ARCATA — For the second time in the past three years, Humboldt State football opens its season in Colorado, but with a different opponent challenging the Jacks in their first game of 2011. Colorado Mesa University, previously known as Mesa State, hosts HSU at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, with the one-hour time difference setting kickoff for 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

In 2009 the Lumberjacks traveled to Alamosa, Colo. to claim a 36-24 win over Adams State. Last year the Jacks dropped a tight 23-17 decision to NCAA Division I Cal Poly, also on the road.

Head-to-Head

Colorado Mesa University and Humboldt State have only met twice previously, battling in Grand Junction in 2007 and in Redwood Bowl in 2005. The Mavericks won the most recent meeting, prevailing 23-21 on their home turf the season before Head coach Rob Smith arrived in Arcata. In 2005 the Lumberjacks claimed a 28-9 victory, coincidentally the season-opener for both squads that year.

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 and BiCoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action and HSU Hall-of-Famer Burt Nordstrom adds commentary. The broadcast begins at 6:45 p.m. MST, which means 5:45 p.m. here on the coast. All broadcasts are also streamed live through the hsujacks.com web site. HSU also offers live video streaming of games in Redwood Bowl. …Colorado Mesa will provide live video streaming of this game, found by following this link: HSU vs. CMU video.

LiveStats

All Humboldt State football home games feature LiveStats, viewable through the Lumberjacks' web site at hsujacks.com. This week's game at Colorado Mesa will also have LiveStats available through the host's web site at the following link: HSU vs. CMU LiveStats.

 

Injury Report

All players who've been included in the active game plan the past several days are generally healthy, and ready to start the season. "We've only had one scrimmage because of the short fall practice season, so that has reduced the injuries," Smith said. "We've also been cautious with our players. We're trying to preserve their health, because once you have injury problems that takes a toll on your depth."

 

Lumberjack Notes

Last week's Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll predicted the Lumberjacks to finish second in league behind Central Washington, the same outcome that ended the 2010 season. The Wildcats received four first place votes and the Jacks garnered one. …Opening on a Thursday on the road has shortened an already brief period of preparation, stripping the Jacks down to 20 practices from the usual 25. Travel takes up nearly three days of this week's' trip. Humboldt State departs late Tuesday afternoon via bus for Sacramento, then flies out at 9 a.m. the next morning, heading to Denver. After arriving in the Mile High City, the Jacks jump on another bus for a 245-mile trip over the Rockies to Grand Junction. …HSU's returning leaders are obviously more experienced than they were a year ago, but they've also given the coaching staff other reasons to be confident heading into 2011. "Last year we didn't know what to expect from (senior linebacker) Jona Faraimo, but he proved himself to be one of our best players on defense," Smith said. "(Junior receiver) Pat Gondkoff was an unknown who figured heavily into our offense. (Defensive backs) Jordan McGowen-Smith and Jerry Maluia had to step in last fall because of injuries, and proved themselves to be very good players." …The season-opener also offers the opportunity for many Lumberjack veterans who have seen limited playing time to assume starting roles. Among those players are both starting defensive ends, junior Sean McDonald and senior Brendon Faubion. …At tight end, returners Chris Bolt and Alex Hiebert have waged a competitive battle to earn the starting position and more time on the field. Bolt is an athletic player who has played quarterback and receiver for the Jacks previously, and Hiebert, who backed up graduated standout Matt Devlin the last two seasons, has competed furiously from the first day of practice, Smith said. 

Opponent Notes

Colorado Mesa has undergone several changes since last year's 3-7 season that landed the Mavericks in 6th place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Along with the name change, the school has also seen the renovation of Ralph Stocker Stadium. While still playable, the east seats and press box have been demolished. Stocker Stadium's surface is synthetic field turf…The most prominent change Coach Smith and the Lumberjacks are focused on is the Mavericks' new spread offense installed during spring workouts by CMU head coach Joe Ramunno. Colorado Mesa averaged a fair 20.5 points per game in 2010, 12 points fewer than the Lumberjacks' average. …Relatively young, the Mavericks have 10 starters sophomores or younger. Five of those are redshirt freshmen. Ten redshirt freshman and five true freshmen are listed No. 2 at their respective positions on the depth chart. …Robert Felberg, a junior who played in all 10 games a year ago and started one, gets the nod at starting quarterback this week. The Mavericks will be without last year's leading rusher, James Hamm, who carried the ball 141 times for 369 yards in 2010, but starts 2011 sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Smith Says

“We know Colorado Mesa has switched offenses to the spread this year, but there are several variations of it to run and we're not sure what they'll be using. We're fortunate because our defense lines up against our spread offense every day in practice, so there shouldn't be too many surprises." …"It's important that we focus on ourselves – what we can do and what we need to work on – especially in the first game of the season." …"Our players are ready to hit someone other than their teammates. We're all excited, and have been focusing on the Mesa game since they arrived. There's a lot of hype in the community regarding the (Sept. 8) CBS telecast at home, but we've avoided that and kept our minds on how important this game is."

 
Game Conditions
Located on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, Grand Junction, Colo. is at an elevation of 4,963 feet, about 2,000 feet higher than the Jacks experience during their annual trip to St. George, Utah to face Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Dixie State. …The weather forecasts calls for a high of 90 degrees Thursday, with a 30-percent chance of isolated thunderstorms. Temperature at kickoff is expected to hover around 86 degrees.