Tuesday, October 20, 2015

After losing three of their first four games, some may have counted out Western Oregon. The Wolves are far from dead, but they are keeping everyone watching until the last minute.

The Wolves have now won three straight games, with their last two being secured in the final minute. Much like they did against North Alabama, Western Oregon relied on the defense to make a late stop to secure a 31-25 win over Central Washington. The victory allowed the Wolves to pull into a second place tie in the GNAC standings with South Dakota Mines at 2-1.

The Hardrockers, meanwhile, had scored 49 points or more in their previous four wins, but needed just 19 in their victory over Simon Fraser. The 19-0 shutout was the team’s first since 2008.

South Dakota Mines put the game on the shoulders of quarterback Trent McKinney. The senior was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week as he finished with 347 yards of total offense. He passed for 228 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 119 yards and one more touchdown.

Azusa Pacific rolled to win their first GNAC game of the season, routing Dixie State 61-14. The Cougars exploded for 530 yards of total offense, included 246 rushing yards. Freshman Kurt Scoby had the best game of his young career, carrying 17 times for 146 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.

In the long awaited matchup of two undefeated teams, Humboldt State found themselves limited in a 35-10 loss at Midwestern State. The Lumberjacks finished with 391 yards of total offense behind 187 rushing yards by Ja’Quan Gardner, but went 2 for 4 in red zone scoring. Nonetheless, Humboldt State is expected to be ranked high in Super Region 3 when the first regional rankings are released this week.

Humboldt State will be on the road again for one of the weekend’s marquee matchups, playing at Central Washington. Azusa Pacific will host South Dakota Mines in what could be a high-scoring contest. Simon Fraser will host Western Oregon.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Trent McKinney, South Dakota Mines
QB • 6-0 • 198 • Senior • Mililani, Hawaii

McKinney finished with 347 yards of total offense and had a role in both touchdowns in the Hardrockers’ 19-0 shutout of Simon Fraser. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown and also rushed 11 times for 119 yards and rushed for a touchdown. It was South Dakota Mines’ first shutout since 2008. Also Nominated: Malik Braxton (Western Oregon), Ja’Quan Gardner (Humboldt State), Justln Lane (Central Washington), Kurt Scoby (Azusa Pacific), Nate Stephens (Dixie State).

DEFENSE
Shane Kuenzi, Western Oregon
LB • 6-0 • 215 • Senior • Salem, Ore.

Kuenzi led Western Oregon with 11 tackles in the Wolves’ 31-25 win over Central Washington. He made a key play in the fourth quarter, tackling Quincy Carter on fourth down that stunted the Wildcats’ potential winning drive. Also Nominated: Cameron Buell (Humboldt State), Myles Carelock (Central Washington), Sam Flemming (Azusa Pacific), Troy Kurtz (South Dakota Mines), Colton Olson (Dixie State).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Tarik Myles, Azusa Pacific
KR • 5-6 • 150 • Junior • Fontana, Calif.

Myles had three punt returns for 58 yards, which included a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter of Azusa Pacific’s 61-14 win over Dixie State. Also Nominated: Earl Anderson (Simon Fraser), Robbie Joe Geranden (South Dakota Mines), Dominique Harrison (Western Oregon), Jonathan Kuhn (Central Washington).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES
AT WESTERN OREGON 31, CENTRAL WASHINGTON 25
MONMOUTH, Ore. - For the second straight week, Western Oregon held off a late drive by their opponent to secure the win, this time a 31-25 GNAC victory over Central Washington at McArthur Field. The two teams traded touchdowns throughout the first half, with the Wolves taking a 21-15 halftime lead on Phillip Fenumia’i’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Andy Avgi with 2:36 left in the second quarter. Central Washington was on the board first in the third quarter with Sean McDonald’s 25-yard field goal with 6:48 left in the period. The Wolves replied with Avgi’s second touchdown on a 17-yard pass from Fenumia’i with 2:12 left in the period and Jesse Correa’s 32-yard field goal as time expired in the stanza. The Wildcats came back to within 31-25 with 8:48 to go when Justin Lane found Christian Gasca for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 8:48 left. The Wildcats stopped the Wolves in their own territory on the next drive, but WOU replied in kind as they forced CWU to turn the ball over on downs at the Western Oregon 20-yard line with 1:06 left. Malik Braxton led the WOU offense as he carried for 131 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Fenumia’i completed 13 of 19 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Lane led Central Washington by completing 27 of 42 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Jesse Zalk caught eight passes for 148 yards and a touchdown and returned four kicks for 94 yards. Western Oregon’s Shane Kuenzi led all defensive players with 11 tackles, including an assisted tackle on the fourth quarter stop.

AT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES 19, SIMON FRASER 0
RAPID CITY, S.D. - South Dakota Mines wrapped up their first shutout since 2008, blanking Simon Fraser 19-0 at O’Harra Stadium. The Hardrockers limited the Clan to 310 yards of total offense, forced six punts and allowed SFU into the red zone just once. The Hardrockers rolled for 476 yards of total offense, 254 of which came in the air. Robbie Joe Geranden opened scoring with a 24-yard field goal with 3:37 left in the first quarter. Mines scored both of their touchdowns in the second quarter, with quarterback Trent McKinney scoring on a 35-yard run with 11:58 left in the frame and then passing to Kevin Mills for a 19-yard touchdown with six seconds left. Gerarden closed scoring with an early third quarter 23-yard field goal. McKinney led South Dakota Mines offensively, completing 29 of 38 for 228 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Simon Fraser quarterback Ryan Stanford completed 13 of 28 for 121 yards. Ante Milanovic-Litre carried 21 times for 124 yards. Simon Fraser’s Jordan Herdman finished with a GNAC season high 19 tackles.

AT AZUSA PACIFIC 61, DIXIE STATE 14
GLENDORA, Calif. - Running back Kurt Scoby rushed for 146 of Azusa Pacific’s 346 rushing yards and four touchdowns, leading the Cougars to a 61-14 non-conference rout of Dixie State at Citrus Stadium. Scoby had half of the Cougar’s eight touchdowns as the team finished with 530 yards of total offense. Scoby opened scoring with a 33-yard touchdown run at the 7:01 mark of the first quarter before Tarik Myles broke off a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5:36 left in the frame. Scoby’s second touchdown run with 6:37 left in the first half made it a 28-0 lead before Dixie State got on the board with Tyson Blackner’s seven-yard scoring run. The Cougars went on to score 33 unanswered points in the second half, including two more Scoby touchdowns and a third quarter safety. Dixie State scored again late when Orlando Wallace ran in from two yards out with 56 seconds left. Azusa Pacific quarterback Andrew Eiffers compelted 9 of 13 for 184 yards and two touchdowns with Ethan Zeidler catching three for 104 yards and a touchdown. Blackner completed 11 of 27 for Dixie State for 113 yards and rushed nine times for 33 yards. DeJon Coleman rushed 11 times for 40 yards while Nate Stephens caught six balls for 61 yards. Dixie State’s Colton Olson led the defense with 18 tackles.

AT MIDWESTERN STATE 35, HUMBOLDT STATE 10
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Humboldt State met their match for the first time this season in a battle of undefeated teams as Midwestern State took a 35-10 victory from the Lumberjacks at Memorial Stadium. The two teams engaged in a close first half. Ja’Quan Gardner opened scoring with his two-yard touchdown run five minutes into the first quarter, but Midwestern scored the next two touchdowns, taking a 14-7 lead on Quade Howard’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Tyrique Edwards. Cameron Southward brought the Jacks back to within 14-10 at half on his 36-yard field goal. Midwestern State shut down Humboldt State in the second half, scoring three unanswered third quarter touchdowns to secure the win. Gardner finished with 189 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries. Quarterback Robert Webber completed 25 of 41 for 205 yards as Humboldt State finished with 391 yards of total offense. Howard completed 16 of 28 for 292 yards and four touchdowns and rushed five times for 66 yards to lead Midwestern State. Arsenio Phillips had five catches for 106 yards as the Mustangs finished with 528 yards of total offense.

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
• Azusa Pacific put together one of its best offensive performances of the season Saturday, finishing with 530 yards of total offense in a 61-14 non-conference rout of Dixie State.

• Freshman running back Kurt Scoby had his best game of the season, finishing with 146 of the Cougars’ 346 rushing yards. He also had four touchdowns, two in each half, on 17 carries. He opened scoring with a game-best 33-yard touchdown run. Scoby enters the week third in the GNAC with 145.1 all-purpose yards, is second in the GNAC and 18th in Division II with 120.9 rushing yards per game and is 14th in Division II with 10 rushing touchdowns.

• Quarterback Andrew Eiffers performed well in place of the injured Chad Jeffries, completing 9 of 13 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

• Junior Tarik Myles was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned three punts, topped by a 57-yard punt return in the first quarter that gave Azusa Pacific a 14-0 lead.

• Jeffries continues to lead the GNAC in total offense, averaging 286.8 yards per game. Jeffries also leads the league with 239.5 passing yards per game and is 13th in Division II with 14.81 passing yards per completion.

• As a team, Azusa Pacific leads the GNAC in total defense (356.3 yards allowed per game), pass defense (135.1 yards allowed per game) and pass efficiency defense (105.1). Offensively, the Cougars rank second in total offense (444.4 yards per game) and third in scoring offense (30.9 points per game), rushing offense (211.7 yards per game) and passing offense (232.7 yards per game).

• In the NCAA Division II statistics, Azusa Pacific is ninth in passing yards allowed, 13th in passing yards per completion (15.22), 14th in fumbles lost (3), 18th in blocked punts (2) and kickoff returns (24.00 per return) and 27th in pass efficency defense.

• Azusa Pacific will play two of their remaining three games at home. The Cougars have the latest bye week in the GNAC. They are off on Sat., Nov. 7.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington bounced back from a 13-point deficit to challenge late in the game, but saw a potential game-winning drive stopped short in Western Oregon territory in a 31-25 loss to the Wolves.

• Quarterback Justin Lane put together another solid performance in his fourth start of the season. He completed 27 of 42 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the three scoring passes between three different receivers. Lane enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in passing offense (193.7 yards per game) and fourth in total offense (195.5 yards per game).

• Wide receiver/return specialist Jesse Zalk finished with 248 all-purpose yards. He was the Wildcats’ leading receiver at Western Oregon, catching eight passes for 148 yards and CWU’s first touchdown. Zalk also had four kickoff returns for 94 yards. Zalk ranks second in Division II and the GNAC (behind Ja’Quan Gardner) with 207.67 all-purpose yards per game. He leads the GNAC in kick return average (23.4 yards per return), punt return average (12.4 yards per return) and receiving (83.3 yards per game). Zalk is also third in Division II with 746 combined kick return yards and 27th in punt returns.

• Running back Arthur Burns had just 37 yards as the Wildcats were limited to 68 total rushing yards. Burns enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC in rushing with 75.7 yards per game and is eighth with 87.3 all-purpose yards per game.

• By the numbers, Central Washington is one of the top defensive teams in the GNAC. The Wildcats rank second in passing defense (172.9 yards allowed per game), total defense (376.1 yards allowed per game) and pass efficency defense (115.5). In the Division II stats, CWU is fourth in fourth down conversion defense (.133), 16th in blocked kicks (4), 27th in defensive touchdowns (2) and 29th in team sacks (2.86 per game).

• Central Washington enterd the week leading the GNAC and is 16th in Division II in kickoff returns with 24.32 yards per return.

• Offensively, Central Washington is second in the GNAC in both passing offense (239.6 yards per game) and pass efficiency (131.1) The Wildcats are 25th in Division II in passing yards per completion (14.46).

DIXIE STATE
• Dixie State could not get past Azusa Pacific Saturday as the Cougars limited the Red Storm to 275 yards of total offense in a 61-14 loss.

• The Red Storm had 162 rushing yards in the contest, but eight Dixie State rushers had more than 40 yards in the game. Senior DeJon Coleman led the team with 40 yards on 11 carries.

• Quarterback Tyson Blackner completed 11 of 27 passes for 113 yards. Nate Stephens was his top target, catching six balls for 61 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per catch.

• Coleman enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in both all-purpose yards (143.3 yards per game) and rushing (76.6 yards per game). Coleman also ranks second in the GNAC with 21.5 yards per kick return.

• Blackner enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 108.5 passing yards per game and seventh in total offense with 133.2 yards per game.

• Defensively, sophomore defensive back Colton Olson enters the week second in the GNAC with an average of 10.1 tackles per game. He had a massive 18 tackles (7 solo, 11 assist) at Azusa Pacific. Freshman Brandon Sloss is tied for first in the GNAC in fumbles focred (2/0.29 per game)  and Josh Symonette is first for fumbles recovered (6/0.33 per game).

• After playing four of their first five games of the season at home, Dixie State finish the season with four of five games on the road. Their only remaining home game will be on Sat., Nov. 7, against Humboldt State.

• This is Dixie State’s final season as a GNAC football member. The Red Storm will move to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for the 2016 season.

HUMBOLDT STATE
• Humboldt State met their match on the field for the first time this season, held by Midwestern State to 391 yards of total offense in a 35-10 loss. The Lumberjacks were held under 29 points for the first time this season.

• With the loss, Humboldt State dropped from No. 10 to No. 16 in this week’s AFCA Division II Top-25 Coaches Poll. The Lumberjacks dropped five spots in the D2Football.com Poll to No. 20.

• Ja’Quan Gardner continued to perform well, carrying for 35 times for 189 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Gardner continues to lead both the GNAC in both all-purpose yards (210 yards per game), rushing yards average (205.5 yards per game), total rushing yards (1,239) and scoring (16 points per game). Gardner is also second in Division II in rushing touchdowns (16), 14th in rushing yards per carry (7.16) and 24th in points responsible for (17.0 per game).

• Quarterback Robert Webber finished the game completing 25 of 41 passes for 205 and threw just his second interception of the season. Webber is second in the GNAC in pass efficency (142.7) and fourth in passing yardage (166.5 yards per game).

• Receiver Chase Krivashei was limited to just 23 yards on five catches. John Todd was the Lumberjacks’ leading receiver, taking his one catch for 50 yards. Krivashei enters the week third in the GNAC with 67 receiving yards per game and ranks 10th in Division II with his eight receiving touchdowns.

• Kicker Cameron Southward continues to lead the GNAC in kicking. He is a perfect 5 for 5 in field goals and has scored 48 points kicking (33 for 35 on point-after attempts). Southward kicked a 36-yard field goal at Midwestern State and is the only regular GNAC kicker who is perfect in field goals this season.

• Defensively, Chris Hannible is tied for 15th with 0.5 interceptions per game. Drew Dubois continues to rank fourth in Division II with 1.40 sacks per game (7.0 total).

• With the loss, Humboldt State slipped to seventh in Division II in rushing offense (287.8 yards per game), ninth in scoring offense (43.39 points per game) and 20th in total offense (486.2 yards per game), leading the GNAC in both categories. The Lumberjacks are also fourth in fumbles lost (2), seventh in passes had intercepted (2), 10th in fewest penalties (34), 14th in fewest penalty yards per game (48.5) and turnover margin (1.33), 15th in fewest penalty yards (291), 19th in pass efficency (156.46), 20th in sacks allowed (1.00), 21st in fewest penalties per game (5.67), 24th in fourth down conversion defense (.308) and 30th in blocked kicks allowed (1).

• The Lumberjacks rushed for 498 yards of total offense against South Dakota Mines on Oct. 3, bettering the GNAC record of 482 set by Auzsa Pacific vs. Menlo on Nov. 15, 2014. They also equaled the GNAC record of seven rushing touchdowns set by the Cougars vs. Dixie State on Oct. 18, 2014. Humboldt State finished the game with 641 yards of total offense.

• The Lumberjacks closes the season with four of five games on the road. Humboldt State’s only remaining game at the Redwood Bowl will be on Sat., Oct. 31, against Simon Fraser.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser finished with 310 yards of total offense, but were effectively held out of the red zone in a 19-0 loss to South Dakota Mines. The Clan entered the red zone just once, with the drive ending on an interception.

• Of those 310 yards of total offense, 183 of them came on the ground. Ante Milanovic-Litre was SFU’s leading rusher with 124 yards on 21 carries.

• Quarterback Ryan Stanford completed 13 of 28 passes for 121 yards. Justin Buren was his top target, catching five passes for 84 yards. He averaged 16.8 yards per catch. Stanford enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 207.2 passing yards per game and third with 196.8 total offense yards per game.

• Brothers Jordan and Justin Herdmann continue to be a dominant defensive force for the Clan. Jordan leads the GNAC with an average of 13.6 tackles per game (68 total). He had a GNAC season-high of 19 tackles (8 solo, 11 assisted) against South Dakota Mines. Justin had 11 tackles in the game. He is ranked third in the GNAC with 9.6 tackles per game and is fourth in the league with 1.70 tackles for loss per game.

• Simon Fraser is the only GNAC team that will finish the season with all six of their conference games in a row. The Clan played all three of their non-conference games in September and are the only GNAC team playing a nine-game schedule this season.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
• South Dakota Mines scored its first shutout since 2008, using a pair of second quarter touchdowns to outdistance themselves from Simon Fraser 19-0.

• Quarterback Trent McKinney was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week  after he finished with 347 yards of total offense. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 228 yards and threw for a touchdown. He also rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, averaging 10.8 yards per carry. McKinney enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC in both total offense (187.3 yards per game) and passing (124 yards per game) and is ranked sixth in rushing (63.3 yards per game).

• Devin Nixon added 72 yards to his rushing total on 20 carries against Simon Fraser. The freshman enters the week ranked thrid in the GNAC with 97 rushing yards per game and sixth with 119.4 all-purpose yards per game.

• Freshman kicker Robbie Joe Gerarden kicked field goals of 23 and 24 yards to bookend the Hardrockers’ two touchdowns. Gerarden is now 4 for 5 this season in field goal attempts and a perfect 20 for 20 in point-after attempts in five games.

• Martin Rodriguez enters the week tied for the GNAC lead with an average of 40.7 yards per punt, which also ranks 28th in Division II.

• As a team, South Dakota Mines is ranked second in the GNAC in scoring offense (33.4 points per game) and rushing offense (226.3 yards per game) and is third in total offense (441.1 yards per game).

• In the Division II stats, South Dakota Mines is first in blocked kicks allowed (0) and blocked punts allowed (0), fourth in blocked punts (3), 14th in fewest penalties per game (5.29), 16th in blocked kicks (4) and first downs (172), 19th in fewest penalties (37) and fewest penalty yards (301), 25th in punt returns (14.45 yards per return) and team sacks (2.86), 29th in rushing offense (219.9 yards per game) and 30th in win percentage (.714).

• This is South Dakota Mines’ final season in the GNAC. The Hardrockers will join the RMAC for the 2016 season.

WESTERN OREGON
• For the second straight week, Western Oregon stopped a potential winning drive as the Wolves’ defense stopped Central Washington on the WOU 20-yard line with a minute left for a 31-25 victory.

• Also for the second straight week, the man responsible for the game-winning stop was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week. Shane Kuenzi led the Wolves with 11 tackles, but his biggest was helping to stop Central Washington with a minute left. Kuenzi now has 25 tackles in his last two games. He enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 9.6 tackles per game.

• Running back Malik Braxton carried 21 times for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the Wolves’ 213 yards of rushing offense. Braxton is second for the Wolves in rushing, averaging 38.2 yards per game.

• Quarterback Philip Fenumia’i completed 13 of 19 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, but was also intercepted three times. Feunmia’i is one of three quarterbacks to play for the Wolves this season.

• The dynamic Paul Revis was limited to two carries for 24 yards and one kick return for 35 yards. The sophomore enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 133.4 all-purpose yards per game and second with 68.3 receiving yards per game. In the NCAA Division II stats, Revis ranks fifth with his 18.6 yards per punt return.

• Western Oregon leads the GNAC in passing, averaging 243.9 yards per game. The Wolves are tied for second in turnover margin (0.14 per game/+1).

• Western Oregon finishes the season playing four of their final six games at home, including their final three of the season.