Tuesday, November 10, 2015

One would expect to find the biggest matchups in the final week of the season to be conference games. Not in week 11 in the GNAC.

The week’s biggest game will be a non-conference tilt at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Ore., where Western Oregon will host Humboldt State in a non-conference matchup. Both teams have plenty to play for.

While Humboldt State has clinched the outright GNAC championship, the Lumberjacks will be looking to secure a spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Humboldt State is ranked No. 3 in Super Region 3 and would love to move up with a win.

Western Oregon, meanwhile, want to prove that they belong in the postseason picture. The Wolves are ranked No. 10 in Super Region 3 for the second straight week and come into the game having won six straight games. Western Oregon will have to convince the ranking committee to move them into the top-7, a task that will require a win.

The GNAC season ends with two conference games. Dixie State will travel to Central Washington for their final game in the conference. Members of the GNAC since football returned to the conference in 2008, the Red Storm will move to the RMAC in football for the 2016 season. Both the Red Storm and the Wildcats are looking to end the conference season with a 3-3 record.

Simon Fraser is at Azusa Pacific for the other GNAC matchup. The Cougars come into the game rested with a bye week last weekend and are coming off a close 17-14 loss to Western Oregon on Oct. 31. Simon Fraser is looking for their first win of the season after dropping a heartbreaker in their home finale, 30-24, to Central Washington.

South Dakota Mines played their final GNAC game last weekend, falling 33-15 to Western Oregon. The Hardrockers also move to the RMAC in 2016 and will host William Jewell in a non-conference game on Saturday.

SELECTION SHOW: The NCAA Division II Football Selection Show will air on Sunday, 2 p.m. (Pacific), and can be seen at NCAA.com. A total of 28 teams will qualify for the postseason, seven from each of thefour super regions.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Justin Peterson, Central Washington
WR • 6-0 • 184 • Sophomore • Marysville, Wash.

Peterson had eight catches for a career high 151 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown as the Wildcats came from behind to beat Simon Fraser 30-24. Three of his catches came on the game-winning drive and he also caught the two-point conversion following the touchdown. Also Nominated: Ja’Quan Gardner (Humboldt State), Ante Milanovic-Litre (Simon Fraser), Nate Stephens (Dixie State).

DEFENSE
George Swartzlender, Western Oregon
DL • 6-3 • 320 • Junior • Burns, Ore.

Swartzlender led the Western Oregon defense with 10 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and first quarter fumble recovery as the Wolves won their sixth straight game with a 33-15 win over South Dakota Mines. Also Nominated: Taylor Mitchell (Humboldt State), Colton Olson (Dixie State).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Jesse Zalk, Central Washington
WR/KR • 5-8 • 160 • Junior • Battle Ground, Wash.

Zalk finished with 142 yards on two kick returns, including a 95-yard return for a touchdown that proved a momentum changer in the Wildcats’ 30-24 win over Simon Fraser. His second return went for 47 yards, setting up the Wildcats’ first touchdown of the game. Also Nominated: Cameron Southward (Humboldt State), Nate Stephens (Dixie State).

LAST WEEK GAMES
CENTRAL WASHINGTON 30, SIMON FRASER 24
BURNABY, B.C. - Central Washington spoiled Simon Fraser’s senior night with a big comeback Friday, storming back from 11 points down to beat the Clan 30-24 at Swangard Stadium. Simon Fraser took a 7-3 halftime lead thanks to a 1-yard scoring run by Ante Milanovic-Litre in the second quarter. The Wildcats took a 14-9 lead early in the third quarter on Quincy Carter’s 2-yard run, but a 75-yard scoring pass from Ryan Stanford to Justin Buren and a 12-yard run by Milanovic-Litre put the Clan up 21-9 with 4:37 left in the third quarter. Jesse Zalk then provided the momentum-changing play of the game for Central Washington, returning the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Carter made it a 22-21 game with his 3-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter, but Tiernan Docherty gave SFU the 24-22 lead with a 43-yard field goal on the next drive. Justin Peterson secured the game for the Wildcats on their next drive, catching three passes in the series, including the game-winning 32-yard reception from Justin Lane with 9:53 to go and the ensuing two-point conversion. Lane completed 17 of 30 for Central Washington for 264 yards and a touchdown while Peterson caught eight passes for a season-high 151 yards. Zalk finished with two kick returns for 142 yards. Stanford completed 16 of 39 passes for Simon Fraser for 235 yards. Milanovic-Litre rushed 21 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns while Buren caught four passes for 114 yards.

AT WESTERN OREGON 33, SOUTH DAKOTA MINES 15
MONMOUTH, Ore. - Western Oregon shut down South Dakota Mines’ scoring machine to extend their win streak to six games Saturday, beating the Hardrockers 33-15 at McArthur Field. The Wolves did allow the Hardrockers 359 yards of total offense, but limited the visitors to 6 of 16 on third down conversions and 2 of 6 in the red zone. Philip Fenumia’i threw for the first two touchdowns of the game, the first a 26-yard strike to Daniel Thomas and a 16-yard scoring reception to Maurice McSwain with 1:50 to go in the first quarter. South Dakota Mines got on the board on Devin Nixon’s 6-yard run with 7:49 to go in the first half. Western Oregon closed out the game with three straight second half touchdowns. McSwain caught his second touchdown pass of the game with three minutes gone in the third. Paul Revis then caught a 15-yard touchdown pass with five minutes left in the stanza and Malik Braxton had a 4-yard touchdown run with 2:01 left in the game. Fenumia’i completed 10 of 24 passes for 168 yards and four touchdowns for the Wolves, with Revis catching four balls for 81 yards as WOU finished with 444 yards of total offense. Braxton rushed 18 times for 136 yards. Jake Sullivan led South Dakota Mines, completing 22 of 38 for 237 yards and a touchdown. Ben Broecker caught six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Nixon rushed 28 times for 76 yards.

HUMBOLDT STATE 57, AT DIXIE STATE 14
ST. GEORGE, Utah - Humboldt State left no doubt in clinching their outright GNAC title, scoring 40 unanswered first half points en route to a 57-14 win over Dixie State at Hansen Stadium. The Lumberjacks put up 545 yards of total offense, including 421 yards on the ground, and limited the Red Storm to 261 yards of total offense and 134 rushing yards. Robert Webber passed for three first half touchdowns, including a 32-yard reception to Derrick Brown to open the game. The Lumberjacks closed the half with two big scoring ones, including a 48-yard run by Webber with 3:30 left in the stanza and a 74-yard run by Ja’Quan Gardner with 2:44 left. Cameron Southward made it a 43-0 lead three minutes into the second half with a 40-yard field goal before Nate Stpehens caught a 7-yard pass from Blake Barney with 7:03 left in the period to put Dixie on the board. DeJon Coleman accounted for the Red Storm’s only other touchdown on a 3-yard run with 11:01 left. Gardner led Humboldt State with 185 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Webber completed 10 of 19 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns, with Brown catching two passes for 40 yards. Barney completed 11 of 21 passes for 127 yards to lead Dixie State and also rushed 18 times for 74 yards. Coleman carried 14 times for 51 yards and a touchdown while Stephens caught five passes for 64 yards.

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
• Azusa Pacific enjoyed the last bye week of the 2015 season last weekend. The Cougars will finish the season with a home GNAC contest against Simon Fraser.

• Trailing 17-0 at half, Azusa Pacific saw a comeback attempt fall short as they took a 17-14 loss at Western Oregon in their last game on Oct. 31. 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.

• Freshman running back Kurt Scoby enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and is 16th in Division II with 120 rushing yards per game. He is also ranked third in the GNAC with 138.9 all-purpose yards per game.

• Despite his slow return from injury (seeing limited minutes against WOU), quarterback Chad Jeffries leads the GNAC with 252.6 yards of total offense per game. He also ranks third in the league in passing, averaging 207 yards 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 ranks second in the league in scoring offense (31.8 points per game), total offense (434.6 yards per game), total defense (353.7 yards allowed per game) and kickoff returns (22.3 yards per return).

• In the NCAA Division II statistics, Azusa Pacific leads the nation in passing yards allowed. The Cougars are also ranked eighth in blocked punts (3) ninth in passing yards per completion 15.67) and 14th in pass efficiency defense.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington staged a comeback from 11 points down Friday, scoring three second half touchdowns to win at Simon Fraser 30-24.

• Receiver Justin Peterson was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he caught eight passes for 151 yards in the game. Three of those catches came in the game-winning drive, including a 32-yard touchdown reception. He also caught the two-point conversion that secured the win. Peterson is third for the team with an average of 36.1 receiving yards per game.

• Receiver/return specialist Jesse Zalk was named GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned two kicks for 142 yards, including one for 95 yards early in the fourth quarter that changed the momentum of the game. He finished the game with 208 yards of total offense. Zalk enters the week leading the GNAC and second in Division II with 209.25 all-purpose yards per game. Zalk also ranks second in Division II with 994 combined return yards. Zalk also leads the GNAC in both receiving (84.4 yards per game) and kick returns (26.2 yards per return).

• Kicker Sean McDonald is tied for first in the GNAC in field goal kicking, averaging 0.78 field goals made per game. He opened Friday’s game with a 39-yard first quarter field goal.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC with 253 passing yards per game and 25.7 yards per kickoff return. The Wildcats are also second in pass efficiency (133.8) and pass defense (182.2 yards allowed per game). In the NCAA Division II stats, the Wildcats lead Division II with a .176 fourth down conversion defense and ranks sixth in kickoff returns.

• Central Washington closes the season by hosting Dixie State for a GNAC match-up.

DIXIE STATE
• Dixie State had few answers for a Humboldt State team on a mission as they fell on Saturday to the Lumberjacks 57-14. A week after setting a GNAC record for single game rushing yards, the Red Storm was limited to 261 yards of total offense, including 134 rushing yards.

• Freshman quarterback Blake Barney finished with 201 yards of total offense, which included 74 yards rushing. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Barney enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 102.6 rushing yards per game and sixth in total offense with 179.4 yards per game.

• Senior receiver Nate Stephens caught five passes for 64 yards and caught the Red Storm’s first touchdown in the third quarter. He enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 60.6 receiving yards per game.

• Sophomore defensive back Colton Olson had another big week defensively, leading all defensive players in the game with 10 tackles. Olson enters the week second in the GNAC with 10 tackles per game.

• Senior running back DeJon Coleman was limited to 51 yards on 14 carries and also had two kick returns for 38 yards. Coleman enters his final week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 136.8 all-purpose yards per game, fourth in kick returns with 21.3 yards per return and fifth with 81.2 rushing yards per game.

• Dixie State will finish their eight-year run in the GNAC with a conference game at Central Washington. The Red Storm will move to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for football for the 2016 season.

HUMBOLDT STATE
• Humboldt State left no doubt in winning the outright GNAC championship, racking up 545 yards of total offense and scoring the first 43 points of the game in a 57-14 rout of Dixie State on Saturday.

• With the win, Humboldt State moved up one spot to No. 12 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and two spots to No. 12 in the D2Football.com Poll. The Lumberjacks enter the week No. 3 in the Super Region 3 rankings.

• Sophomore running back Ja’Quan Gardner put up big numbers again, carrying 16 times for 185 yards and a touchdown, averaging 11.6 yards per carry. The GNAC leader in rushing and scoring, Gardner enters the week ranked second in Division II with 21 rushing touchdowns, 1.735 rushing yards and 192.8 rushing yards per game. He also ranked third in Division II with 203.22 all-purpose yards per game.

• Quarterback Robert Webber completed 10 of 19 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed twice for 45 yards, including a 48-yard scoring run in the second quarter. Webber enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with a pass effiency rating of 146.0, fourth in passing with 176.4 yards per game and fifth in total offense with 182.9 yards of total offense per game.

• Receiver Chase Krivashei added a touchdown to his league-leading total with a 13-yard reception from Webber in the second quarter on Saturday. The junior leads the GNAC with 5.56 receptions per game and is fourth with 69.6 receiving yards per game. Krivashei is also ranked 10th in Division II with his 12 receiving touchdowns.

• Defensively, Drew DuBois enters the week leading the GNAC and 10th in Division II with 1.00 sacks per game. He has seven total in seven games. Chris Hannible leads the GNAC and is sixth in Division II with 1.00 interceptions per game, including one against Dixie State.

• Humboldt State enters the week second in Division II in scoring with 46.2 points per game. The Lumberjacks lead the nation with just two fumbles lost and are second in turnovers lost (6), fifth in total offense (502.6 yards per game), sixth in tunrover margin (1.33), ninth in sacks allowed (0.89 per game), 10th in team pass efficiency (158.33) and passes had intercepted (4), 12th in tackles for loss (8.6 per game), and third down conversion percentage (.496),  14th in fewest penalties (49) and 15th in scoring defense (17.8 points allowed per game).

• In the GNAC statistics, Humboldt State leads the league in scoring offense, rushing offense, total offense, pass efficiency, 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 Azusa 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 closes the regular season with a non-conference tilt at Western Oregon on Saturday. The two teams played their GNAC counting game in week one, with the Lumberjacks winning 29-20.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser put together one of their best complete games of the season for senior night, but it was not enough to hold off a second half comeback for Central Washington in a 30-24 loss on Friday night.

• Running back Ante Milanovic-Litre had a big night in the home finale, carrying 21 times for 142 yards. He scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter and on a 12-yard in the third quarter. Milanovic-Litre enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 4.38 receptions per game and lead the Clan with 61.4 receiving yards per game.

• Quarterback Ryan Stanford played well in his final home game, completing 16 of 39 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. Stanford enters the week leading the GNAC with 222.6 passing yards per game and third in total offense with 208.4 yards per game.

• Jordan Herdman led all defensive players in the game with 14 tackles, including one tackle for loss. He enters the week leading the GNAC with 14.8 tackles per game. Herdman set a GNAC record 17 solo tackles against Humboldt State on Oct. 31. He had 26 total tackles in the game, one short of his own GNAC record.

• As a team, Simon Fraser is second in the GNAC with an average of 231 passing yards per game. The Clan is also second in punting, averaging 34.2 yards per punt.

• Simon Fraser finishes the season on the road, playing on Saturday at Azusa Pacific.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
• The Hardrockers finished their short two-year run in the GNAC on Saturday with their third striaght loss, falling 33-15 at Western Oregon. They close the 2015 season at home on Saturday with a non-conference tilt against William Jewell.

• The Hardrockers finished with 359 yards of total offense, including 237 passing yards. Quarterback Jake Sullivan completed 22 of 38 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. Ben Broeker was Sullivan’s top target, catching six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

• Sullivan enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC in passing, averaging 166.9 yards per game.

• Freshman running back Devin Nixon finished with 76 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown against Western Oregon. He enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 95.6 rushing yards per game and sixth with 129.5 all-purpose yards per game.

• Chris Counce had a big defensive game for South Dakota Mines, finishing with 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Witerson Brutus leads the team and is ranked seventh in the GNAC with 8.1 tackles per game while David Jakpor is ranked third in the GNAC in sacks (0.50 per game) and leads the league in tackles for loss (1.25 per game).

• South Dakota Mines enters the week ranked first in punting (34.2 yards per punt) and are third in scoring offense (30.1 points per game), total offense (430.6 yards per game) and passing defense (221.3 yards allowed per game).

• The Hardrockers are one of the least penalized teams in Division II. They are 10th in Division II in fewest penalties (46) and fewest penalties per game (4.60) and eighth in fewest penalty yards per game (38.90).

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon extended their win streak to six games Saturday, easily taking a 33-15 win over South Dakota Mines.

• The win streak has allowed the Wolves to continue to be ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 rankings. The Wolves also picked up a vote in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Western Oregon finished the game with 444 yards of total offense, 276 yards of which came on the ground. Malik Braxton led the Wolves with 136 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Braxton enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 76 rushing yards per game.

• Quarterback Philip Fenimia’i completed 10 of 24 passes for 168 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore is currently ranked ninth in GNAC with 52.4 passing yards per game and is sixth in pass efficiency at 116.0.

• George Swartzlender was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he led the Wolves with 10 tackles (6 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

• Senior Shane Kuenzi added six tackles, a half tackle for loss and a half sack. Kuenzi enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 9.3 tackes per game. He leads the GNAC and is ranked 21st in Division II with 0.30 fumbles forced per game.

• Paul Revis finished with 81 yards on four catches and had a third quarter touchdown. Revis enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in receiving with 70.2 yards per game and leads the GNAC with 12.7 yards per punt return. He is ranked second in Division II with his two punt return touchdowns and is 17th in punt returns.

• As a team, Western Oregon enters the week ranked second in the GNAC in scoring defense (24 points allowed per game), rushing defense (132.4 yards allowed per game), turnover margin (+4/0.40 per game) and punt return average (11.4 yards per return). In the NCAA Division II stats, Western Oregon is 12th in red zone defense (.643).

• Western Oregon finishes the regular season on Saturday, hosting Humboldt State in a non-conference matchup. The Wolves lost the GNAC opener in week one to the Lumberjacks, 29-20.