BURNABY, B.C. — Lyndon Rowells rushed for 212 yards and Daniel Wyatt added 154 to lead Humboldt State to a 35-14 win over Simon Fraser, moving the Jacks back into a tie for first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Boxscore

Holding the GNAC's leading rushing team to 87 yards while piling up 420 of their own, the Lumberjacks improved to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in conference. Simon Fraser fell to 1-7 and 0-6 in league.

Rowells' efforts pushed him to 1,016 yards rushing on the season, making him only the third running back in the 82 years of HSU football to surpass the 1,000-yard barrier. He's also the first to achieve the feat since John Burman rushed for 1,233 in 1968.

"This game concerned me," HSU head coach Rob Smith said. "It was our third long trip in four weeks, and I worried about our legs. The players responded as they have all season-long."

HSU quarterback Mike Proulx finished the game with 15 completions in 27 attempts for 173 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His totals added to the running numbers to give HSU a season-high 593 yards of total offense.
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Simon Fraser had the first opportunity to score, moving the ball 73 yards behind Greg Bowcott's passing efforts. On third and goal, Bowcut's pass into the endzone was picked off by HSU defensive back Jerry Maluia, however, keeping the Clan off the scoreboard.

On their second series, Proulx and the Lumberjacks engineered an 84-yard drive, picking apart the Simon Fraser defense with efficiency. On third and goal from the 9-yard line, Proulx found Pat Gondkoff in the endzone to give the Jacks a 7-0 lead.

Multiple mistakes proved costly on the Lumberjacks next drive of the second quarter. After penetrating SFU territory, two penalties pushed the Jacks backwards. On second and 20, the Clan's Adam Berger picked off Proulx's pass, returning it 65 yards for a game-tying touchdown with 6:57 remaining until halftime.

Rowells powered the Lumberjacks to a rapid answer, rushing the ball four times during the Jacks' 6-play, 58-yard drive. His final carry was for eight yards into the endzone to put HSU ahead, 14-7 with 3:51 on the clock.

After the defense stuffed Simon Fraser to open the second half, the Jacks needed only one play to put more points on the board. Daniel Wyatt took the pitch, followed his blockers and eluded tacklers before breaking loose on a 72-yard touchdown scamper that gave the Jacks a 21-7 lead.

The teams exchanged punts for much of the third quarter, but the Clan found its rhythm as the period wound down. Ephard's running and a series of successful short passes by Bowcott moved the ball all the way to the HSU 2-yard line. Ephard finished the 13-play, 70-yard march with a surge up the middle that cut the Jacks' lead to 21-14.

On Humboldt State's ensuing possession, Wyatt cut loose for another long run, exploding for a 53-yard pick-up to the SFU 31-yard line. Simon Fraser appeared to stop the drive however, but on fourth-and-one Rowells broke lose for a 23-yard touchdown run that gave the Jacks a 28-14 lead.

Humboldt State's defense forced another punt, and the offense did its job again. Rowells exploded for the final 34 yards, scoring his third touchdown of the day and going over the 200-yard barrier to give HSU a 35-14 lead with 6:14 remaining.

"We took a close game going into the fourth quarter, and took over," Smith said. "Our seniors have been doing that all year."

The Lumberjacks return home for their final two games of the season, first taking on Western Oregon at 1 p.m. Saturday in Redwood Bowl.