Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Making headlines in football north of the border can be hard to do. For Simon Fraser, the team is in the midst of two weeks of history-making moments.

The first came on Saturday at Linfield when sophomore kicker Kristie Elliott became the first Canadian female to play and score in an NCAA football game. Elliott converted on a point-after attempt with 16 seconds left in the first half and went on to make 2 of 3 extra-point attempts in the 56-20 loss at Division III Linfield.

The second history-making moment comes this Saturday when, at long last, Simon Fraser football comes home. The school will host GNAC rival Central Washington on Saturday night in the first game at the new SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field.

The jewel of the $18 million (CDN) project is the 1,800-seat canopied stadium which completes the outdoor home for Simon Fraser athletics. Before the stadium, games played at Terry Fox Field seated fans on sets of temporary bleachers along the track. Most games were played at Swangard Stadium in downtown Burnaby, a 25-minute drive from campus.

Simon Fraser will host a Central Washington team that is coming off a 63-14 loss at Division I-FCS Eastern Washington on Saturday. The Wildcats matched the Eagles as both teams scored touchdowns early in the first quarter but the No. 8 ranked Eagles went on to score 55 straight points, including seven touchdowns, to roll to the victory.

Central Washington will begin its 2019 GNAC title defense as the 20th-ranked scoring team in Division II, averaging 40 points per game.
Western Oregon will face another tough test as it looks for its first win of the season, traveling to Division I-FCS Portland State in the Vikings’ home opener. It will be the third and final game this season for GNAC teams against Division I-FCS opponents.

The Wolves are coming off a tough 24-10 loss at Texas A&M-Kingsville that saw WOU score just twice on five times in the red zone. Western Oregon outgained Texas A&M-Kingsville in the game with 308 yards of total offense to the Javelinas’ 270 yards.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Caelin Johnson, Simon Fraser
WR • 6-2 • Freshman • Seattle, Wash.

Johnson caught nine passes for 193 yards and scored all three of Simon Fraser’s touchdowns in a 56-20 loss at Linfield.

Also Nominated: Omari Land (Western Oregon).

DEFENSIVE
Jaylin Parnell, Western Oregon
LB • 6-0 • Junior • Medford, Ore.

Parnell led the Western Oregon defense with nine tackles, including six solo tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, in the Wolves’ 24-10 loss at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Also Nominated: Donte Hamilton (Central Washington), Griffin Barrett (Simon Fraser).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kristie Elliott, Simon Fraser
K • 5-8 • Sophomore • North Vancouver, B.C.

Elliott became the first Canadian woman to play in and score in an NCAA football game, converting on two point-after conversions in Simon Fraser’s 56-20 loss at Linfield.

Also Nominated: Curtis Anderson (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 11: Lost at E. Washington, 63-14
THIS WEEK: Sept. 18: at Simon Fraser, 6 p.m.

• A touchdown in the opening quarter was not enough to build momentum at No. 8 (Division I-FCS) Eastern Washington as Central Washington took a 63-14 loss to the Eagles on the red turf of Roos Field in Cheney.

• Junior running back Cameron McKinney scored that opening touchdown on a one-yard run with 9:33 to go in the first quarter, capping a six-play, 65-yard drive. The Wildcats did not score again until the final drive of the game on junior running back Rashaad Boddie’s one-yard run with 28 seconds left.

• A total of 124 of Central Washington’s 234 yards of total offense came on the group. Boddie led the rushing corps, carrying eight times for 52 yards and the score. McKinney carried 10 times for 20 yards and a touchdown while sophomore quarterback Zach Matlock carried seven times for 29 yards.

• Matlock completed five of eight passes for 48 yards to lead Central Washington in the air. Senior wide receiver JoJo Hillel completed a pass on the second drive with a trick play that ended in a 34-yard reception to senior wide receiver Tony Archie that set up the first-quarter touchdown. Archie led six CWU players in the receiving game, making two catches for 48 yards.

• Sophomore defensive back Jahleel Breland led the Central Washington defense with 11 tackles, which included six solo tackles. Senior linebacker Donte Hamilton finished with nine tackles, including five solo tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Breland is tied for first in the GNAC with 23 tackles while Hamilton leads the conference with two sacks and is tied for first with 4.5 tackles for loss.

• Junior kicker Patrick Hegarty punted 10 times for the Wildcats, averaging 36.9 yards per punt with a long punt of 44 yards. He also converted on both point-after attempts and is 11 of 11 on conversions for the season.

• Central Washington enters the week ranked 20th in Division II scoring offense, averaging 40 points per game. The Wildcats also rank 20th nationally in pass efficiency (165.66). Central Washington leads the GNAC in both rushing offense (139 yards per game) and total offense (367.5 yards per game).

• One of the least penalized teams through two weeks, Central Washington is 23rd in Division II with 4.50 penalties per game and 30th with 42 penalty yards per game.

• Central Washington will participate in the first GNAC game of the season this Saturday, traveling north to face Simon Fraser at the school’s new SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Sept. 11: Lost at Linfield, 56-20
THIS WEEK: Sept. 18: vs. Central Washington, 6 p.m.
 
• Sophomore kicker Kristie Elliott’s historic moment was the big highlight in Simon Fraser’s 56-20 loss at Linfield in McMinnville, Oregon.

• Elliott became the first Canadian female to play and score in an NCAA football game when she converted a point-after attempt with 16 seconds left in the second quarter. She went on to go 2 for 3 on point-after conversions, earning selection as the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

• Simon Fraser finished with 322 yards of total offense, which included 333 yards of passing offense. Sophomore quarterback Justin Sieber took most of the snaps, completing 26 of 43 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns.

• Freshman wide receiver Caelin Johnson was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he led SFU with 193 receiving yards and three touchdowns on nine catches. His longest catch was a 63-yard touchdown pass with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter. Johnson is eighth in Division II with the three receiving touchdowns and 27th with 18 points scored.

• Senior linebacker Griffin Barrett led the Simon Fraser defense with 12 tackles, including nine solo tackles. Barrett is tied for first in the GNAC with 23 tackles and is 14th in Division II with 7.5 solo tackles per game.

• Junior wide receiver Robert Meadors was solid in the return game, returning six kicks for 128 yards with a long of 30 yards. He averaged 21.3 yards per return. Meadors is 22nd in Division II with 142 combined kick return yards.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 206 yards of total offense per game and 205 passing yards per game. Simon Fraser is 18th in Division II with 35 penalty yards per game.

• Simon Fraser plays its first game in the brand new SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on Saturday night, opening conference play as it hosts Central Washington.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Sept. 11: Lost at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 24-10
THIS WEEK: Sept. 18: at Portland State, 6 p.m.
 
• Western Oregon led Texas A&M-Kingsville with 308 yards of total offense but found red zone offense hard to come by in a 24-10 loss to the Javelinas in Kingsville, Texas.

• The Wolves had plenty of scoring chances but converted on just two of five opportunities inside the Javelina’s 20-yard line. Texas A&M-Kingsville converted on both opportunities in the red zone.

• Of the 308 yards of total offense, 241 of those came in the air. Junior quarterback Ryan Worthley completed 30 of 45 passes for 241 yards. He spread his passes between 10 different receivers, led by junior wide receiver Thomas Wright’s 61 yards on three catches. Worthley is 25th in Division II with a .649 completion percentage and 25 completions per game. He also leads the GNAC with 231.5 passing yards per game.

• Junior linebacker Jaylin Parnell was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he led the Wolves with nine tackles, including six solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss for three yards and a pair of quarterback hurries. Parnell is sixth in the GNAC with 13 total tackles.  

• Junior running back Omari Land led four running backs as he carried 21 times for 73 yards and the Wolves’ lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. Land leads the GNAC with 51.5 receiving yards per game and is third with 70 total offense yards per game.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 286 yards of total offense per game and leads the conference with 252 passing yards per game. The Wolves rank 25th in Division II with 127.5 passing yards allowed per game.

• Western Oregon plays its third straight road game this week and its first game of the season in the state of Oregon. The Wolves will be in Hillsboro, Oregon on Saturday to face Division I-FCS Portland State. The Vikings are 0-2 after losses at Division I-FBS Hawaii and Washington State.