Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Both Azusa Pacific and Central Washington have 3-0 records on GNAC play. Only one will finish the first half of the conference season with an undefeated mark as the two teams get set to battle in front of a national audience.

The Cougars and Wildcats will face off on Saturday night at Citrus Stadium in Glendora, California, in a game that will be streamed nationally as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase.

Azusa Pacific enters the contest playing well, thanks in part to having played four of its first six games at home. The Cougars are coming off a 37-21 home victory over Humboldt State, a game that saw the Cougars close the contest with 17 straight points after the Lumberjacks pulled to within seven points early in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars lead the conference in passing, averaging 279.8 yards per game. Azusa Pacific is second in the league in total offense (444.4 yards per game), scoring (35 points per game) and rushing (164.6 yards per game), trailing Central Washington in all three categories. Defensively, the Cougars are second in Division II with 4.6 sacks per game and is 28th with seven interceptions.

Central Washington is looking to rebound after suffering in a 28-26 loss to West Texas A&M in the first-ever night game at Tomlinson Stadium. The Wildcats held the advantage offensively with 562 yards of total offense, but went just 2 of 4 on red zone scoring opportunities and were hampered by 10 penalties, resulting in 110 penalty yards.

But don’t let Central Washington’s 3-2 record fool you. One of those losses was in a season-opening 58-13 loss at Division I-FCS power Eastern Washington. The Wildcats enter the week leading the GNAC and ranked 19th in Division II with 40.2 points per game. They also lead the conference in rushing (220.8 yards per game) and total offense (485.4 yards per game) and ranked 16th in Division II in the latter category.

Western Oregon rebounded from an 0-3 start to end the first half of GNAC play with a 2-2 record thanks to a 54-13 win over Simon Fraser. The Wolves’ defense set a GNAC single-game record with 10 turnovers gained and tied a record with seven interceptions.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Brandon Jackson, Azusa Pacific
WR • 6-4 • Sophomore • Sutter, Calif.

Jackson posted a huge receiving day for the Cougars, catching 13 passes for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 37-21 victory over Humboldt State. He scored the Cougars’ first touchdown of the game on an 11-yard pass from Tyrone Williams, Jr., in the second quarter and later scored APU’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Also Nominated: Reilly Hennessey (Central Washington), Miles Richardson (Simon Fraser), Anthony Bradley (Western Oregon).

DEFENSIVE
Curtis Anderson, Western Oregon
DB • 6-2 • Sophomore • Klamath Falls, Ore.

Anderson finished with four tackles, had two of the Wolves’ seven interceptions and had a blocked punt in Western Oregon’s 54-13 win over Simon Fraser. Anderson returned his second pick 49 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Anderson also three kick returns and finishes with 110 all-purpose yards in the game.

Also Nominated: Ju’wan Murphy (Humboldt State), Gabe Lopes (Simon Fraser).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Chase DeMoor, Central Washington
DL • 6-5 • Senior • Eatonville, Wash.

DeMoor blocked a West Texas A&M field goal attempt and also blocked a punt. The blocked field goal in the second quarter would later result in a Central Washington touchdown while the blocked point-after would be returned by Tyler Hasty for a defensive two-point conversion in the third quarter.

Also Nominated: Ju’wan Murphy (Humboldt State), Dominic Akina (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Sept. 29: Beat Humboldt State, 37-21
THIS WEEK: Oct. 6: Hosts Central Washington, 6 p.m.

• Azusa Pacific scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to distance themselves from a later Humboldt State charge, beating the Lumberjacks 37-21.

• The win allowed the Cougars to move back into the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 24. Azusa Pacific was the top team among those receiving votes last week.

• Sophomore Brandon Jackson was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he caught 13 passes for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including APU’s first touchdown with 13:57 left in the first half. Jackson is second in the GNAC in receiving with 64.8 yards per game.

• Sophomore quarterback Tyrone Williams, Jr., completed 20 of 31 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and also rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown. Williams continues to perform well at quarterback. He leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II with 273.2 passing yards per game. Williams is also 16th in Division II with a .653 completion percentage.

• Senior linebacker Aaron Berry led the Azusa Pacific defense with eight tackles, including four solo tackles, while senior linebacker Adrian Shocks finished with six tackles. Berry leads the GNAC with 9.2 tackles per game, His 2.3 tackles for loss per game is fifth in Division II while his six solo tackles per game ranks 22nd.

• Senior wide receiver Weston Carr did not play on Saturday, but continues to rank among the nation’s top receivers. Carr enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 28th in Division II with 92.2 receiving yards per game and fourth in Division II with seven receiving touchdowns.

• Azusa Pacific enters the week leading the GNAC and is 27th in Division II passing offense with 279.8 yards per game. The Cougars are second in the league in total offense with 444.4 yards per game. In the Division II stats, the Cougars rank second with 4.6 team sacks per game, 16th with 9.2 tackles for loss per game and 28th with seven interceptions.

• Azusa Pacific will host No. 25 Central Washington in a game that will be streamed on ESPN3 as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase. It will be the Cougars’ second to last home game of the season.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 29: Lost to West Texas A&M, 28-26
THIS WEEK: Oct. 6: At Azusa Pacific, 6 p.m.

• A surge of three second-half touchdowns was not enough to overcome a big first half for West Texas A&M as the Buffaloes spoiled the first night game ever at Tomlinson Stadium, 28-26.

• The loss dropped Central Washington to No. 25 in this week’s AFCA Division II Coaches Top-25. The Wildcats had been ranked No. 14.

• Senior quarterback Reilly Hennessey had the GNAC’s best passing performance of the season, completing 31 of 49 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 10 times for 31 yards. Hennessey enters the week second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 250 passing yards per game. He is also second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II in total offense with 282.4 yards per game.

• Senior defensive lineman Chase DeMoor was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked two kicks in the loss. His blocked field goal eventually led to a second-quarter touchdown while his third-quarter blocked point-after attempt was run back by Tyler Hasty for a defensive two-point conversion. DeMoor leads Division II with four blocked kicks while the Wildcats are second in Division II as a team with six blocked kicks.

• Sophomore wide receiver Tony Archie was the Wildcats’ top receiver, catching six passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. He was one of nine CWU players to catch passes that day. Senior running back Cedric Cooper caught eight passes for 80 yards while also carrying eight times for 39 yards. Cooper enters the week leading the GNAC with 113 all-purpose yards per game and is third in rushing with 69.8 yards per game.

• Junior defensive back Donte Hamilton and junior linebacker Uli Ma’ae each had 11 tackles to lead the Wildcats. Ma’ae’s line also included one of the team’s nine tackles for loss. Hamilton is third in the GNAC with 8.2 tackles per game while Ma’ae is seventh with 6.6 tackles per game.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 19th in scoring offense with 40.2 points per game. The Wildcats lead the GNAC and rank 21st in Division II with 220.8 rushing yards per game and is 16th in Division II with 485.4 yards of total offense per game. Defensively, CWU is 29th in Division II eight tackles for loss per game.

• Central Washington plays at Azusa Pacific on Saturday in a game that will be streamed live on ESPN3 as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase.

HUMBOLDT STATE
LAST WEEK: Sept. 29: Lost at Azusa Pacific, 37-21
THIS WEEK: Oct. 6: Hosts Simon Fraser, 6 p.m.
 
• Humboldt State put together its most complete performance to date this season, but was still limited to 189 yards of total offense in a 37-21 loss at Azusa Pacific.

• Despite the limited offensive production, Humboldt State came within 28-21 with 11:34 left in the game in a one-yard touchdown run by freshman quarterback Andrew Tingstad, only to watch APU close the game with 17 straight points.

• Tingstad handled the bulk of the Lumberjacks’ quarterback duties, completing 5 of 8 passes for 115 yards while being intercepted once. Junior Justin Sweeney completed 6 of 13 passes for 30 yards. Tingstad is seventh in the GNAC with 98 passing yards per game while Sweeney is seventh with 86 yards per game.

• Senior running back Tyree Marzetta finished with 93 all-purpose yards, catching one pass for 54 yards and carrying 14 times for 39 yards. Freshman wide receiver Leo Wagner caught five passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.

• Junior defensive back Ju’wan Murphy had a solid two-way game. Defensively, Murphy finished with five solo tackles and had two of the Lumberjacks’ three interceptions. On special teams, Murphy returned two kicks for 98 yards, which included an 85-yard return for a touchdown.

• Humboldt State enters the week averaging 259.5 yards of total offense per game. Humboldt is 11th in Division II with just two passes interception, 12th with two fumbles lost and seventh with four turnovers lost.

• Humboldt State will close the first half of its GNAC season by hosting Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Sept. 29: Lost at Western Oregon, 54-13
THIS WEEK: Oct. 6: at Humboldt State, 6 p.m.

• Ten turnovers, including seven interceptions, sunk Simon Fraser’s chances as the Clan lost at Western Oregon, 54-13.

• The six picks thrown by freshman quarterback Justin Sieber tied the GNAC single-game record set by the Clan’s Greg Bowcott in 2010. The interceptions counted a day that saw Sieber complete 21 of 37 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. Sieber enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 126 passing yards per game.

• Senior quarterback Miles Richardson found himself turned receiver on Saturday, making eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed twice for 13 yards and completed 2 of 6 passes for 32 yards. Richardson enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 140.4 total offense yards per game and fifth with 125.6 passing yards per game.

• Senior linebacker Gabe Lopes led the Simon Fraser defense with eight tackles, including seven solo tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Senior defensive back Ben Minaker also finished with eight tackles.

• Despite their own turnovers, the Simon Fraser came up with five takeaways of their own with three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions. Sophomore defensive back Shea Carstens had both interceptions while sophomore defensive end Isaac Evans returned one fumble 50 yards for a third-quarter touchdown.

• Simon Fraser enters the week third in the GNAC in passing offense with 253.4 yards per game and is fourth in total offense with 324.6 yards per game. The Clan leads Division II with nine recovered fumbles, third with 15 turnovers gained and is tied for 10th with two defensive touchdowns.

• Simon Fraser wraps the first half of its GNAC season on Saturday as it makes its final trip to Arcata, Calif., to play Humboldt State.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 29: Beat Simon Fraser, 54-13
THIS WEEK: Oct. 6: at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7 p.m. (CDT)
 
• Western Oregon set a GNAC single-game record for turnovers gained and tied the mark for interceptions as the Wolves’ defense led the way in a 54-13 win over Simon Fraser.

• The WOU defense gained 10 takeaways, surpassing the old GNAC single-game record of eight set by Central Washington against Western Oregon in 2005. The Wolves’ seven interceptions tied the mark set by Humboldt State against Western Oregon in 2011.

• Sophomore defensive back Curtis Anderson was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with four tackles and two interceptions and also blocked a punt in the victory. He returned his second interception 49 yards for a second-quarter touchdown. In addition, Anderson returned three kickoffs to finish with 110 all-purpose yards. Anderson is fifth in the GNAC with 82.4 all-purpose yards per game and leads the league with 23.9 yards per kick return.

• Junior quarterback Ty Currie completed 12 of 21 passes for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns while being intercepted twice. He spread his passing between eight different receivers, led by 74 yards and a touchdown on two catches by freshman wide receiver La’jon Enis-Carter. Currie is third in the GNAC in passing with 250.6 yards per game and is 23rd in Division II with 11 passing touchdowns.

• Senior linebacker Bo Highburger led the WOU defense with eight tackles, including four solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior linebacker Nathaniel Proctor, Jr., had six tackles to go along with two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Highburger is tied for first in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with 0.40 forced fumbles per game while Proctor is second in the GNAC 8.4 tackles per game.

• Western Oregon enters the week third in the GNAC with 367.8 yards of total offense per game and is third in rushing offense with 134.8 yards per game. The Wolves are ninth in Division II with 14 turnovers gained and 25th in rushing defense, allowing 102.8 yards per game.

• Western Oregon hits the road this Saturday, playing at Texas A&M-Kingsville.