ARCATA — Second-year head coach Rob Smith takes his team on the long journey to Alamosa, Colo. this week for the 2009 season-opener against Adams State. Following two days primarily occupied with travel, the Jacks kick off at noon MST (11 a.m. in Humboldt County) Saturday against the Grizzlies.
Lumberjacks Links
2009 Schedule
2009 Roster
Two-Deep
Head-to-Head
Adams State and Humboldt State will meet for the first time in both programs' history this weekend.
On-the-Air
Humboldt State football can be once again heard over the airwaves on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate. Former Lumberjack player J.B. Mathers describes the action and HSU Hall-of-Famer Burt Nordstrom adds commentary. The broadcast begins at 11:45 a.m. MST, which means 10:345 a.m. here on the coast. All broadcasts are also streamed live through the hsujacks.com web site.
LiveStats
All Humboldt State football home games will feature LiveStats, viewable through the Lumberjacks' web site at hsujacks.com. This week's game at Adams State will also have LiveStats available through the host's web site at the following link: http://ascgrizzlies.athleticsite.net/livestats/xlive.htm
Injury Report
Redshirt freshman Bret Frydendahl has been elevated into a starting role at right guard as his recovery from offseason hernia surgery has made impressive progress. Brandon Hribar was slowed by injuries that forced him to miss several practices, but is working his way back and should be recovered for the weekend. …Freshman running back Nick Ricciardulli continues to make progress after suffering a knee injury during preseason camp. He'll miss this week's game, but should return the following week.
Lumberjack Notes
Early on, the Jacks 'defense appears to be the team's stronghold and most consistent area. Having a trio of veteran linebackers in Bubba Reynolds, Mike Lynch and Allen Brunner, has provided a nucleus, and Guy RIcciardulli's presence in the secondary is another plus. Justin Hornsby has had a “great camp,” according to Smith, and will stand out in his defensive end position. …Sophomore Mike Proulx, who started six games a year ago, gets the nod at quarterback. His experience should help the Jacks execute their game plan, which like last year continues to be one of establishing the ground game in hopes of opening up the passing game. “If we block them and establish the run, that will help us out in all areas,” Smith said. …Starting a week later than their opponent can have both a negative and positive effect, Smith said. On the minus side, Adams State has had a chance to test itself against another opponent and should be more refined in a game situation. However, the Lumberjacks have the advantage of an additional week of practice focused on this particular opponent. “This week is a rare case of when the later start can be good for us,” Smith said. “That benefits us because we have so many new players involved.”
Opponent Notes
Adams State opened its season on the road last week, falling to Dixie State, 37-28 in St. George, Utah. …The Grizzlies managed 315 yards of total offense, but surrendered 417 to the Rebels. Sean McDougal and Stephen Baca shared the quarterback duties, completing a combined 20 of 42 passes for 212 yards while also throwing four interceptions. …Both McDougal and Baca occasionally line up in the backfield in the Grizzlies' offensive scheme. If Baca is on the receiving end of the snap, he's likely to run at least half of the time as he did a week ago. Baca finished the game as Adams' leading rusher with 11 carries for a net of 40 yards.
Smith Says
“Adams State is a team that won five of its last six games last year, and is expecting to be much improved. They've ironed out some wrinkles and should be a tough first game opponent.”
