GNAC with 259.6 yards of total offense per game and is fourth in the GNAC in both passing (207.3 yards per game) and rushing (52.3 yards per game).

• The CWU defense put up an impressive balanced effort with seven sacks and 16 tackles for loss for 81 yards. Linebacker Kyle Connors and defensive lineman Elisha Pa’aga each had five tackles to lead the Wildcats, with Pa’aga contributing two tackles for loss and a sack.

• Central Washington enters the week as one of just 10 undefeated teams in NCAA Division II football and one of five with 10-0 records. The other 10-0 teams are Fort Hays St., Indianapolis, Minnesota State and Indiana (Pa.).

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 14th in Division II in rushing, averaging 242 yards per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II in total offense, averaging 461.5 yards per game.

• Defensively, the Wildcats lead Division II in team sacks with 4.70 per game. The Wildcats are third nationally in team tackles for loss (10.4), 14th in scoring defense (14.9 points allowed per game) and 20th in total defense (240.3 yards allowed per game).

HUMBOLDT STATE
LAST WEEK: Nov. 4: Won at Western State, 48-3
THIS WEEK: Nov. 11: vs. Central Washington, 1 p.m.
 
• Humboldt State put up 580 yards of total offense and limited Western State to 215 yards as the Lumberjacks closed the road schedule with a 48-3 rout of the Mountaineers.

• With the win, Humboldt State improved one spot in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls to No. 16 and No. 19, respectively, but dropped to No. 10 in the NCAA Super Region 4 Rankings.

• With a win on Saturday over Central Washington, the Lumberjacks would claim a share of their first GNAC championships since 2015.

• Quarterback Robert Webber earned GNAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors after he completed 21 of 29 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Webber enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 16th in Division II with 287.8 passing yards per game. He is also second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with 288.4 yards of total offense per game. Webber leads Division II with a pass efficiency rating of 194.4 and 11.09 yards per pass attempt.

• Wide receiver Chase Krivashei had the majority of those receiving yards, making six catches for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 65.9 receiving yards per game and 19th in Division II with 10 receiving touchdowns. Receiver Jamere Austin had five catches in the game for 115 yards.

• Running back Ja’Quan Gardner had his second “quiet” game in a row, rushing 14 times for 42 yards and a touchdown and returned one kick for 17 yards. The senior continues to lead the GNAC and rank fifth in Division II with 189.2 all-purpose yards per game. He also leads the GNAC and is seventh in Division II with 137.4 rushing yards per game. Gardner is also third in Division II with his 18 receiving touchdowns.

• Linebacker Curtis Williams led the Lumberjacks defensively with six tackles, two tackles for loss for 23 yards, one sack for 10 yards, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

• Humboldt State leads the GNAC and is sixth in Division II in total offense, averaging 510.7 yards per game. The Lumberjacks also lead the GNAC and rank 12th in Division II in passing, averaging 310.9 yards per game. Humboldt is also fifth in Division II with a .674 completion percentage and second with a team pass efficiency rating of 186.64.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Nov. 4: Lost to Central Washington, 51-0
THIS WEEK: Nov. 11: at Western Oregon, 1 p.m.

• It was a rough afternoon for Simon Fraser against Central Washington on Saturday as the Clan was limited to just 30 yards of total offense in a 51-0 loss to the Wildcats.

• Quarterback Miles Richardson completed 13 of 24 passes for 61 yards to lead the Simon Fraser offense. Nathanael Durkan caught two of those passes for 21 yards while Jalen Jana caught three passes for 21 yards. Richardson enters the week averaging 187.6 yards of total offense per game and 194.7 passing yards per game.

• Wide receiver/return specialist Gavin Cobb returned five kicks for 62 yards. He enters the week second in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II with 150.2 yards of total offense per game. He leads the GNAC with an average of 21.8 yards per kick return and is second in Division II with 1,026 combined return yards.

• Linebacker Trevor Kemp had a big day for SFU on defense, finishing with 14 tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Kemp enters the week averaging 4.7 tackles per game, second for the Clan behind Deondre Townsend’s 5.1 tackles per game.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 218.1 yards of total offense per game, including 194.7 passing yards per game and averaging 9.3 points per game. The Clan is 29th in Division II with four blocked kicks, 14th in fewest penalty yards with 428 and 22nd in fewest penalty yards per game at 47.56.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 4: Lost to Azusa Pacific, 41-16
THIS WEEK: Nov. 11: vs. Simon Fraser, 1 p.m.
 
• After managing a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, Western Oregon scored just one field goal from that point on in a 41-16 loss to Azusa Pacific.

• The Wolves finished with 345 yards of total offense, 263 of which came in the passing game. Quarterback Nick Duckworth completed 20 of 47 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown. Duckworth enters the week second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with 252.4 passing yards per game. He is fourth in the GNAC with 243.3 total offense yards per game.

• Running back Devon Fortier finished with 97 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and also had three catches for 20 yards. Fortier is seventh in the GNAC in rushing, averaging 31 yards per game.

• Linebacker Bo Highburger was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week with 15 tackles, including seven solo stops, and a fumble recovery. Highburger enters the week leading the GNAC with 8.9 tackles per game and is fifth with 0.20 forced fumbles per game.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 369.1 yards per game and scoring 28.8 points per game. Behind return man Paul Revis, the Wolves lead the GNAC  and are 18th in Division II with 14.8 yards per punt return. The Wolves’ 270.1 passing yards per game is 25th in Division II.

• Defensively, Western Oregon is 19th in Division II in punt return defense, allowing 4.73 yards per return. In addition, WOU is 10th in Division II with four fumbles lost and 16th with 14 interceptions.