Tuesday, September 4, 2018

CLAN, COUGARS YOUR WEEK ONE WINNERS: Many of Simon Fraser’s players had never experienced a win during their college career. First-year head coach Thomas Ford brought in a new mindset and inspired a win.

The Clan came out of the blocks in spectacular fashion, limiting Division III Willamette to 134 yards in total offense in a 54-7 rout of the Bearcats at Terry Fox Field.

A win in a game between two teams that were winless in 2017 may not always be big news, but the end of a 33-game losing streak and the manner in which it happened make it newsworthy. The Clan last won a game on Oct. 18, 2014, a 53-21 home victory over South Dakota Mines.

The Clan not only won, but dominated. The SFU defense limited the Willamette offense to minus 9 rushing yards and all of 12 first downs. The SFU offense, meanwhile, surged for seven touchdowns while Jaryn Bailey ran an interception back 60 yards to the end zone.

Simon Fraser joined Azusa Pacific as the GNAC’s week one winners. The Cougars scored a pair of first-half touchdowns and held on for a 17-7 win over West Texas A&M. The win yielded two of three GNAC Players of the Week in running back Zikel Reddick, who rushed for 201 yards, and linebacker Aaron Berry, who finished with 14 tackles.

Western Oregon was on the losing end of a close 24-17 home loss to Azusa Pacific. Humboldt State dropped a 55-12 road decision to Midwestern State while Central Washington lost 58-13 to Division I-FCS Eastern Washington in a matchup of the state’ top-two ranked football programs.

One week of non-conference play will now yield to the start of the first circuit of conference games. The apparent improvement of Simon Fraser will be immediately tested with the Clan traveling to Azusa Pacific. Central Washington, meanwhile, will look to start its title defense with a win at Western Oregon.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Zikel Reddick, Azusa Pacific
RB • 5-10 • Sophomore • Riverhead, N.Y.

Reddick rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries to help lead the Cougars to a 17-7 victory over West Texas A&M on Saturday. He became the first running back in APU history to rush for 200 or more yards in his first career start. His 10-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the first half provided the Cougars a 14-0 lead.

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

DEFENSIVE
Aaron Berry, Azusa Pacific
LB • 6-2 • Senior • Perris, Calif.

Berry led the Azusa Pacific defense with 14 tackles, including nine solo tackles, two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as the Cougars scored a 17-7 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. He led an APU defense that limited West Texas A&M to 76 rushing yards, 4 of 15 on third-down conversions and 1 of 4 on red-zone scoring opportunities.

Also Nominated: Shane Ward (Simon Fraser), Joey Roos (Western Oregon).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kees Metselaar, Simon Fraser
P/K • 6-2 • Freshman • Port Orchard, Wash.

Metselaar went 6 of 8 on point-after opportunities and punted twice for 77 yards (38.5 yards per punt average) in the Clan’s 54-7 rout of Willamette. He also kicked off nine times for 505 yards, which included one touchback.

Also Nominated: Colin Manners (Central Washington), Adrian Saldana (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
AZUSA PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Sept. 1: Beat West Texas A&M, 17-7
THIS WEEK: Nov. 8: Hosts Simon Fraser, 6:30 p.m.

• Azusa Pacific made a pair of first-half touchdowns stand up as the Cougars opened the season with a 17-7 win over West Texas A&M.

• Zikel Reddick led the APU offense to earn GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after just his first start. The sophomore running back carried 27 times for 201 yards with a touchdown at the 4:32 mark of the second quarter. It is the first time that an APU player has rushed for 200 or more yards in his first start. Reddick enters the week ranked second in Division II in rushing yards per game, fourth in total rushing yards and 10th in all-purpose yards.

• On the opposite side of the ball, senior running back Aaron Berry was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he led the APU defense with 14 tackles, including nine solo tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He led an APU defense that limited West Texas A&M to 4 for 15 on third-down conversions and 1 for 4 on red-zone scoring opportunities. Berry enters the week ranked first in Division II in tackles for loss, 10th in solo tackles and 14th in total tackles.

• Sophomore quarterback Tyrone Williams, Jr., completed 12 of 20 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in his second collegiate start. He was intercepted three times, but none that resulted in scores thanks to the APU defense. Junior wide receiver Weston Carr was William’s top target, catching six balls for 74 yards.

• Azusa Pacific enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 27th in rushing offense at 236 yards per game. The Cougars are tied for first in the GNAC and 12th in Division II with seven points allowed. The Cougars are averaging 357 yards of total offense per game.

• Azusa Pacific opens GNAC play on Saturday at home, hosting an upstart Simon Fraser squad.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 1: Lost at Eastern Washington, 58-13
THIS WEEK: Sept. 8: at Western Oregon, 1:05 p.m.

• The defending GNAC champions faced a formidable challenge against No. 9 (Division I-FCS) Eastern Washington, with the Eagles handing the Wildcats a 58-13 defeat. The Eagles limited CWU to 321 yards of total offense and just three advances into the red zone.

• The loss to the perennial Division I-FCS power dropped Central Washington to No. 16 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll and to No. 13 in the D2Football.com Poll.

• Central Washington had 164 yards of passing offense as senior quarterback Reilly Hennessey, playing against his former team, completed 19 of 32 and threw for one touchdown and ran for a second. His top target was sophomore wide receiver Samuel Sanchez, who caught six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Hennessey’s 217 yards of total offense ranks second in the GNAC.

• Four players rushed for a total of 157 yards in the game. In addition to Hennessey’s 55 yards on 12 carries, senior running back Cedric Cooper carried 14 times for 61 yards. Cooper enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in rushing yards.

• Junior linebacker Joshua Wikel led the CWU defense with nine tackles and one tackle for loss. Junior linebacker Tevin Gray added eight tackles and one tackle for loss. The Wildcats also forced one fumble and recovered three, but could not convert any of them for scores.

• Central Washington enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in total offense, averaging 321 yards per game, and second in rushing offense at 157 yards per game. The Wildcats are 10th in Division II with a .660 completion percentage and 26th in kickoff returns with an average of 24 yards per return.

• The Wildcats open the GNAC schedule on the road, facing Western Oregon in Monmouth, Ore., on Saturday.

HUMBOLDT STATE
LAST WEEK: Sept. 1: Lost at Midwestern State, 55-12
THIS WEEK: Idle
 
• Opening its final season on the road, Humboldt State could not overcome a run of five straight touchdowns by Midwestern State in the first half in taking a 55-12 loss.

• The Humboldt offense was limited by a stout Midwestern State defense, finishing with 294 yards of total offense with 188 yards coming in the passing game and converted one just one of three red zone opportunities. The low offensive output came despite over 35 minutes of possession.

‘• Junior quarterback Joey Sweeney showed well in his debut, completing 18 of 26 passes for 159 yards. Junior Sohail Mohsini took over late in the game, completing 4 of 5 passes for 29 yards. Sweeney enters the week ranked 17th in Division II with a .692 completion percentage.

• A total of nine Humboldt State players caught passes. Senior wide receiver Alex Larson led the way with three catches for 55 yards.

• Senior kicker Jose Morales accounted for half of the Lumberjacks’ points, making a 33-yard field goal with 8:30 left in the first quarter and a 40-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the game. Humboldt’s lone touchdown came courtesy of sophomore safety Adam Herrera, who ran a late second-quarter interception back 44 yards for the score.

• Five Humboldt State defensive players finished with five tackles each. Senior linebacker Connor Cox had three solo tackles and a tackle for loss while junior defensive back Ereon Nash had four solo tackles.

• Humboldt State enters the week averaging 294 yards per game and is third in passing offense with 188 yards per game. The Lumberjacks are 20th in Division II in time of possession (35:20) and 24th in fewest penalties (4).

• Humboldt State is idle this weekend and will open conference play on Sat., Sept. 15, against Central Washington in Yakima, Wash.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Sept. 1: Beat Willamette, 54-7
THIS WEEK: Nov. 8: at Azusa Pacific, 6:30 p.m.

• Head coach Thomas Ford wasted little time ending a dubious 33-game losing streak as Simon Fraser scored eight touchdowns en route to a 54-7 victory over Division III Willamette.

• The win snapped a losing streak that dated back to the 2014 season. The Clan last won on Oct. 18, 2014, beating South Dakota Mines 53-31. The victory was also Simon Fraser’s last GNAC win. The effort earned Simon Fraser selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Senior quarterback Miles Richardson had one of his best single-game efforts in a SFU uniform, completing 12 of 17 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns.  Freshman Justin Sieber completed 5 of 11 for 79 yards. Richardson enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 188 yards per game, is fifth in Division II with a 217.8 pass efficiency rating and 25th with 24 yards per pass completion.

• Simon Fraser spread the passing offense between eight different receivers, four of which scored touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Ethan Beselt led the way with seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Devin O’Hea made four catches for 60 yards and a score. Beselt enters the week leading the GNAC and is 29th in Division II with seven receptions per game. He also leads the GNAC with 85 receiving yards per game.

• Freshman kicker Kees Metselaar was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he converted on 6 of 8 point-after attempts, punted twice for an average of 38.5 yards per punt and kicked off nine times for 505 yards.

• The Simon Fraser defense held Willamette to -9 yards rushing, ranking the Clan second in Division II. Sophomore linebacker Shane Ward led the SFU defense with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Senior cornerback Jaryn Bailey returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown.

• Simon Fraser enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked fourth in scoring offense at 54 points per game. The Clan also leads the GNAC with 379 yards of total offense per game. Simon Fraser is also one of three GNAC teams with two interceptions, ranking 15th in Division II.

• The Clan will test its newfound winning ways against one of the GNAC perennial powers on Saturday, traveling south to face Azusa Pacific on Saturday night.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 1: Lost to Angelo State, 24-17
THIS WEEK: Sept. 8: Hosts Central Washington, 1:05 p.m.
 
• A pair of late fourth-quarter touchdowns, including one with 52 seconds left, spelled defeat for Western Oregon in the season in a 24-17 loss to Angelo State.

• The Wolves finished with 313 yards of total offense, 276 of which came in the passing game. Junior quarterback Ty Currie completed 23 of 43 passes for 276 yards, a pair of touchdowns and three interceptions. Currie enters the week leading the GNAC and is 30th in Division II with the 276 passing yards per game. Currie is also 19th in Division II with 23 completions per game.

• Currie spread the passing offense between 10 different receivers. Junior Tyjuan Prince led the way with two catches for 74 yards. Junior wide receiver Chris Mack had six catches for 42 yards.

• Junior linebacker Nate Proctor, Jr., led the WOU defense with 12 tackles, including eight solo tackles and a half-tackle for loss. Junior linebacker Andrew Weber added 11 tackles with seven solo tackles, a half-tackle and a half-sack.

• The Wolves came up with two interceptions, tying WOU for 15th in Division II. Sophomore defensive back Curtis Anderson had one pick for 17 yards while junior linebacker Tyler Wharf had the second for six yards.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 313 yards of total offense per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC with 276 passing yards per game.

• The Wolves are home to begin GNAC play, hosting Central Washington on Saturday.