Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Simon Fraser started a four-game season-ending road trip on Saturday with a big victory over Montana State Northern.

Simon Fraser limited the Lights to 266 yards of total offense, forced five turnovers and limited the team to 0 for 7 on fourth-down conversions en route to a 30-3 victory in Havre, Montana.

The win was thanks to a true team effort on offense, defense and special teams. On offense, sophomore wide receiver Riley Morrison led the way with five catches for 81 yards and SFU’s first touchdown of the game. The performance earned Morrison selection as the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Sophomore quarterback Justin Sieber completed 12 of 30 passes for 190 yards. He threw the first-quarter touchdown pass to Morrison and also found Aidan Pierce for a 63-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

On special teams, junior linebacker Isaac Muckian put six on the board when he recovered a blocked punt in the second quarter. That touchdown earned Muckian selection as the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

On defense, sophomore linebacker Drew Nicholson found the end zone when he returned one of SFU’s four interceptions 28 yards for a touchdown with 5:04 left in the second quarter.

Senior linebacker Griffin Barrett earned the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award after he led all players with 13 tackles in the win.
While Simon Fraser heads south to Angelo State on Saturday, Western Oregon and Central Washington will battle for the second time in as many games as the Wolves travel to Ellensburg.

For Central Washington, a win would clinch the program’s fourth consecutive GNAC championship. The Wildcats clinched the title outright in 2017, shared the title with Azusa Pacific in 2018 and were co-champions with Western Oregon in 2019.

In the meeting two weeks ago, Central Washington scored 42 consecutive points to void a solid first-quarter start for Western Oregon en route to a 45-14 win in Monmouth.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Riley Morrison, Simon Fraser
WR • 5-8 • Sophomore • Bothell, Wash.

Morrison led the Simon Fraser receiving corps, making five catches for 77 yards and the team’s first touchdown of the game en route to a 30-3 victory at Montana State Northern on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE
Griffin Barrett, Simon Fraser
LB • 5-11 • Senior • Moose Jaw, Sask.

Barrett led all defensive players with 13 tackles, including seven solo tackles, in Simon Fraser’s 30-3 win at Montana State Northern. He paced an SFU defense that limited the Lights to 266 yards of total offense, forced five turnovers and held MSUN to 0 for 7 on fourth-down conversions.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Isaac Muckian, Simon Fraser
LB • 6-0 • Junior • Olympia, Wash.

Muckian made the signature special teams play of the game for Simon Fraser, recovering a blocked punt early in the second quarter for a touchdown in the 30-3 win at Montana State Northern on Saturday.

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Idle
THIS WEEK: Oct. 23 vs. Western Oregon, 6 p.m.

• Central Washington enjoyed a bye last week. The Wildcats will try to secure the program’s fourth consecutive GNAC title on Saturday night when they host Western Oregon.

• It will be the second straight meeting between the two teams. Central Washington used 354 yards of total offense and a balanced attack on the air and ground to score a 45-14 win at Western Oregon on October 9.

• The Wildcats finished with 184 rushing yards between four players. Freshman running back Tyler Flanagan was the game’s leading rusher, carrying 12 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came in the third quarter on a game-long 35-yard run with 8:24 to go and an eight-yard run with 2:51 to go. Flanagan is averaging 59.2 rushing yards per game.

• Freshman quarterback Quincy Glasper completed 14 of 21 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with nine different receivers, led by sophomore wide receiver Darius Morrison, who caught three passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Glasper is averaging 148.3 passing yards per game in three starts this season. Morrison is fourth in the GNAC with 41.2 receiving yards per game.

• The CWU defense was solid with a total of seven tackles for loss and two interceptions. Senior defensive lineman Zack Stecklein led the Wildcats with six solo tackles, four tackles for loss for 22 yards and all three of the Wildcats’ sacks. Stecklein has 22 tackles on the season. He leads the GNAC with five sacks and is third with 36 tackles for loss while ranking 22nd in Division II with 0.33 forced fumbles per game.

• Junior kicker Patrick Hegarty was once again a factor for Central Washington, going 6 for 6 on extra-point opportunities and converting a 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Hegarty is 13th in Division II with 1.40 field goals made per game and 27th with a .727 field goal percentage.

• Senior linebacker Donte Hamilton matched Stecklein with six tackles in the game and also had his fifth interception of the season, which leads the conference. Hamilton is second in the GNAC with 10 tackles for loss and third with 46 total tackles. Hamilton is second in Division II with 0.8 passes intercepted per game and 27th with 1.3 passes defended per game. Hamilton and sophomore defensive back Jahleel Breland are tied for 30th in Division II with 5.3 solo tackles per game.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC with 33.3 points per game, 361.5 yards of total offense per game and 163.8 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats rank 25th in Division II with 14.46 passing yards per completion. Defensively, CWU is third in Division II in blocked punts (3), 26th in turnovers gained (15), 22nd in blocked kicks (3) and 30th in fumbles recovered (7).

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Oct. 16: Won at Montana St. Northern, 30-3
THIS WEEK: Oct. 23: at Angelo State, 6 p.m. (CDT)
 
• Simon Fraser picked up its first victory since October 19, 2019, using defense and special teams to seal a 30-3 win at Montana State Northern.

• Simon Fraser finished the game with 300 yards of total offense, 213 of which came in the air. Sophomore quarterback Justin Sieber completed 12 of 30 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the GNAC with 243.5 passing yards per game and 243 total offense yards per game. Sieber ranks 27th in Division II with 20 completions per game.

• Sophomore wide receiver Riley Morrison was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week as he led the SFU receiving corps with five catches for 81 yards and the team’s first touchdown on a 27-yard reception from Sieber with 1:22 left in the first quarter. Morrison leads the GNAC with 66.4 receiving yards per game and is 16th in Division II with 6.6 receptions per game.

• Senior linebacker Griffin Barrett was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he led all players in the game with 13 tackles, including seven solo tackles. He anchored an SFU defense that held Montana State Northern to just 266 yards of total offense, forced five turnovers and limited the Lights to 0 for 7 on fourth-down conversions. Barrett leads the GNAC with 63 tackles and is third in Division II with 12.6 tackles per game. Barrett is also sixth in Division II with 6.6 solo tackles per game.

• Simon Fraser had four interceptions on the day, one of which was returned 28 yards for a touchdown by sophomore linebacker Drew Nicholson at the 5:04 mark of the second quarter. Nicholson is third in the GNAC with two interceptions.

• Junior linebacker Isaac Muckian was named the GNAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his return of a blocked punt for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Muckian has seen most of his action on special teams this season and has three tackles.

• Sophomore kicker Kristie Elliott went 3 for 4 on point-after opportunities and made her lone field goal attempt, a 23-yarder with 5:47 left in the second quarter. It was the first made field goal for Elliott this season and she is 8 for 10 on point-after opportunities.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 263.8 yards of total offense per game and leads the GNAC with 222 passing yards per game. Simon Fraser is 14th in Division II in red zone defense (.630). One of the least penalized teams in Division II, SFU is fifth in Division II with 216 penalty yards and 43.20 penalty yards per game.

• Simon Fraser plays its final road game of the season outside of GNAC Country this Saturday, playing at Angelo State.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Idle
THIS WEEK: Oct. 23 at Central Washington, 6 p.m.
 
• Western Oregon had its bye last week. The Wolves will travel to Ellensburg, Washington on Saturday to face Central Washington for the second consecutive game.

• Even though Western Oregon got the first touchdown in front of a homecoming crowd, the Wolves could not stop Central Washington’s scoring surge in a 45-14 loss to the Wildcats on October 9 at McArthur Field.

• Western Oregon finished the day with 252 yards of total offense, almost evenly balanced between 128 rushing yards and 124 passing yards.

• Both of Western Oregon’s touchdowns came on the ground as junior running back Omari Land led the way with 66 yards on 10 carries and the Wolves’ first touchdown at the 7:24 mark of the first quarter. Senior running back Andrew Valladares carried four times for 61 yards and scored the Wolves’ fourth-quarter touchdown. Valladares also caught three passes for 31 yards.

• Land is second in the GNAC with 97.2 all-purpose yards and 87.2 rushing yards per game. He also ranks 19th in Division II with seven rushing touchdowns. Valladares is third in the GNAC with 37.7 rushing yards per game and 76.8 all-purpose yards per game.

• Junior quarterback Ryan Worthley completed 10 of 21 passes for 122 yards and was one of three WOU quarterbacks to play. Worthley is second in the GNAC with 210.3 passing yards per game and is 22nd in Division II with a .640 completion percentage.

• Senior defensive back Curtis Anderson returned five kicks for 96 yards, averaging 19.2 yards per return with a long of 23 yards. He also had five tackles in the game. Anderson is second in the GNAC with 18.5 yards per kick return.

• Junior linebacker Jaylin Parnell finished with 10 tackles for the second consecutive game, which included one sack for three yards. Parnell is fourth in the GNAC with 45 total tackles and ranks 14th in Division II with 1.8 tackles for loss per game.

• Western Oregon is averaging 345.3 yards of total offense per game and is averaging 217.5 passing yards per game. The Wolves rank 26th in Division II with a .628 completion percentage and lead the conference with 118 first downs.