DAVIS – No. 24-ranked Humboldt State may have given up its first sack of the season, but the Jacks pull away a 23-17 victory over UC Davis, extending their winning streak to five games. This is the first time since 1969 the Lumberjacks have started undefeated in their first five contests.

Humboldt State improve to 5-0 overall as they head to take on Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Central Washington next Saturday at 1 p.m. UC Davis, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FCS member, drops 1-4 overall with the loss.

"I'm so proud of these kids," said head coach Rob Smith. "They believe in themselves and they believe in the school they represent."

The Jacks had one thing in mind as they made the six-hour trek down to Davis, Calif., and it was visible on the shirts of the fans. "Beat Davis" buttons were seen on many Humboldt State fans' apparel, a statement the team intended on seeing come to life. 

"We're not surprised by this outcome," said Smith. "We came here to beat Davis, we prepared to beat Davis, and we did."

Dirk Dallas caught two touchdown passes, including the first touchdown of the night, and had a total 96 receiving yards to spark the Lumberjack offense—which was without Chris Bolt due to a leg injury. Mike Proulx led HSU to 370 total offensive yards by going 15-for-26 on the night with two touchdown throws. Lyndon Rowells rushed for 133 yards, adding to the Lumberjack offense. Victor Spencer also came up big for the Lumberjack offense, collecting three catches for 91 yards. 

Brian Blumberg's boot gave the Jacks their six-point lead in the fourth quarter, completing a 43-yard field goal attempt that sailed through the uprights.

Dallas scored first for HSU off a 61-yard pass from Proulx at 8:37 in the first half, but the Aggies responded with a touchdown of their own when quarterback Randy White found Tom Hemmingsen with a 10-play, 59-yard drive.

Two field goals later, the teams found themselves even at 10-10 heading into the locker rooms at halftime.

"They're third-down conversions killed us," said Smith. "Our kids were confident at halftime though. We came out and made plays when we had to."

Blumberg's 19-yard field goal in the third quarter broke the tie and was the only scoring drive either team completed in that quarter. Dallas extended the lead to a 10-point advantage in the fourth quarter off a nine-play, 54-yard touchdown drive, grabbing his second touchdown reception of the night with a six-yard pass.

UC Davis responded with a big 50-yard touchdown pass when White connected with Hemmingsen, putting the score at 20-17 with 5:41 left on the game clock. 

Proulx and his offense controlled the clock and gave Blumberg the opportunity to make the 43-yard field goal to end the game at 23-17.

The Aggies had a couple Hail Mary passes as the clock ran out of time, but the Lumberjack defense would not surrender any points for UCD. Chris Peterson and Jeremiah Maluia came up big for Jacks defensively. Peterson collected seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, a 10-yard sack and a quarterback hurry; while Maluia led the team with nine tackles and had one interception on the night.

"It feels great to be 5-0," said Smith. "We have so many seniors and guys who have been through so much these past couple years. It feels great for them to see this turn-around in three plus years."

That turn-around brings hope of something the Jacks haven't seen in a few years: a conference championship.

"As big as this game is—and we're certainly going to enjoy it—it has no impact on a conference championship," said Smith. "That's been our number one goal since day one and that race begins this week. We're going to enjoy this win, but we'll get back to work on Monday and get ready for Central Washington."