ARCATA — The goal was crystal clear when
Rob Smith first stepped onto the Humboldt State campus less than four years ago – bring a GNAC championship to the Lumberjacks. Now that goal is 60 minutes away as the Jacks will battle Western Oregon on Saturday for the GNAC championship at 1 p.m. in Redwood Bowl. Both teams are tied for the GNAC lead with 6-1 records.
“It's why you work so hard for 365 days a year,” Coach Smith said. “Clearly, it is the two best teams in the GNAC playing for a championship. And that's the way it should be. Western Oregon gave us our only defeat. There should be no lack of motivation for either team.”
The Wolves (6-1 GNAC, 6-4 overall) dominated the Lumberjacks (6-1 GNAC, 8-1 overall) on Oct. 22, winning 40-24 after taking a 24-10 halftime lead. Western Oregon forced four turnovers, including three interceptions.
“They beat us in all three phases of the game,” Smith said. “I have confidence that our players have and will take the loss personally. We are two evenly matched teams, but on that day they were the better team. Proulx did not have a good game up there. We did not win the line of scrimmage on both side of the ball. That's where we will have to improve.”
Humboldt State has won nine conference championships in its history, two in the Northern California Athletic Conference (1994 and 1995) and seven in the Far Western Conference (1946, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1963 and 1968).
GNAC Players of the Week
Lyndon Rowells (offense) and
Brendan Faubion (defense) earned GNAC Player of the Week honors. The only time HSU has not been honored this season with at least one player of the week was after the loss to Western Oregon.
Rowells rushed for 184 yards on 24 carries including a 61-yard touchdown run to lead the Lumberjacks to a 45-30 road win at Dixie State. Rowells also caught three passes for 60 yards, scoring on a 28-yard reception in the second quarter. He tied the GNAC record for most 100-yard career rushing game recording his 13th, including six this season “It was a workman-like performance for him,” Coach Smith said. “He is one of the best running backs in the country and one of the top players ever to wear the Humboldt uniform.”
Faubion had seven tackles, including two for losses of 11 yards as Humboldt jumped to a 31-0 third-quarter lead against Dixie State. Faubion also had a fumble recovery. “Faubion gets the most out of the ability that he has” Smith said. “He is clearly one of our team leaders. He is playing his best football for us right now.”
National and Regional Rankings
HSU climbed to its highest ranking of the season to No. 14 in the latest American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II Top 25. However, in the NCAA Division II Regional Rankings the Jacks barely moved, going from 9th to 8th. Humboldt will need to be ranked in the Top 6 of the Super Regional Four rankings to be eligible to compete in the NCAA Division II Football Championships that begin Nov. 19. The final rankings and the football championship brackets will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Super Regional Four includes teams in the GNAC, Lone Star Conference (LSC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
Super Regional Four rankings from Nov. 7
1. Midwestern State (Tex.) from the LSC (9-0)
2. Washburn (Kan.) from the MIAA (9-1)
3. Pittsburg State (Kan.) from the MIAA (8-1)
4. Missouri Western State from the MIAA (8-2)
5. Abilene Christian (Tex.) from the LSC (7-2)
6. Northwest Missouri State from the MIAA (8-2)
7. Quachita Baptist from the Great American Conference (7-2)
8. Humboldt State from the GNAC (8-1)
9. West Texas A&M from the LSC (6-3)
10. Central Missouri State from MIAA (7-3)
The only ranked teams that play each other on Nov. 12 are Washburn (No. 2) and Central Missouri State (No. 10) from the MIAA.
Head-to-Head
Western Oregon leads the all-time series, 18-14, including wins in four of the last five games. Four of the last five games have been nail biters: a 17-16 WO win at Humboldt State in 2009, a 31-28 WO win at Monmouth in 2009, a 14-7 HSU win in Monmouth last year, and a 26-24 WO win at HSU last year. The Wolves had an easier time of it this year with a 40-24 Western Oregon win over the Jacks in Monmouth.
Injury Report
Guy Ricciardulli returns to the starting line-up after missing two weeks with groin and leg injuries.
HSU Record Book
Lyndon Rowells is the No. 2 career rusher in Humboldt State history with 2,479. The Jacks all-time career rusher is Hall of Famer Percy McGee (3,146 from 1993-96). Rowells has rushed for 1,171 yards this season, the third best performance all-time in Jacks history. Rowells will need 138 yards rushing to break his own record of 1,308 yards rushing in a season set last year.
Rushing yardage in a season
1,308
Lyndon Rowells 2010
1,233 John Burman 1968
1,171
Lyndon Rowells 2011
1,119 Cecil Stephens 1960
979 Mitch Jones 2000
Rushing yardage in a career
3,146 Percy McGee 1993-1996
2,479
Lyndon Rowells 2010-2011
2,175 Mitch Jones 2000-2002
Mike Proulx's 328 yards passing last week gives him 2,652 on the season, pushing him past Blake Moorman (2,388 in 2006) for second all-time in passing yardage in a season. Proulx came into the season with the most passing yards in a career – and adds to that total every game. His 26 completions last week give him 193 on the season – also putting him past Blake Moorman (192 in 2005) on the all-time single-season list.
Passing yardage in a season
3,193 Jacob Kadle 2001
2,652
Mike Proulx 2011
2,388 Blake Moorman 2006
2,296 Blake Moorman 2005
2,119 Jason Baughman 2004
Passing yardage in a career
7,479
Mike Proulx 2008-2011
4,684 Blake Moorman 2006-2006
4,489 Rodney Dorsett 1986-1989
Pass completions in a season
247 Jacob Kadle 2001
193
Mike Proulx 2011
192 Blake Moorman 2005
189 Jason Baughman 2004
NCAA National Stats (through Nov. 5)
Lyndon Rowells: 9th in rushing (130.1), 16th in scoring (9.3)
Mike Proulx: 7th in passing yards (294.7), 9th in total offense (302.0), 17th in pass efficiency (152.0)
Kevin Miles: 30st in punt returns (10.2)
HSU Team Rankings: 17th in scoring offense (35.8), 13th in total offense (462.9), 11th in pass offense (301.7), 22nd in pass efficiency (147.9),
GNAC Stats
Lyndon Rowells: 1st in scoring (9.3), 1st in rushing (130.1); 1st in all-purpose yards (157.8)
Mike Proulx: 1st in passing yards (294.7), 1st in total offense (302.0), 1st in pass efficiency (152.0)
Brian Blumberg: 2nd in scoring (7.8), 1st in field goals (10)
Kevin Miles: 1st in punt return average (10.2)
HSU Team Rankings: 1st in scoring (35.8), 1st in scoring defense (21.1), 1st in total offense (462.9), 1st in total defense (347.0), 2nd in rushing offense (161.2), 2nd in rushing defense (130.7), 1st in pass offense (301.7), 1st in pass efficiency (147.9), 1st in pass defense (216.3), 1st in pass defense efficiency (114.2).
Coaches Choices
Earning recognition from the HSU coaching staff for their efforts last week were
Mike Proulx,
Lyndon Rowells and
John Hughes (offense),
Kevin Cooper,
Andrew Iupati, and
Sean McDonald (defense),
Brian Blumberg and
Kevin Miles (special teams),
Ryan Carden (offense scout),
Taylor Mitchell (defense scout) and
Brett Campbell (special teams scout).
Opponent Notes
Western Oregon, 6-4 overall and 6-1 in the GNAC, lost to University of Montana 32-7 in a non-conference game last week. The Wolves have the best rushing defense in the GNAC (120.6 yards per game), and feature the best kick return teams in the conference (22.2 yards on kickoffs and 10.4 on punts). The Wolves are also the top GNAC team with 15 interceptions. Quarterback Evan Mozzochi leads the GNAC in yards per completion with 14.0. Receiver Trevor Gates leads the conference in receptions (57) and reception yards (970).
Smith Says …
“We have a competitive history with Western Oregon. The last time we played was one of those times where we didn't do much right, and they couldn't do much wrong. Our focus is entirely on trying to find a way to beat a good Western Oregon team. Last week our number ones played really well on both side of the ball against Dixie Stat. Our back-ups didn't do as well. It was a big win that sets up an even bigger game on Saturday.”
Game Conditions
Saturday's weather forecast for Arcata calls for a high of 51 degrees and a 40% chance of rain.
On-the-Air
Humboldt State football can be heard over the airwaves on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate. Former Lumberjack player and Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action, and HSU Hall-of-Famer Burt Nordstrom is the analyst. The broadcast begins at 5:45 p.m. All broadcasts are also streamed live through the hsujacks.com web site. …HSU also offers live video streaming of games in Redwood Bowl. Access of the live stream can be found at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
LiveStats
All Humboldt State football home games feature LiveStats. This week's home game can be found online at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/football.
Tickets
Tickets can now be purchased online by accessing the Humboldt State web site at http://bit.ly/ncKUF8. General admission tickets are $10, reserved can be bought for $15, and seat back reserved price is $25. Non-HSU students and children under 18 are admitted for $8. Humboldt State students with student ID get in free.
Featured Activities
Fans are invited to join the athletics staff for a tailgate party, set to begin at 11 a.m. and continue to 12:45 p.m. The event will be located in the staff parking lot north of the Student Business Services (SBS) building on campus. A community grill will be available. … The game will highlight the 24 seniors on the HSU team. Each will be introduced individually during the pregame ceremonies. … The game will be a “Black Out” where fans are encouraged to wear black attire.
