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Big 4th quarter lifts Jacks to win over WOU

MONMOUTH, Ore. — (Oct. 7)  Key interceptions set up the go-ahead and  game-clinching touchdowns in the fourth quarter, rallying Humboldt State to a 29-21 win over No. 18 ranked and previously unbeaten Western Oregon on Saturday.
 
Backup Lumberjacks' cornerback Derrick Andrews intercepted Mark Thorson's pass, returning it 55 yards to put HSU ahead 22-21 with 12 minutes, 31 seconds remaining. Ten minutes later, with Western Oregon on the march towards the go-ahead touchdown, Humboldt strong safety Kyle Killingsworth intercepted another pass, returning it 74 yards to the WOU 1-yard line to set up the game-clinching TD with only 1:31 left in the game.
 
Killingsworth, a Ferndale native, added a 94-yard punt return touchdown to his heroics to help HSU improve to 4-1, the Lumberjacks' best record at this point of the season since 1994. Western Oregon dropped to 4-1.
 
" Kyle really stepped up when we needed him to," HSU offensive coordinator Brian Harris said. "He's one of those players that you just put the ball in his hands and let him play, and he'll do whatever it takes to win."
 
A huge defensive stop by Humboldt State kept the Wolves out of the endzone late in the game, with four stops from within the 2-yard line turning the ball back to HSU on downs and protecting the one-point lead with 6:25 remaining to be played. Western Oregon quickly got the ball back, only to have its hopes dashed by Killinsgworth's interception.

The Lumberjacks missed on three chances for the final score, failing to push the ball across with three running plays before electing to settle for Ben Peterson's 18-yard field goal. But a roughing the kicker penalty forced the HSU coaching staff to decide between the three points or another chance at the endzone, and after opting for the latter they were rewarded when running back Marcus Cox dove across for the touchdown.
 
"It was a great call by (HSU head coach) Doug (Adkins)," Harris said. "Their line was submarining our offensive line, which makes it hard to get any push. We used that against them, with Marcus jumping over the top of the line."
 
Western Oregon went quickly to work at the game's start, moving its first possession down the field on a 9-play, 54-yard drive that ended when Eliot Vinzant scampered across the goal line untouched for a two-yard touchdown run. Key plays in the drive included a 24-yard pass completion from Mark Thorson to Kevin Boss on third down and long, and a 13-yard connection from Thorson to Boss that placed the ball on the HSU 2-yard line.
 
"Western Oregon is a team that has started strong in every game this year," Harris said. "Our plan was to stick with them early and match their intensity, then win it in the second half."
 
When the Jacks got the ball back, they threatened to tie the game with a respectable drive that included a 31-yard pass hookup from Moorman to Stein. The Wolves' defense arose to the task, however, ending the opportunity when linebacker Matt Buche intercepted Moorman's pass at the 15-yard line.
 
Another long drive ended in futility on Humboldt State's next possession when the Jacks took the ball all the way to the WOU 5-yard line. Western Oregon rose up to again stop the Jacks on three straight plays, forcing Humboldt State to settle for Peterson's 25-yard field goal that cut the lead to 7-3 eight seconds into the second quarter.
 
HSU's defense also kept the Wolves in check for much of the second quarter, but the Jacks' front broke down on a fourth-and-inches play that keyed WOU's next drive. Vinzant broke through the line and kept on his feet for a long-gainer, picking up 28 yards to move the ball all the way to the Humboldt State 33-yard line.
 
Trey Randall sacked Thorson for a big loss, and two more stops forced the Wolves to try a 54-yard field goal, which was blocked by Tyson Hampton to end the scoring threat. The half ended with HSU leading in first downs, 8-5, and yards gained, 139-107, but Western Oregon held the 7-3 lead, thanks in part to the two HSU turnovers.

For the game, Moorman finished 17-of-27 passing for 237 yards. Joey Stein was the leading HSU receiver with seven catches for for 84 yards, and Cox keyed the ground game with 31 yards on seven carries.

Vinzant was Western Oregon's top offensive weapon, rushing the ball 29 times for 130 yards. Thorson completed 19 of 32 passes, also for 237 yards.
 
Early in the third quarter, Humboldt State's defense stuffed Western Oregon before special teams turned the tide in HSU's favor. Killingsworth took the punt at the WOU 7-yard-line, shook off one would-be tackler, and broke free for a 93-yard touchdown return that gave the Jacks a 10-7 lead.
 
The momentum shift was short-lived, however, as Western responded quickly on the ensuing possession. HSU stopped the Wolves on the first two downs, but Thorson hooked up with Tyler Knudsen for a 61-yard catch-and-run play that scored the go-ahead touchdown.
 

A third-quarter shootout appeared in the making when Humboldt took the kickoff and marched all the way to the WOU 9-yard-line. That's where the drive ended, however, with WOU stopping the Jacks  one yard short of a first down on two successive running plays, giving the ball back to the Wolves.
 
Again the Jacks stopped the Wolves and forced a punt, and again they drove into the Western Oregon redzone, moving the ball to the 20-yard line. The pattern of repetition continued to Humboldt's dismay when Western's Jason Buckmier intercepted Moorman's pass to end the drive.
 
Utilizing another big play, the Wolves took advantage of the turnover when Thorson connected with Knudsen for a 26-yard pickup all the way to the HSU 41.  Six plays later, Vinzant rushed the ball across from nine yards out to give his team a 21-10 lead entering the fourth quarter.
 
Moorman and wide receiver Edwin Henry provided Humboldt State with yet another redzone opportunity when Henry caught a pass on HSU's first play from scrimmage, racing all the way to the Western Oregon 12-yard-line before a saving tackle by JT Gilmore kept him out of the endzone. Three plays later Moorman hit Richard Perkins with a four-yard scoring pass, but the two-point conversion failed to make the score 21-16.

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