Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Simon Fraser has not had many bright spots during this 2016 football season, but Jordan Herdman’s defensive ability shines as bright as any in the league.

Herdman, the two-time defending GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, etched his name into the GANC Career Record Book over the weekend as the Clan hosted Central Washington. Herdman finished with 11 tackles, including six assisted tackles. The assisted stops allowed Herdman to become the conference’s all-time leader in the category with 200. That surpassed the mark of 196 assisted tackles set by Central Washington’s Buudy Wood from 2005 to 2009.

This week, at Western Oregon, Herdman will take aim at the all-time total tackles record. The senior needs just four tackles to surpass the career mark of 385, which was also set by Wood.

More than records, though, the Clan will be looking for its first GNAC win this season and its first  since October 2014. Simon Fraser will be at Western Oregon on Sautrday as each team closes the first half of the conference season. The Clan is coming off a 55-6 loss to the Wildcats last weekend, while the Wolves are coming off a 31-2 loss at home to Azusa Pacific.

The Cougars won the game despite being outgained on offense by Western Oregon. Azusa Pacific succeeded in limiting Western Oregon to 5 of 20 on third down conversions and 0 for 4 in the red zone. The win lifted the now No. 10/12 ranked Cougars to 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in league play.

Azusa Pacific will play its final non-conference game this weekend, traveling to Colorado to face Colorado Mines.

The other GNAC matchup of the weekend will feature Central Washington at Humboldt State. The Wildcats are on a two-game win streak after rolling in a 55-6 win at Simon Fraser. Humboldt State won at Chadron State last weekend, 31-27, despite being battered by injuries to three key starters.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Andrew Elffers, Azusa Pacific
QB • 6-3 • 220 • Junior • Arcadia, Calif.

Elffers completed 12 of 19 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown and also rushed nine times for 38 yards and a score in the Cougars’ 31-2 win at Western Oregon. He finished with 221 yards of total offense as APU improved to 5-0 on the year.

Also Nominated: Blair Zerr (Humboldt State), JoJo Hillel (Central Washington).

DEFENSE
Kevin Haynes, Central Washington
LB • 6-1 • 228 • Junior • Battle Ground, Wash.

Haynes led Central Washington with seven tackles, four tackles for loss for 28 yards and a sack in the Wildcats’ 55-6 win at Simon Fraser. He paced a Central Washington defense that limited the Clan to 239 yards of total offense.

Also Nominated: Mykal Walker (Azusa Pacific).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Jesse Zalk, Central Washington
KR/WR • 5-8 • 162 • Senior • Battle Ground, Wash.

Zalk finished with three punt returns for 80 yards and opened his day with a 56-yard return for a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 55-6 win at Simon Fraser. In addition, Zalk finished with four catches at wide receiver for 89 yards and a touchdown to finish with 169 all-purpose yards.

Also Nominated: Willie Fair (Azusa Pacific).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES
HUMBOLDT STATE 31, AT CHADRON STATE 27
CHADRON, Neb. - Blair Zerr’s 5-yard touchdown run with just over 11 minutes to go proved the go-ahead score as Humboldt State scored a 31-27 win over Chadron State at Elliott Field. After taking a 17-7 halftime lead, the Lumberjacks saw the Eagles come back to score a pair of third quarter touchdowns, including a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown by Cody Paul with 6:14 left in the quarter that put Chadron State up 20-17. Zerr put the Lumberjacks back on top with his 4-yard touchdown run just as the third was expiring. The Eagles scored again on Marcus Brown’s 12-yard reception from Matt Vinson with 12:23 to go, but Zerr replied with another 4-yard run with 11:04 lef tthat won it. The Eagles had two more drives to try and win it, but both ended on downs. That included a big Lumberjacks’ defensive stop on the 1-yard line with eight minutes left. Zerr led Humboldt State offensively, carrying 23 times for 93 yards and a touchdown and catching six passes for 43 yards and a score. Quarterback Robert Webber completed 32 of 42 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Paul led the Eagles, carrying five times for 104 yards and a touchdown. Vinson completed 22 of 43 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony Boykin, Cameron Buell and Connor Cox each had six tackles to lead Humboldt State defensively. The Lumberjacks outgained Chadron State on offense 502 to 396 and held onto the ball for an impressive 41 minutes, 53 seconds.

AZUSA PACIFIC 31, AT WESTERN OREGON 2
MONMOUTH, Ore. - Western Oregon outained Azusa Pacific 424 to 373 and won the time of possession battle, but couldn’t get the ball in the end zone as the Wolves fell to the Cougars 31-2 at McArthur Field. The Azusa Pacific defense proved quite strong, holding Western Oregon to 0 for 4 in the red zone. Western Oregon’s only score came on a safety in the fourth quarter. The Cougars, meanwhile, broke through a defensive battle on Jamie Cacciatore’s 29-yard field goal with 9:38 to go in the first half and the Cougars made it 10-0 when Chad Jeffries found Tanner Henry for a 13-yard touchdown reception with 5:28 to go in the stanza. Quarterback Andrew Elffers made it 17-0 with his 3-yard touchdown run with 5:13 left and Mykal Walker made it 24-0 with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdowns with 4:09 left in the third. The Cougars added one more touchdown late in the fourth when Josiah Thropay caught a 9-yard scoring pass. Elffers completed 12 of 19 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown for Azusa Pacific while Jeffries completed 6 of 14 for 101 yards and a score. Weston Carr caught four passes for 78 yards while Thropay caught five for 72 yards and the touchdown. Paul Revis led Western Oregon with six catches for 106 yards while quarterback Phillip Fenumiai completed 27 of 49 for 326 yards. Walker and C.J. Broussard led APU defensively with seven tackles apiece while Tyler Johnson led Western Oregon with 10 tackles.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON 55, SIMON FRASER 6
BURNABY, B.C. - Central Washington scored early and often to spoil Simon Fraser’s homecoming, taking a 55-6 win from the Clan at Terry Fox Field. Quarterback Justin Lane found Christian Gasca for a 53-yard touchdown pass on the Wildcats’ first reception and Jesse Zalk made it a 13-0 game with a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown at the 11:20 mark of the first quarter. Lane then found Gasca again for a 16-yard touchdown reception with 1:56 left in the stanza. It would be 34-0 by halftime after Lane found Zalk for a 50-yard touchdown reception and JoJo Hillel’s 9-yard touchdown run. The Wildcats scored three more times in the second half before the Clan broke open the shutout on Jalen Jana’s 36-yard touchdown run with 5:32 left in the game. Hillel led Central Washington by completing 10 of 14 for 181 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed seven times for 36 yards and two more scores. Zalk caught four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown and also had three returns for 80 yards and a touchdown. Simon Fraser quarterback Miles Richardson completed 11 of 29 for 99 yards while backup Mihai Lapuste completed 7 of 9 for 98 yards. Jana rushed seven times for 55 yards while Justin Buren caught six passes for 55 yards. Simon Fraser punter Colin Cossette kicked 13 times, setting a GNAC single game record for punts. Central Washington outgained Simon Fraser 442 to 239. Kevin Haynes led CWU defensively with seven tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack. Jordan Herdman led Simon Fraser with 11 tackles.

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
• Azusa Pacific posted a big defensive performance as Western Oregon on Saturday, holding the Wolves without any offensive points in a 31-2 win in Monmouth.

• With the victory, the Cougars improved to 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in GNAC play, taking a two-game lead in the conference standings. The performance also netted APU selection as the GNAC/Red Lion Team of the Week and moved the Cougars up four spots to No. 10 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Despite allowing Western Oregon 424 yards of total offense, the Cougars succeeded in limiting WOU to 8 for 20 on third down conversions and 0 for 4 in the red zone. Mykal Walker and C.J. Broussard each had seven tackles to lead a balanced defensive effort, with Walker accounting for a third quarter interception and return for a touchdown.

• Quarterback Andrew Elffers was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 12 of 19 passes for 187 yards and a touchdowns and also rushed nine times for 38 yards and a touchdown. Elffers enters the week fifth in the GNAC at 148 passing yards per game and is 18th in Division II with a pass efficiency rating of 164.7.

• The Cougars lead the GNAC and are second in Division II with 12 interceptions. Azusa Pacific has four players with two picks each: Walker, Broussard, Taliuaki Suliafu and Lavell Thomas.

• Azusa Pacific enters the week leading the GNAC in pass efficiency (168.1), scoring defense (14.0 points allowed per game), rushing defense (87.6 yards allowed per game), total defense (333.2 points allowed per game), pass defense efficiency (101.9), turnover margin (1.80) and kickoff returns (307 yards per return). In the Division II stats, the Cougars are second in sacks (5.00 per game) third in kickoff returns, fifth in turnover margin and seventh in turnovers gained (15).

• The Cougars play their final non-conference game of the season on Saturday, traveling to Golden, Colo., to take on Colorado Mines.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington posted its second huge offensive performance in a row, finishing with 442 yards of total offense in a 55-6 win at Simon Fraser.

• The Wildcats limited the Clan to just 239 yards of offense and 4 of 18 on third down conversions. Kevin Haynes was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he led the Wildcats with seven tackles, four tackles for loss for 28 yards and a sack. Haynes enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 9.6 tackles per game and is 20th in Division II with 6.2 solo tackles per game.

• Wide receiver/return specialist Jesse Zalk was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week as he finished withb 169 all-purpose yards. That included three punt returns for 80 yards, including a 56-yard return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Zalk leads the GNAC with 17.2 yards per kick return and with 84 receiving yards per game. He also ranks 17th in Division II with his six receiving touchdowns.

• Quarterback Justin Lane completed 8 of 11 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns while playing just the first and part of the second quarters. Backup JoJo Hillel performed just as well, completing 10 of 14 for 181 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing seven times for 36 yards and two more scores.

• Lane enters the week second in the GNAC with 231.4 passing yards per game and 235.6 yards of total offense per game. Lane is also 16th in Division II with 13 passing touchdowns and 19th with 15.43 yards per completion.

• Central Washington set a GNAC single game record by forcing Simon Fraser to punt 13 times. That beat the previous record 12 set on five occasions, most recently by Western Oregon at Portland State on Sept. 26, 2015.

• The Wildcats enter the week leading the GNAC in opponent first downs (88) and are second in rushing offense (162.6 yards per game), passing offense (267.6 yards per game), total offense (430.2 yards per game), pass efficency (156.1), first downs (103), scoring defense (22.8 points allowed per game), riushing defense (112.8 yards allowed per game), total defense (363.4 yards allowed per game) and turnover margin (0.20). In the Division II stats, Central Washington is first in fumbles lost (0), sixth in turnovers lost (4), eighth in team tackles for loss (10.2) and 11th in fourth down conversion percentage (.778).

• Central Washington concludes the first half of its GNAC schedule on Saturday as the Wildcats play at Humboldt State.

HUMBOLDT STATE
• Humboldt State used a pair of 4-yard touchdown runs by Blair Zerr to hold off a second half Chadron State rally as the Lumberjacks picked up the 31-27 road win at Chadron, Neb.

• Zerr saw increased time at running back as Ja’Quan Gardner was limited by injury. He finished with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and also caught six passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Richard Doctor was HSU’s top receiver, catching six balls for 76 yards.

• Quarterback Robert Webber had another solid afternoon, completing 32 of 42 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Webber enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 18th in Division II with 322.2 yards of total offense per game. He also leads the GNAC and is 10th in Division II with 316.6 passing yards per game.

• Gardner carried just twice for 15 yards before leaving the game with an injury. The junior enters the week leading the GNAC and is 16th in Division II with 118 rushing yards per game. In the Division II stats, Gardner ranked third with 11 rushing touchdowns and 15th with 590 rushing yards.

• Perhaps the most impressive stats in the Chadron State game was time of possession. Humboldt State had control of the ball for 41 minutes, 53 seconds.

• As a team, Humboldt State leads the GNAC in scoring offense (41.6 points per game), rushing offense (184.6 yards per game), passing offense (318.4 yards per game), total offense (503 yards per game), first downs (131), pass defense (203 yards allowed per game), punting (37 yards per punt) and time of possession (32:25). In the Division II stats, the Lumberjacks are second in completion percentage (.691), sixth in blocked punts (2), seventh in first downs, 16th in passing offense and 17th in scoring offense.

• Humboldt State closes the first half of its GNAC schedule at home, hosting Cnetral Washington on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Playing in front of a homecoming crowd on campus at Terry Fox Field, Simon Fraser was limited to 239 yards of total offense in a 55-6 loss to Central Washington.

• The Clan’s lone score of the game came in the fourth quarter on a 36-yard touchdown run by Jalen Jana. The running back finished with 55 yards on seven carries. Justin Buren led the SFU receivers, catching six balls for 55 yards.

• Starting quarterback Miles Richardson completed 11 of 29 passes for 99 yards while backup Mihai Lapuste completed 7 of 9 for 98 yards.

• Simon Fraser set a GNAC record with 13 punts in the game, surpassing the mark of 12 set by five different teams, most recently Western Oregon vs. Portland State on Sept. 26, 2015. Punter Colin Cossette kicked the ball away all 13 games to surpass the individual single game record of 12 set three times, most recently Western Oregon’s Alexander Bradt against Western Oregon in 2015. Cossette averaged 30.8 yards per punt in the game.

• As a team, Simon Fraser continues to lead Division II with 33.5 punt return yards per game. The Clan had one punt return against Central Washington for 15 yards. Simon Fraser is also sixth in Division II with its eight fumble recoveries.

• Jordan Herdman continues to be the heartbeat of the SFU defense, registering 11 tackles against the Wildcats. Six of those were assisted tackles, making him the league’s all-time leader in the category with 200. Herdman surpasses Central Washington’s Buddy Wood (2005-09), who had 196.  The senior has 382 total tackles and needs just four tackles to surpass the GNAC career record of 385 set by Wood. Herdman needs seven solo tackles to move into No. 3 on that career list.

• Herdman enters the week leading the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 13.4 tackles per game. He is also 12th in Division II with his 6.6 solo tackles per game.

• Simon Fraser closes the first half of its GNAC schedule on Saturday, playing at Western Oregon.

WESTERN OREGON
• One week after its big win at Humboldt State, Western Oregon founs it almost impossible to score in a 31-2 home loss on Saturday to Azusa Pacific.

• Western Oregon outgained Azusa Pacific 424 to 373, finished with 326 passing yards and held the advantage in possession time with 31:14, but the Wolves were held to 0 for 4 on red zone opportunities and 8 for 20 on third down conversions. Western Oregon’s only score came with 10:10 left in the game when Austin Spencer and George Swartzlender forced a Cougars’ safety.

• Quarterback Phillip Fenumiai completed 27 of 49 passes for 326 yards and was intercepted twice to lead the WOU offense. He also led the WOU ground game, rushing 19 times for 67 yards. Fenumiai enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 212.6 total offense yards and 176.2 passing yards per game.

• Receiver/return specialist Paul Revis finished with 151 all-purpose yards. He led all receivers with nine catches for 106 yards. Revis enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 17th in Division II with 164.6 all-purpose yards. He also leads the GNAC with 6.20 receptions per game.

• On defense, Bo Highburger is second in the GNAC and eighth in Division II with 6.8 tackles per game. He is also second in the GNAC with 1.40 tackles for loss per game. The sophomore finished with five tackles and a tackle for loss against Azusa Pacific.

• Western Oregon enjoys back-to-back weeks at home, closing the first half of the GNAC season by hosting Simon Fraser.