Box Score ARCATA — Two starts into his collegiate career, redshirt freshman quarterback Casey Mintz has improved each time he touches the football. But for running back Nick Ricciardulli, Saturday's game was status quo, which meant yet another outstanding effort from the Humboldt State hero.

Mintz completed 17 of 24 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, while Ricciardulli racked up 206 yards rushing on only 18 carries in the Lumberjacks' 57-18 drubbing of Dixie State. The pair helped a sellout crowd of 6,978 rowdy fans celebrate a happy homecoming.

"I knew the atmosphere would be great, Homecoming's a big deal," HSU head coach Rob Smith said. "I had a sense our players were ready to get back to playing Lumberjack football and reward the crowd for their support."

Humboldt State's win improved the Jacks' record to 6-2 overall, and they moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with Western Oregon and Central Washington, all with 5-2 league marks. Western Oregon kept pace with a 20-17 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday, while CWU suffered a 24-17 setback, losing to previously winless Azusa Pacific. Dixie State dropped to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in league.

Following three straight games of slow starts, the Lumberjacks came out ready to rock at Dixie's expense Saturday. It only took 1 minute and 14 seconds for the Jacks to finish a 52-yard opening drive, capped by Ricciardulli's 13-yard touchdown run.

Four minutes later, the Lumberjacks added more points when Marquise Deadwiler caught an 8-yard Mintz pass for another TD that wrapped up a rapid 89-yard march. Ricciardulli scored twice more in the first quarter – once on a 60-yard pass reception and the other touchdown with a 15-yard run – to help Humboldt State build a 28-9 lead by the end of the opening period.

Ricciardulli's running and pass catching ability accounted for 289 of the Lumberjacks' total of 685 yards of offense. The junior from San Diego posted his third game of 200-plus yards rushing this season, and has amassed 1,269 total yards with three games remaining.

After HSU grabbed the quick lead, Dixie State used a big-play to strike back. Quarterback Griff Robles connected with wide receiver Mitch Frei on a 59-yard touchdown pass, but HSU's Alex Markarian blocked the PAT attempted to keep the scored at 14-6.

Following the early touchdown, Robles experienced frustration the rest of the way while being harassed by the Jacks' defensive line and finding few open receivers. Forced to the air after the falling behind, DSC's signal-caller completed 20 of 50 passes for 262 yards, most of it in the first half.

Early in the second quarter, HSU running back Daniel Wyatt burst across from three yards out for another Lumberjack touchdown, and Matt Bruder booted a 41-yard field goal to give the Lumberjacks a 35-9 lead at the half. Wyatt nearly surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground, finishing with 95 yards on 10 carries.

"Our offensive line took control from the start," Smith said. "The ability to run the ball sets everything else up. We got that going, and it helped us make some big passing plays, too."

Subbing in at starter for the injured Alex Rump for the second straight week, Mintz utilized seven different receivers to pick apart Dixie State's defense. Besides the long scoring pass to Ricciardulli, Mintz also had a 66-yard hook-up with Tommy Darcey.

"Casey got his first start last week against Azusa Pacific, and I told him he's been there, done that now," Smith said. "He's growing and gaining confidence, not just with every game but with every possession."

The rout continued in the second half, which featured five straight Humboldt State scores before Dixie State managed two points on a return of a missed HSU extra point. Kicker Matt Bruder connected on field goals of 26 and 44 yards, making him a perfect 3-for-3 on the night.

After surrendering a couple of big plays in the first half, Humboldt State's defense dominated the second. Dixie State piled up 304 yards of offense by halftime, but only achieved 108 yards in the second half. Fifty-eight of it came on a late drive against the Lumberjack reserves that eventually ended when the Red Storm turned the ball over on downs.

Strong safety Jerry Maluia led the defense, making eight bone-jarring tackles and breaking up three passes. The balanced effort also featured six tackles from both Marcus Graves and freshman Dillon Huffman.

"We didn't make any major defensive adjustments in the second half," Smith said. "A lot of it was the players deciding they had to play better. They take it hard when other teams are successful on offense. They picked up their energy and said, 'Hey, we're better than that.'"

Humboldt State plays its final home game of the 2012 season Saturday, taking on Central Washington at 6 p.m. in Redwood Bowl. The Lumberjacks finish their schedule with November games at Simon Fraser and Western Oregon.