Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Humboldt State put itself squarely in the driver’s seat in the GNAC title hunt and the quest for a potential playoff berth thanks to its 34-16 victory over defending champ Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

The Lumberjacks were led by another incredible performance by sophomore running back Ja’Quan Gardner, who rushed for a school record 305 yards with three touchdowns. He also passed for 66 yards and a touchdown as he completed a trick play in the first quarter.

Humboldt State, ranked No. 10 in the latest AFCA Division II Poll, improved to 5-0 overall, 3-0 GNAC. The Lumberjacks will have their toughest test yet on Saturday as they travel to Texas to play undefeated Midwestern State. The teams are two of 13 left undefeated in Division II.

South Dakota Mines continued a turnaround season, using a first quarter scoring barrage to score a 49-44 victory at Central Washington. The Hardrockers scored four first quarter touchdowns and then held off a valiant Wildcats’ rally to preserve the win.

Hardrockers’ running back Devin Nixon shared GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors with Gardner after he finished with 251 all-purpose yards, including 160 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

Western Oregon, meanwhile, scored the upset of the season in the GNAC as they completed a 24-22 victory over No. 6 North Alabama. The Wolves scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to win the game and stopped the Lion’s potential game-winning drive when Jonathan Breland picked up an interception with 30 seconds left.

Central Washington and Western Oregon will square off on Saturday in Monmouth with the chance to keep pace in the conference race. Both teams enter the game 3-3 overall, 1-1 GNAC. South Dakota Mines will host Simon Fraser as the Clan look for their first win of the season. The week’s other game will feature Dixie State at Azusa Pacific in a non-conference matchup.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
JaQuan Gardner, Humboldt State
RB • 5-7 • 190 • Sophomore • Ceres, Calif.

Gardner rushed for a school-record 305 yards on 36 carries and scored three touchdowns as he led the Lumberjacks to a 34-16 victory over defending GNAC champion Azusa Pacific. He had 142 of those yards in the first quarter alone. In addition, he threw on a trick play for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Devin Nixon, South Dakota Mines
RB • 5-9 • 190 • Fr., Savannah, Ga.

Nixon finished with 251 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns to lead the Hardrockers to a 49-44 victory over Central Washington. He carried 30 times for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also caught three passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. His two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter proved to be the winning scores in the game. Also Nominated: Arthur Burns (Central Washington), DeJon Coleman (Dixie State), Philip Fenumia’i (Western Oregon).

DEFENSE
Jonathan Breland, Western Oregon
LB • 6-2 • 235 • Senior • Berkeley, Calif.

Breland had two critical interceptions that helped the Wolves clinch their 24-22 upset of No. 6 ranked North Alabama. The first pick led to the Wolves’ first touchdown with 4:08 left in the first quarter and the second interception stopped UNA’s final drive of the game. Breland also had four tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Also Nominated: Taylor Mitchell (Humboldt State), David Jakpor (South Dakota Mines).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Nikolai Karpun, Simon Fraser
K/P • 6-0 • 203 • Senior • North Delta, B.C.

Karpun punted seven times against Dixie State, averaging 43.7 yards per punt, and had one inside the 20-yard line. His ledger included a long punt of 49 yards. Also Nominated: Robbie Joe Geranden (South Dakota Mines).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES
SOUTH DAKOTA MINES 49, AT CENTRAL WASHINGTON 44
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - South Dakota Mines scored four first quarter touchdowns, which proved enough to hold off a late Central Washington rally to beat the Wildcats 49-44 at Tomlinson Stadium. The Hardrockers scored on their first drive of the game with Devin Nixon catching a 44-yard touchdown pass from Ben Boecker and made it 14-0 when Justin Jakpor intercepted CWU quarterback Justin Lane on the Wildcats’ first play from scrimmage. Central Washington halved the lead on Arthur Burns’ one-yard run at the 9:32 mark, but Mines replied with a pair of Trent McKinney scoring runs to take a 28-7 lead at the end of the first period. Central Washington cut the lead to 28-17 on two third quarter touchdowns before both teams engaged in the fourth quarter scoring frenzy that saw the teams combine for seven touchdowns. South Dakota Mines built a 49-24 cushion on Nixon’s 24-yard touchdown run with 4:12 to go. The Wildcats scored three unanswered touchdowns from that point and came within five on Lane’s three-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds left, but could not recover the ensuing onside kick as the game closed out. Nixon finished with 251 yards of total offense and three touchdowns for the Hardrockers, including 160 rushing yards on 30 carries. McKinney completed 7 of 13 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Central Washington’s Burns carried 35 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns while Jesse Zalk caught six balls for 116 yards and a touchdown. Lane completed 16 of 38 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown. The two teams combined for 1,001 yards of total offense, with Central Washington gaining 579 yards.

DIXIE STATE 38, AT SIMON FRASER 35
BURNABY, B.C. - Dixie State used two fourth quarter touchdowns to come back from a three-point deficit and knock off Simon Fraser 38-35 at Swangard Stadium. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, but the Red Storm pulled out to a 24-17 lead on Tyson Blackner’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Nate Stephens with 50 seconds to go in the third quarter. The Clan replied with scores on its first two fourth quarter drives, coming within four on Tiernan Docherty’s 31-yard field goal and took a 27-24 lead on Ryan Stanford’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Justin Buren. Dixie State closed out the contest with a pair of scoring runs on their next two possessions, including a 75-yard run by DeJon Coleman and a three-yard quarterback keeper by Blackner with four minutes left. Simon Fraser came back within three on Stanford’s 19-yard touchdown strike to Christian Berger and a two-point conversion. The Clan forced the Red Storm three-and-out on their next series, but could not get out of their own territory on their final drive. Coleman led Dixie State with 146 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Blackner completed 12 of 31 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns while Stephens caught five passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Stanford completed 27 of 57 for 283 yards and four touchdowns to lead Simon Fraser. Berger caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Dixie State outgained Simon Fraser in total offense, 499 to 331.

AT HUMBOLDT STATE 34, AZUSA PACIFIC 16
ARCATA, Calif. - Ja’Quan Gardner rushed for a school record 305 yards and finished with 371 yards of total offense as Humboldt State took firm control of the GNAC football race with a 34-15 win over Azusa Pacific at the Redwood Bowl. Gardner had his 305 yards on 36 carries, averaging 8.5 yards per rush, and scored three touchdowns. The sophomore scored the game’s first touchdowns with a 55-yard run on the opening drive and a six-yard run with a minute gone in the second quarter. Gardner then was successful executing the reverse, finding Chase Krivashei for a 66-yard touchdown pass with 11:06 left in the first half. Azusa Pacific closed the half with a 30-yard Jacob Hall field goal and came within 20-9 on Chad Jeffries’ three-yard touchdown run. The Lumberjacks put the game out of reach with two fourth quarter touchdowns as Gardner rushed for a 14-yard score with 7:45 left and Jabar Byrd scampering in from one-yard out with 4:14 to go. Humboldt State outgained the Cougars 470 to 411, with 354 of those yards coming on the ground. Lumberjacks’ quarterback Robert Webber completed 7 of 15 for 50 yards and Krivashei caught three passes for 80 yards. Jeffries led Azusa Pacific by completing 15 of 34 for 183 yards, but was intercepted twice. He also rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries. Ethan Zeidler caught seven passes for 113 yards.

AT WESTERN OREGON 24, NORTH ALABAMA 22
MONMOUTH, Ore. - Two timely interceptions by Jonathan Breland proved to be momentum changers as Western Oregon upset No. 6 ranked North Alabama 24-22 at McArthur Field. Breland finished with two of the Wolves’ three interceptions as they forced the Lions to turn the ball over five times in the driving rain. After the Wolves converted a fumble into a 39-yard Jesse Correa Field goal, Breland picked Luke Wingo to start a seven-play, 37-yard drive that ended on Paul Revis’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin Williams on a fake field goal with 4:08 left in the first quarter. North Alabama came back to to score their first touchdown when Wingo found Eric Belew for a 60-yard strike with 1:08 left in the first half. The Lions then used three Kevin Henke field goals to take a 16-10 lead before the Wolves stepped up for a pair of fourth quarter scores. Quarterback Phillip Fenumia’i used a 13-yard keeper to take the 17-16 lead and then found Andy Avgi for an eight-yard touchdown pass with 4:35 to go. North Alabama replied with a 16-yard scoring pass from Wingo to Lee Mayhall with 1:28 left. The Lions recovered the ensuing onside kick and marched to the Western Oregon 23-yard line before Breland stepped up to intercept Wingo with 1:04 left to close out the game. David Sowards completed 11 of 22 for 155 yards to lead Western Oregon while Fenumia’i completed 5 of 8 for 57 yards and rushed for 60 more yards on seven carries. Revis caught three passes for 90 yards. Wingo led North Alabama by completing 22 of 36 for 282 yards. Mayhall caught nine passes for 99 yards.

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
• Azusa Pacific succeeded in holding Humboldt State to fewer points in their rematch on Saturday, but could not hold off the Lumberjacks’ vaunted rushing game in a 34-16 loss in Arcata, Calif.

• The Cougars finished with 411 yards of total offense in the game, with 220 of those coming on the ground. Quarterback Chad Jeffries was the leading rusher for APU, finishing with 90 yards on 22 carries while also completing 15 of 34 passes for 183 yards.

• Humboldt State succeeded in limiting dynamic running back Kurt Scoby to 84 yards on 14 carries. He also caught two passes for 24 yards The freshman enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 21st in Division II with an averager of 115.8 rushing yards per game. Scoby is also fifth in the GNAC with 144.2 all-purpose yards per game and ninth in total offense with 115.8 yards per game. In the Division II stats, Scoby is 13th with 700 rushing yards.

• Junior wide receiver Ethan Zeidler finished with 113 receiving yards on seven catches. Zeidler leads all APU receivers and is tied for fifth in the GNAC with an average of 60 receiving yards per game.

• Jeffries continues to lead the GNAC in total offense, averagiing 286.8 yards per game. Jeffries also leads the league with 239.5 passing yards per game and is 15th in Division II with 14.81 passing yards per completion.

• As a team, Azusa Pacific continues to lead the GNAC in passing defense (137.2 yards allowed per game). The Cougars are second in total defense (369.8 yards allowed per game), scoring defense (26.5 points allowed per game), total offense (439 yards per game) and kickoff returns (23.8 yards per return).

• In the NCAA Division II statistics, Azusa Pacific is 10th in passing yards allowed, 20th in punt return defense (4 yards per return), 21st in passing yards per completion (14.74), 23rd in kickoff returns and 25th in fumbles lost (3).

• Saturday’s non-conference game with Dixie State begins a string where Azusa Pacific will play three of its final four games at home.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington scored three touchdowns in the final four minutes in a frantic rally Saturday, but the rally came up short in a 49-44 loss to South Dakota Mines on Saturday.

• The Wildcats lost the game despite outgaining South Dakota Mines on total offense 579 to 422. Passing accounted for 300 of those yards with quarterback Justin Lane completing 16 of 38 for 300 yards. Lane also threw two interceptions, both of which were converted into touchdowns.

• Senior running back Arthur Burns had a career day for a second consecutive week, finishing with 228 yards on 35 carries with three touchdowns. Burns enters the week fifth in the GNAC in rushing with 82.2 yards per game and is ninth in the league with 89.2 all-purpose yards per game. In the Division II stats, Burns is tied for 30th with seven rushing touchdowns.

• Wide receiver/return specialist Jesse Zalk finished with 284 all-purpose yards. catching six balls for 116 yards and a touchdown. He also had 163 yards on six kick returns and five yards on one punt return. Zalk enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and seventh in Division II with 199.6 all-purpose yards per game. He leads the GNAC with averages of 23.4 yards per kick return and 12.9 yards per punt return. Zalk ranks third in Division II with 646 combined kick return yards.

• Kicker Sean McDonald is among the top kickers in the GNAC. He enters the week having made 22 of 22 point-after attempts and his four field goals (he had a 37-yarder against South Dakota Mines) is tied for first in the league.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and is 20th in Division II with 24.44 kickoff return yards per game.

• Defensively, Central Washington is second in the GNAC in pass defense (172.3 yards per game) and pass efficiency defense (111.1) and third in the league in total defense (374 yards allowed per game). In the Division II statistics, the Wildcats are fifth in fourth down conversion defense (.133), ninth in third down conversion defense (.269), 11th in blocked kicks (4), 21st in defensive touchdowns (2) and 30th in passing yards allowed.

• Offensively, CWU is third in the GNAC in scoring offense (30.3 points per game) and pass efficiency (123.4). The Wildcats’ 14.62 passing yards per competion is 24th in Division II.

DIXIE STATE
• Dixie State took control of a back-and-forth game with two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, picking up their first GNAC victory of the season with a 38-35 road win at Simon Fraser.

• The Red Storm’s 499 yards of total offense was balanced with 252 rushing yards and 247 passing yards. Quarterback Tyler Blackney completed 12 of 31 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. His top target, Nate Stephens, caught five passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.

• Senior running back DeJon Coleman continued to drive the Dixie State rushing game, finishing with 146 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Coleman had a 75-yard scoring run with 9:06 left in the fourth quarter that gave the Red Storm the lead for good. Coleman enters the week ranked third in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II with 160.5 all-purpose yards per game. He is fourth in the GNAC with an average of 82.7 rushing yards per game and his 6.61 yards per carry is 25th in Division II.

• Stephens enters the week as the Red Storm’s top receiver, tied for fifth in the GNAC with an average of 60 yards per game and tied for third with 4.33 receptions per game.

• Blackner enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC in passing with an average of 107.6 yards per game. He is also sixth with a pass efficiency rating of 111.9. In the Division II stats, Blackner is 27th with 14.16 yards per completion.

• Defensively, sophomore defensive back Colton Olson enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 8.8 tackles per game (53 total). Junior Josh Symonette is first in the GNAC with 0.40 fumbles recovered per game and is tied for 12th with two forced fumbles.

• Dixie State continues to be ranked third in the GNAC with 214 rushing yards per game and fourth in total offense at 372.7 yards per game. The Red Storm is ranked 22nd in Division II in time of possession at 32:31 per game.

• After playing four of their first five games of the season at home, Dixie State are playing four of their remaining 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 rode the running game to a commanding lead in the GNAC standings, rushing for four of their five touchdowns in their 34-16 win over Azusa Pacific. The Lumberjacks finished with 470 yards of total offense, 354 of which came on the ground.

• Ja’Quan Gardner earned GNAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors after he rushed for a Humboldt State record 305 yards and finished with 371 yards of total offense. He rushed for three touchdowns and threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Chase Krivashei. The rushing performance is the third best in GNAC history.

• With the win, Humboldt State moved up one spot to No. 10 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and two spots to No. 18 in the D2Football.com Top-25 Poll. The Lumberjacks will play Midwestern State next week, which is No. 11 in the AFCA poll and No. 15 in the D2Football.com Poll. The two teams are among 13 in Division II that are undefeated.

• Receiver Chase Krivashei finished with 80 yards on three receptions and was on the receiving end of Gardner’s 66-yard touchdown pass. Krivashei enters the week second in the GNAC with 73.8 receiving yards per game and seventh with 91.2 all-purpose yards per game. Kirvashei is sixth in Division II with 8 receiving touchdowns and 28th with 9.6 points per game.

• Gardner is lining up All-American numbers as a sophomore. He enters the week leading Division II with 215 all-purpose yards per game, 210 rushing yards per game, 15 rushing touchdowns and an average of 18 points per game. Gardner also is second in Division II with 1,050 rushing yards and 12th with 7.61 rushing yards per carry.

• Quarterback Robert Webber finished 7 for 15 for 50 yards against Azusa Pacific. Webber continues to lead the GNAC and rank 14th in Division II in pass efficiency at 159.8.

• Kicker Cameron Southward enters the week ranked 30th in Division II in scoring with an average of 10 points per game. He is 4 for 4 in field goals this season and 32 of 34 in point-after attempts.

• Defensively, Chris Hannible is tied for 26th with 0.5 interceptions per game. Drew Dubois continues to rank eighth in Division II with 1.40 sacks per game (7.0 total).

• Humboldt State continues to lead Division II in scoring, averaging 50 points per game. The Lumberjacks are also ranked third in team pass efficiency (179.46) and turnovers lost (3), fifth in rushing offense (308.2 yards per game), sixth in fumbles lost (2) and passes had intercepted (1), 10th in fewest penalties (29), total offense (505.2) and passing yards per completion (15.63), 15th in third down completion percentage (.484), 17th in fewest penalty yards (257), 18th in team sacks (3.20), 23rd in team tackles for loss (8.2) 25th in scoring defense (18.8 points allowed per game), 27th in fewest penalties per game (5.80) and 30th in fourth down completion percentage (.615).

• 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 will close 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 came off their second bye week of the season with a solid offensive effort, but could not hold off a fourth quarter rally by Dixie State in a 38-35 loss to the Red Storm.

• The Clan finished the game with 331 yards of total offense, with 283 of those coming in the air. Quarterback Ryan Stanford completed 27 of 57 passes for 283 yards and all four Simon Fraser touchdowns. Christian Berger topped the list of eight SFU receivers with 83 yards on six catches. Andrew Pauls had two of the four receiving touchdowns.

• Punter Nikolai Karpun was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week as he punted seven times, averaging 43.7 yards per punt. He had a long punt of 49 yards and had one inside the 20-yard line. Karpun enters the week leading the GNAC and 27th in Division II with 40.6 yards per punt.

• Stanford enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 228.8 passing yards per game and third in total offense with 217.5 yards per game. He is ranked 18th in Division II with 22.75 completions per game.

• Brothers Jordan and Justin Herdmann rank as the top defensive duo in the GNAC. Jordan leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with an average of 12.2 tackles per game. He is also 12th in Division II eith 6.8 solo tackles per game. Justin is third in the GNAC with 9.2 tackles per game and ranks 14th in Division II with 6.5 solo tackles per game and 18th with 1.9 tackles for loss per game. Jordan finished with 13 tackles against Dixie State while Justin added eight and a fumble recovery.

• 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 stunned Central Washington with four first quarter touchdowns and scored three more in a high-offense fourth quarter to hold on for a 49-44 victory at Central Washington as Mines collected their first GNAC victory of the season.

• The Hardrockers rushed for 256 of their 422 yards of total offense. Devin Nixon was named GNAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after he finished with 251 yards of total offense, which included 160 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

• Quarterback Trent McKinney completed 7 of 13 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

• Nixon enters the week ranked third for in the GNAC with an average of 101.2 rushing yards per game and is sixth in all-purpose yards with 126.2 yards per game. He is tied for 30th in Division II with his seven rushing touchdowns.

• McKinney enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC in passing with 106.7 yards per game while Jake Sullivan is ranked seventh with 90.7 yards per game. McKinney is third in the league in pass efficency at 125.8.

• Josh Thomas is first in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with an average of 1.67 passes defended per game. Dominic Martinez and Jamir Moore are tied for seventh in the GNAC with 0.80 passes defended per game.

• As a team, South Dakota Mines leads the league in punt return average with 16 yards per return. The Hardrockers are second in scoring offense (35.8 points per game) and rushing offense (227 yards per game) and third in total offense (435.3 yards per game).

• In the Division II stats, South Dakota Mines is first in blocked kicks allowed (0) and blocked punts allowed (0), third in blocked punts (3), tied for 11th in blocked kicks (4), 16th in punt returns (15.90 per return), 19th in fewest penalty yards per game (46.83), 26th in fewest penalty yards (281) and 28th in fewest penalty yards per game (5.83) and team sacks (3.00 per game).

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

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon leaned on the defense to score a 24-22 upset of No. 6 North Alabama at home on Saturday. The Wolves forced five Lions’ turnovers and limited the UNA offense to just two touchdowns.

• Linebacker Jonathan Breland was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he had two game-changing turnovers. He picked off North Alabama’s Luke Wingo in the first quarter, which led to the Wolves’ first touchdown and then picked off the Lions deep in WOU territory with 30 seconds left to close out the game.

• Wide receiver Paul Revis finished with 153 all-purpose yards in the victory. He caught three passes for 90 yards and also successfully pulled off a first quarter fake field goal for a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin Williams. Revis added two kick returns for 32 yards and a kick return for 16 yards. Revis enters the week leading the GNAC with 75.7 recieiving yards per game and is 30th in Division II with 406 combined kick return yards. He is also sixth in Division II with an average of 18.6 yards per punt return.

• Quarterback David Sowards completed 11 of 22 passes for 155 yards in his second start of the season for the Wolves.

• Shane Kuenzi led the Western Oregon defense with 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and one of the Wolves’ two fumble recoveries.

• Western Oregon leads the GNAC in passing, averaging 255.2 yards per game. The Wolves are second in pass efficiency (128.6) and turnover margin (0.33 per game/+2). In the NCAA Division II stats, the Wolves are ranked first in blocked punts allowed (0) and 20th in punt returns.

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