Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Humboldt State is looking to claim the league’s outright title, while Western Oregon has plenty to play for regardless of their title chances.

The Lumberjacks claimed at least a share of their first GNAC title since 2011 with an impressive 57-0 shutout of Simon Fraser on Saturday. They finish the GNAC season at Dixie State on Saturday. With a win, the Lumberjacks will claim the outright championship.

Humboldt State moved up in both national polls, entering the week No. 13 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the D2Football.com Poll. The Lumberjacks remained No. 2 in the Super Region 3 regional rankings.

The Red Storm, however, will be far from an easy opponent. Dixie State exploded for 682 yards of total offense and a GNAC record 589 rushing yards in their 48-25 victory over South Dakota Mines. Quarterback Blake Barney set a school record himself by rushing for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

Thanks to their five-game win streak, WesternOregon find themselves ranked No. 10 in the Super Region 3 rankings. The Wolves will likely need to win both of their remaining games to have a chance of making the NCAA Division II playoffs. Western Oregon will host South Dakota Mines at home this weekend before hosting a rematch with Humboldt State on Nov. 14.

South Dakota Mines’ game at Western Oregon will be their last as a GNAC school. The Hardrockers will move to the RMAC for football next season.

Central Washington plays at SImon Fraser on Friday night. The Wildcats enter the game looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Clan is looking for their first win of the season in their home finale.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Blake Barney, Dixie State
QB • 6-0 • 185 • Freshman • St. George, Utah

Barney returned from injury to set a Dixie State record with 291 rushing yards and tied another with three touchdowns in the Red Storm’s 48-25 win over South Dakota Mines. Barney finished with 384 all-purpose yards as Dixie State set GNAC records with 593 yards rushing and 67 total carries. Also Nominated: Malik Braxton (Western Oregon), Ja’Quan Gardner (Humboldt State).

DEFENSE
Colton Olson, Dixie State
DB • 6-2 • 205 • Sophomore • Spanish Fork, Utah

Olson led the Dixie State offense with nine tackles, which included four solo tackles and an interception that led to the Red Storm’s third touchdown in the first quarter of their 48-25 win over South Dakota Mines. Also Nominated: Wilerton Brutus (South Dakota Mines), Jordan Herdman (Simon Fraser), Shane Kuenzi (Western Oregon).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Robbie Gerarden, South Dakota Mines
K • 5-10 • 168 • Freshman • Black Diamond, Wash.

Gerarden connected on a 42-yard field goal and also went 2 for 2 on point-after attempts in the Hardrockers’ 48-25 loss to Dixie State. Gerarden is currently No. 2 in the GNAC in both field goals and point-after attempts. Also Nominated: Nate Stephens (Dixie State).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES
AT WESTERN OREGON 17, AZUSA PACIFIC 14
MONMOUTH, Ore. - Western Oregon held off a second half rally by Azusa Pacific to win their fifth straight game Saturday, beating the Cougars 17-14 at McArthur Field. The Wolves scored the first 17 points of the game, all in the first half. Jesse Correa opened scoring with a 21-yard field goal a minute into the second quarter. Quarterback Philip Fenumia’i added a one-yard touchdown run with 4:03 left in the half and Paul Revis caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Trey Shimabukuro with 33 seconds left to give WOU a 17-0 halftime lead. Azusa Pacific shut the Wolves down defensively from there, but saw their own comeback attempt fall short. Kurt Scoby put the Cougars on the board with a two-yard touchdown run with 9:36 left in the third quarter and Andrew Elffers found Ethan Zeidler for a 14-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left in the quarter. Weather played a factor as rain and wind limited the effectiveness of both team’s passing games. Western Oregon outgained Azusa Pacific 285 to 227. Malik Braxton led the Wolves with 105 yards on 20 carries. Fenumia’i completed 9 of 19 passes for 54 yards and also rushed for 65 yards on 16 carries. Elffers completed 7 of 11 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown and carried 11 times for 44 yards. Western Oregon’s Shane Kuenzi led all defenders with 10 tackles, including one for loss.

DIXIE STATE 48, AT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES 25
RAPID CITY, S.D. - Dixie State rushed for a GNAC record 589 yards as the Red Storm rolled to a 48-25 win over South Dakota Mines at O’Harra Stadium. Dixie finished with 682 yards of total offense and set a total of seven school records. Freshman quarterback Blake Barney led the way, finishing with 384 yards of total offense, which included a school record 291 yards rushing. He also tied a school record with three rushing touchdowns. The Red Storm exploded for four first half touchdowns, which included two of Barney’s scoring runs and a 23-yard touchdown run by Orlando Wallace that gave Dixie a 27-3 halftime lead. South Dakota Mines returned from halftime to score a pair of third quarter touchdowns, both on short runs by Devin Nixon, but the Red Storm saw Nate Stephens score on a 60-yard run in third and DeJon fimd the end zone with a 2-yard run to put the game away. Coleman added 144 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Jake Sullivan led South Dakota Mines, completing 17 of 25 for 229 yards and a touchdown. Nixon rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries. Colton Olson led Dixie State defensively with nine tackles and an interception while Robert Metz and DeShawn Perkins also finished with nine tackles. Witerson Brutus had 16 tackles to lead the Hardrockers.

AT HUMBOLDT STATE 57, SIMON FRASER 0
ARCATA, Calif. - Humboldt State clinched a share of the GNAC title in dominant fashion, handing Simon Fraser a 57-0 shutout at the Redwood Bowl. The Lumberjacks rolled to score five first half touchdowns and finished with 631 yards of total offense, including 344 passing yards. The Humboldt defense, meanwhile, held Simon Fraser to 167 yards of total offense. Ja’Quan Gardner opened scoring with his 1-yard run with 4:25 to go in the first quarter and Jabar Byrd made it 14-0 with his 4-yard run with 45 seconds left in the stanza. Chase Krivashei had the first of his two touchdown receptions with 5:51 left in the second quarter, a 43-yarder from Gardner, and the duo combined to score two more times in the remaining five minutes to take a 35-0 lead into halftime. The Lumberjacks scored three more touchdowns in the second half. Quarterback Robert Webber completed 20 of 33 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Marquis Deadwiler caught seven passes for 103 yards while Krivashei caught five passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Gardner rushed for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 24 carries and threw for the 43-yard touchdown. Simon Fraser’s Ryan Stanford completed 17 of 36 passes for 140 yards. Justin Buren caught four of those passes for 52 yards. Jordan Herdman led the game defensively with 26 tackles, including a GNAC single-game record 17 solo tackles.

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
• Trailing 17-0 at half, Azusa Pacific saw a comeback attempt fall short as they took a 17-14 loss at Western Oregon. The Cougars were limited to a season-low 227 yards of total offense as weather kept both teams’ passing games at a minimum.

• Quarterback Andrew Elffers led the Cougars offensively, finishing with 79 yards passing on 7 of 11 completions and rushed 11 times for 44 yards. Elffers enters the week leading the GNAC in pass efficency at 163.7.

• Dynamic freshman running back Kurt Scoby was limited to 37 yards on 14 carries. Despite the low numbers, Scoby cotinues to rank second in the GNAC and 16th in Division with an average 120 rushing yards per game. Scoby’s total of 1,080 rushing yards ranks 10th in Division II.

• Junior return man Tarik Myles finished with 60 combined returned yards, led by 43 yards on two kickoff returns. Myles enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II with an average of 13 yards per punt return. Despite not making a return against WOU, D.J. Morgan continues to lead the league and rank 28th in Division II with 26 yards per kickoff return.

• Junior Jonathan Thropay led the Azusa Pacific defense with eight tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, as five different APU players finished with six or more tackles. Thropay enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 8.3 tackles per game.

• As a team, Azusa Pacific leads the GNAC in pass defense (131.3 yards allowed per game) and pass efficiency defense (102.6) and rank second in scoring defense (24.1 points allowed per game), total defense (353.7 yards allowed per game) and kickoff returns (22.3 yards per return). Offensively, the Cougars are tied for second with South Dakotas Mine with 31.8 points per game.

• In the NCAA Division II statistics, Azusa Pacific leads the nation in passing yards allowed. The Cougars are also ranked fifth in blocked punts (3).

• Azusa Pacific has a bye week this weekend. They will conclude the 2015 season at home on Sat., Nov. 14, against Simon Fraser.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington enjoyed a bye week last weekend. The Wildcats will play at Simon Fraser on Friday before finishing the season on Nov. 14 at home against Dixie State.

• Wide receiver/return specialist Jesse Zalk continues to lead the GNAC and rank second in Division II in all-purpose yards with an average of 210.6 yards per game. He also ranks third in Division II in combined kick returns with 830 yards. Zalk also leads the GNAC in receiving (90.1 yards per game) and is third in kick return average (23.1 yards per return).

• Quarterback Justin Lane enters the week second in the GNAC in total offense (213.3 yards per game) and passing (214 yards per game) and is ranked third in pass efficiency (136.2).

• Kicker Sean McDonald leads the GNAC in field goal kicking, having made 6 of 8 this season.

• Central Washington enters the week ranked first in the GNAC and 14th in Division II in kickoff returns, averaging 24.2 yards per return. The Wildcats are also ranked third in Division II in fourth down conversion defense (.188), 20th in blocked kicks allowed (10) and 23rd in passing yards per completion (14.48).

• In the GNAC statistics, Central Washington is first in passing offense (251.6 yards per game) and second in passing defense (175.6 yards allowed per game) and pass efficiency (133.7). The Wildcats are also ranked third in pass efficiency defense (119.5).

DIXIE STATE
• Dixie State put together a record day in their 48-25 road win over South Dakota Mines. The Red Storm rushed for a GNAC single game record of 589 yards on 67 carries. Dixie State finished the day with a GNAC season-high and school record 682 yards of total offense.

• Freshman quarterback Blake Barney was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he set a school record with 291 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns (tying the school record). He finished with 384 yards of total offense, which included 93 passing yards. Barney enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in rushing (107.3 yards per game), sixth in total offense (175.8 yards per game), seventh in all-purpose yards (107.5 per game) and eighth in passing (68.5 yards per game).

• Sophomore defensive back Colton Olson was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week for his work to stop the Hardrockers. Olson finished with nine tackles, which included an interception. He led three Red Storm defenders to finish with nine tackles. Olson enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 10 tackles per game.

• Senior running back DeJon Coleman also had a great game, rushing 16 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. Coleman enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in all-purpose yards (143.4 yards per game) and fifth in rushing (85 yards per game).

• As a team, Dixie State is ranked second in the GNAC in rushing offense (254.4 yards per game).  

• Dixie State will conclude their final GNAC season with two conference games. The Red Storm hosts Humboldt State on Saturday and finishes the year at Central Washington on Nov. 14. The Red Storm will move to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for the 2016 season.

HUMBOLDT STATE
• Humboldt State clinched a share of their first GNAC championship since 2011 in dominant fashion, scoring a 57-0 shutout of SImon Fraser in their final home game of the regular season.

• The Lumberjacks rolled up an impressive 631 yards of total offense, which included 344 passing yards. Robert Webber completed 20 of 33 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He completed passes to nine different receivers, led by Marquis Deadwiler’s 103 yards on seven catches.

• The win allowed Humboldt State to move up in both national polls. The Lumberjacks moved two spots to No. 13 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and three spots to No. 3 in the D2Football.com Poll. The Jacks also remained No. 2 in the NCAA’s Super Region 3 rankings.

• Ja’Quan Gardner had yet another impressive game. He rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries and then passed for a 43-yard touchdown to Chase Krivashei. Gardner continues to lead the GNAC and ranks second in Division II with an average of 193 rushing yards per game. Gardner also leads Division II in scoring, averaging 15 points per game, and fifth in all-purpose yards with 200.4 yards per game.

• Receiver Chase Krivashei added two more touchdowns to his ledger and finished with 97 yards on five catches. The junior enters the week ranked sixth in Division II with 11 receiving touchdowns. He also leads the GNAC with 5.62 catches per game and is second in receiving yardage at 673.6 yards per game.

• Humboldt State enters the week leading the GNAC and is fifth in Division II in scoring, averaging 44.9 points per game. The Lumberjacks also ranked first in fumbles lost (2), fourth in turnovers lost (6), 10th in rushing defense (113.5 yards allowed per game, sacks allowed (0.88 per game) and total offense (497.3 yards per game), 11th in turnover margin (1.25) 12th in fourth down conversion defense (.286), 13th in fewest penalties (44) and passes had intercepted (4).

• In the GNAC ststistics, Humboldt State leads the league in scoring offense, rushing offense, total offense, pass efficiency (159.0), scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense and turnover margin.

• 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.

• Humboldt State will close the regular season with two road games. The Lumberjacks play at Dixie State on Saturday and close with non-conference tilt on Nov. 14 at Western Oregon.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser had no answers for Humboldt State’s high octane offense, taking a 57-0 loss to the Lumberjacks in Arcata, Calif.

• The Clan was limited to 167 yards of total offense, 144 of which came in the air. Quarterback Ryan Stanford completed 17 of 36 passes for 140 yards, but was intercepted twice. Justin Buren was Stanford’s top target, catching four passes for 52 yards.

• Jordan Herdman came up big for Simon Fraser on defense, finishing with 26 tackles. The performance was just one short of his own GNAC record of 27 set last year. His 17 solo tackles did set a GNAC record, surpassing the mark of 13 set by Central Washington’s Blake Walker in 2001 and equaled by Western Washington’s Rob White in 2002. Herdman leads the GNAC with an average of 14.9 tackles per game.

• Stanford enters the week leading the GNAC with 220.9 passing yards per game. He is fourth in the GNAC in total offense with an average of 204.4 yards per game.

• Simon Fraser also enters the week leading the GNAC in punting with an average of 34.3 yards per punt. Nikolai Karpun is ranked second in the GNAC individually, averaging 40.9 yards per punt.

• Simon Fraser will host Central Washington in a Friday night matchup to close their home season. The Clan will end the season on Nov. 14 at Azusa Pacific.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
• South Dakota Mines dropped their second straight game as they were on the other end of Dixie State’s record performance, taking a 48-25 loss to the Red Storm.

• Quarterback Jake Sullivan led the Hardrockers’ passing game, completing 17 of 25 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. Daniel Ziegler was his top target, making eight catches for 94 yards.

• Freshman running back Devin Nixon returned to form, rushing 27 times for 135 yards and tewo touchdowns. Dixon enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in rushing with 97.8 yards per game and sixth in all-purpose yards with 124.4 yards per game.

• Sophomore safety Witerson Brutus led the Hardrockers’ defense with 16 tackles, including one tackle for loss anf a half-sack. Brutus enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 8.2 tackles per game.

• Martin Rodriguez continues to lead the GNAC and is ranked 22nd in Division II in punting, averaging 41.2 yards per punt. Rodriguez punted one time against Dixie State for 37 yards.

• Freshman kicker Robbie Gerarden was named GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he went 2 for 2 on point-after attempts and kicked a 42-yard field goal. Gerarden is second in the GNAC in field goals, making 5 of 7 this season.

• South Dakota Mines enters the week ranked second in the GNAC in scoring (31.8 points per game) and total offense (438.6 yards per game). The Hardrockers are fifth in the GNAC in fewest penalty yards (336) and seventh in fewest penalties (44)

• This is South Dakota Mines’ final season in the GNAC. The Hardrockers will join the RMAC for the 2016 season. They end their GNAC schedule on Saturday at Western Oregon.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon extended their win streak to five Saturday, making a 17-0 halftime lead stand up for a 17-14 win over Azusa Pacific.

• The Wolves scored all of their points in the second quarter. Kicker Jesse Correa opened with a 21-yard field goal less than a minute into the period before Philip Fenumia’i scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and Paul Revis scored on a 16-yard pass from Trey Shimabukuro.

• The win allowed Western Oregon to move into the No. 10 position in the NCAA Super Region 3 regional rankings.

• Running back Malik Braxton turned in another strong game, finishing with 105 rushing yards on 20 carries. Braxton enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC in rushing with 67.4 yards per game.

• Paul Revis led a limited air game for Western Oregon with 39 yards and a touchdown on six catches. Revis enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in receiving with 69 yards per game and leads the league with 13.6 yards per punt return. Revis is also ranked 28th in Division II with his total of 556 combined kick return yards.

• Senior Shane Kuenzi finished with 10 tackles for the second straight game, which included a tackle for loss. Kuenzi enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 9.7 tackles per game and leads the league with three forced fumbles.

• As a team, Western Oregon is second in the GNAC with a turnover margin of +1. The Wolves are also third in passing offense (221.9 yards per game) and scoring defense (25 points allowed per game).

• Western Oregon will play their final two games at home, ending with a Nov. 14 non-conference rematch with Humboldt State.