ARCATA — Humboldt State football's goal remains the same as it heads into the second half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Lumberjacks are resolute on claiming their second straight league title..

Consecutive losses following three wins to open the GNAC season have altered HSU's intended route to the championship, however, sending the Lumberjacks into this week's game against Azusa Pacific in Glendora with a 4-2 overall record and 3-2 league mark. The Jacks and Cougars will kick off at 6 p.m. in Citrus Stadium.

Central Washington currently leads the league with a 4-1 mark, but the Lumberjacks are knotted with Dixie State and Western Oregon, all one game behind the Wildcats. HSU head coach Rob Smith believes the prize is still clearly in sight.

"Whoever wins the second half (of the season), wins the GNAC," Smith said. "Every team has stumbled. We need to focus on getting back to being the football team we were in the first three games."

Tailgate Travels
Humboldt State Athletics and HSU Alumni Relations are planning a special pregame gathering, and welcome all friends and fans living in Southern California to participate in a tailgate party on Saturday. Location is Citrus Stadium Parking Lot S6, the parking lot adjacent to the stadium. To find it via GPS, look up 1000 W. Foothill Blvd, Glendora, Calif., 91741. Fans from far and near are encouraged to bring their Humboldt attire, tailgating supplies and enthusiasm to the festivities, running from 4 to 6 p.m. Price of game ticket is $10 per adult and $7 for children.

Head-to-Head
After earning a 42-17 win over the Cougars in the GNAC opener on Sept. 8, Humboldt State holds a 16-7 lead in a series that began in 1987. During the Rob Smith era the Jacks have defeated APU all five times the schools have met. …The last Cougars' win over HSU was by a score of 27-17 in 2007.
 
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. Airtime is 5:45 p.m.

Streaming VIdeo
Azusa Pacific will offer live streaming video of Saturday's game at the following link: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/apu.portal#. …Humboldt State has upgraded its home game live streaming video services with the assistance of Stretch Internet. Follow the Live Video link on the hsujacks.com home page.
 
LiveStats
Live statistics for Saturday's game between the Jacks and Cougars can be accessed at the same site as its live video link. Connect at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/apu.portal#. …All Humboldt State football home games also feature LiveStats, viewable alongside live video through the Lumberjacks' web site at hsujacks.com. Simply follow the link listed as LIVESTATS on the home page.

Injury Report
It's the seventh game of a high-impact, NCAA Division II football season, which means the depth of all programs is being tested weekly. Because of injuries, Humboldt State's lineup will see changes at the starting quarterback and linebacker positions this week. …Alex Rump, the junior who directed the Jacks for the season's first six games, gave way to back-up Casey Mintz after suffering an arm injury in last week's game against Western Oregon. Mintz, a redshirt freshman from San Jose, will start Saturday's game while Rump is still on the mend. …Brian Sampson exited early last Saturday after suffering a knee injury that could keep him out for two weeks. Moving into his outside linebacker slot is Taylor Mitchell, a redshirt freshman from North Bend, Ore.

GNAC Standings 10/8/12
School                   GNAC        Overall

Central Washington	4-1	4-2
Humboldt State	3-2	4-2
Dixie State	3-2	3-3
Western Oregon	3-2	3-3
Simon Fraser	2-3	3-3
Azusa Pacific	0-5	0-6

Lumberjack Notes
Citing inefficiency in every aspect of his team's play last week, Coach Smith plans to look at every possible option to prevent its recurrence. "Our performance was unacceptable," Smith said. "We failed in all three areas of the game – offense, defense and special teams. We've become a sloppy football team. We're going to identify why that happened, and make the necessary changes." …In Mintz's first significant appearance, the signal-caller displayed some flash after entering Saturday's game late in the second quarter. He completed his first two passes, both to wide receiver Marquise Deadwiler, the first a 13-yard aerial and the second a 12-yard scoring strike. Mintz finished the game 8-24 for 82 yards, with one interception and one touchdown. "Casey has a live arm, and he runs well," Smith said. "He is intelligent, and plays with a competitive fire. All he lacks is experience." …With the team in a deep hole early in the game, Humboldt State was forced to emphasize the pass, therefore limiting the running game. Nick Ricciardulli, who began Saturday with an average of 26 carries and 148 yards per game over the first five games, ran the ball only 18 times for a net gain of 74 yards. Ricciardulli remains the GNAC's leading rusher with an average of more than 135 yards per game. …Rolling out on the road again following two home games is of little concern to Smith and his coaching staff, a confidence supported by the Jacks' travel record the past three seasons. During that span, they're 10-4 while away from Redwood Bowl. "We'll have a 54-man squad completely focused on Saturday's game," Smith said. "We'll leave all the distractions behind."

Coaches Picks
Looking at last week's loss as the result of multifaceted team breakdown, the HSU coaching staff opted to skip its weekly practice of honoring individual players in specific areas.

Opponent Notes
Azusa Pacific's first year playing as an NCAA Division II program and inaugural GNAC campaign is off to a rugged start in the won-loss column, where the Cougars are 0-6 overall and 0-5 in league. But indicative of their offensive potential is the 38 points put up in last week's loss to Simon Fraser, a factor Smith points to with respect. "Azusa Pacific has been competitive in every game this year," Smith said. "They have the talent and the coaching, and they're going to beat somebody soon." …One change since the Sept. 8 game that the Lumberjacks will be likely to see is at the quarterback position. Tyler Tuiasosopo, the Cougars' starter in the Jacks' one-sided win, has given way to Nick Owens the past two weeks, and the junior has posted impressive numbers. After going 22-36 for a 186 yards passing against Western Oregon, Owens followed up with a 26-40 performance against Simon Fraser last week, finishing with 425 yards passing and throwing for four touchdowns. The yardage total established a new APU regular season record. …The Cougars' defense has given up an average of 39 points per game, but held Western Oregon to only 20 points in a loss two weeks ago. Simon Fraser unloaded on the APU defense last week claiming a 66-38 win.

Smith Says
"Our team is unique in that we have very solid, but very quiet leaders. That's great when you're going well, but now we need someone to step up and express that leadership." …"It's easy to forget what got us here – all the work that went into rising from the bottom, where we were four years ago, to the top. There are no shortcuts to success." …"Our players have a lot of pride, a lot of character. We'll help them get back to where they're having fun."