ARCATA — After opening the season with three roadtrips in four weeks, the Humboldt State football team benefits from the exact opposite scheduling over the next four weekends. The Lumberjacks (1-3, 0-2 GNAC) start the stretch with a 6 p.m. Great Northwest Athletic Conference game against Western Oregon (2-2, 2-1 GNAC) on Saturday.

Media: All Humboldt State football games are broadcast live  on KATA, 1340 AM radio, the North Coast's ESPN affiliate. J.B. Mathers calls the action, and is joined by HSU Hall-of-Famer Burt Norstrom, who adds commentary. The audio will also be streamed live on the hsujacks.com web site. …Another feature allowing fans to track the game's progress is the LiveStats component of hsujacks.com. This week's live stats will be available at game time at http://sidearmstats.com/humboldt/football.

Coaches Show: For insight on the Jacks' football program and information on all of Humboldt State's athletics activities, catch "Humboldt State Tonight" on Fox Channel 2 local cable television at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. J.B. Mathers hosts the show, which features interviews with Coach Rob Smith, student-athletes, and other HSU Athletics staff members.

Tailgate: Supporters of Humboldt State football are invited to celebrate the Lumberjacks' home game against Western Oregon at a tailgate party scheduled prior to Saturday's kickoff. Fans are encouraged to gather in the parking lot north of the Student Business Services (SBS) building on campus at 4 p.m. The celebration will end prior the Jacks' 6 p.m. kickoff in Redwood Bowl. Food and beverages are permitted in the tailgating area. For more information, visit the hsujacks.com web site and click on the link for "Tailgating Guidelines."

Head-to-Head: Two losses to the Wolves last season trimmed Humboldt State's lead to 9-8 in the all-time series. The Jacks fell 27-3 at home before suffering the indignity of losing a 64-0 battle in Monmouth, Ore. to end the season.

Coaches: Still early in his first season directing the Lumberjacks, Coach Rob Smith stands at 1-3 overall and 0-2 in conference games. As head coach at Western Washington for 17 seasons, Smith's programs achieved a 109-62-1 record. …Arne Ferguson is in his fourth year at Western Oregon, and enters the week with a 22-14 record directing the Wolves.

Injury Report: Running back Corey Stollmeyer injured a hamstring during the Central Washington game and will miss this week's game. Defensive back Guy Ricciardulli suffered back spasms, which limited his availability at Ellensburg. His status for this week will be determined on a day-to-day basis.

Lumberjack Notes: While struggling against established strong opponents, Humboldt State has yet to show signs of backing down. "(HSU players) play hard, no matter what the scoreboard says," HSU head coach Rob Smith said. "They have not and will not quit."… Guy Ricciardulli ranks eighth nationally in interceptions with an average of .75 per game. Enrique Leyva is 24th in field goals, averaging 1.0 per game. As a team, the Jacks' highest national ranking is in fewest penalties per game, where they are listed No. 19 with an average of 5.0 per contest. …Having three of the next four home games means the Jacks can get in more of a routine, according to Smith, which should translate into more productive practice sessons. "There's some comfort in having a regular schedule, and we also avoid the fatigue of a long road trip," Smith said. "We benefit from a full week of practice, and that is something we definitely need." …No major personnel changes are scheduled for this week, the focus instead being on execution. "We're not going to change what we're doing, but we do need to change how we do things," Smith said. "There's no magic formula. We need to work on being at our best."

Opponent Notes: Western Oregon has had its share of close encounters already this year, prevailing in two tough games and falling just short in two others. The Wolves are coming off a 34-27 road win over Dixie State that was finally secured when Ben Kuenzi scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3 minutes, 32 seconds remaining.  …Previously this fall, WOU edged Western Washington, 36-27, and dropped a close game to Central Washington, 31-24. Their other loss was to Portland State by a 31-14 margin.… Quarterback Josh Riddell has completed more than 58 percent of his passes this season, connecting on 56 of 96 for 899 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also thrown five interceptions. …Isaiah Smith has been the team's top receiver with 12 catches for 241 yards, an average of 60.2 yards per game. …Strong safety Andrew Jackson has been the Wolves' tackling leader, racking up 38 and also breaking up five passes. Defensive tackle Matt Cox has 23 tackles and a team-high 4.5 sacks.

Smith Says: "Western Oregon is clearly one of the top teams in the GNAC. They're a program coming off a 9-2 season that included a win in the Rotary Bowl, and they have a lot of players returning from that team. They're a well-coached program with good talent." … "The GNAC is obviously a very solid football conference. Right now, there are four teams playing well in this league, all of them but us."

Jacks' Roster: Online roster and downloadable version in MS Word available at http://…?path=football&

Depth Chart: Current two-deeps for HSU and opponent are available for download at http://hsujacks.com/documents/2008/8/25/HSU2deep.pdf

Statistics: Following Saturday's opener and throughout the season, current HSU statistics can be viewed online at http://www.hsujacks.com/custompages/football/2008/teamstat.htm.