Box Score ARCATA — Big plays on offense, defense and special teams helped Humboldt State earn a 38-19 win over Colorado Mesa in Thursday's football season-opener in Redwood Bowl.

Nick Ricciardulli rushed for 149 yards on 24 carries, including a 74-yard touchdown scamper to fuel the offensive thrust. Nick Sharpe intercepted a pass and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown to add a defensive score, and Victor Spencer tightroped the sidelines to return a punt 52 yards for another touchdown.

Alex Rump had an effective debut as the Jacks' new quarterback, completing 14 of 21 passes for 170 yards. His longest connection of the evening was a 36-yard hook-up with Spencer that opened the scoring.

When the Mavericks fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, the Lumberjacks quickly rode Ricciardulli for another score. The junior from Poway carried the ball five straight plays, accounting for all 18 yards in the drive and finishing it off with a one-yard touchdown run.

Colorado Mesa closed out the first quarter scoring with a 8-play, 37-yard drive that started with a fumble recovery in Lumberjacks' territory and ended with quarterback Deke Cisco's 3-yard touchdown run that cut the Jacks' lead to 14-7 heading into the second period.

Spencer accounted for the only score of the second quarter when he gathered in a punt at the HSU 48-yard line, stepped through the first line of would-be tacklers, and raced 52 yards down the sidelines for a touchdown that moved HSU ahead, 21-7 by halftime.

Humboldt State added to its lead when Ricciardulli broke free for his 64-yard run early in the second half. CMU sophomore Jake Cimilino answered with a 41-yard scoring run of his own on the Mavericks' next possession, and after a missed PAT the Jacks' lead was trimmed to 28-13.

Cimilino was the Mavericks' best offensive threat throughout the game, finishing with 125 net yards on 17 carries. He also gathered in a 30-yard pass from Cisco for the night's final score with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left on the clock.

By then, however, the Jacks had further opened their lead with Matt Bruder's 43-yard field goal and Sharpe's interception return.

Humboldt State's defense invaded the CMU backfield all evening, accounting for six sacks and minus 29 yards. Defensive end Alex Markarian finished with three sacks and nine tackles, and safety Jerry Maluia posted a team-high 12 tackles. Junior cornerback Kevin Cooper added another interception.

The second of three straight Lumberjack home games – Saturday, Sept. 8 Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest against Azusa Pacific –  is HSU's next scheduled game.

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score
-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----
Colorado Mesa.......  7  0  6  6  - 19       Record: (0-1)
Humboldt State...... 14  7  7 10  - 38       Record: (1-0)
Scoring Summary:
1st 11:55 HSU - Spencer 36 yd pass from Rump (Bruder kick), 7-76 3:12, CMU 0 - HSU 7
    09:27 HSU - Ricciardulli 1 yd run (Bruder kick), 5-0 2:21, CMU 0 - HSU 14
    02:56 CMU - D. Cisco 3 yd run (A. Zemezonak kick), 8-37 3:29, CMU 7 - HSU 14
2nd 03:09 HSU - Spencer 52 yd punt return (Bruder kick), , CMU 7 - HSU 21
3rd 12:07 HSU - Ricciardulli 74 yd run (Bruder kick), 1-74 0:11, CMU 7 - HSU 28
    06:41 CMU - J. Cimolino 41 yd run (A. Zemezonak kick failed), 4-57 1:20, CMU 13 - HSU 28
4th 03:51 HSU - Bruder 43 yd field goal, 10-52 4:05, CMU 13 - HSU 31
    03:16 HSU - Sharpe 22 yd interception return (Bruder kick), , CMU 13 - HSU 38
    02:20 CMU - J. Cimolino 30 yd pass from D. Cisco (D. Cisco pass failed), 3-61 0:47, CMU 19 - HSU 38
                                    CMU      HSU
FIRST DOWNS...................       21       15
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............   50-216   37-192
PASSING YDS (NET).............      113      168
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  28-13-2  23-16-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   78-329   60-360
Fumble Returns-Yards..........      0-0      0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............     4--9     3-58
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........    7-180     3-50
Interception Returns-Yards....      0-0     2-46
Punts (Number-Avg)............   8-36.1   8-32.2
Fumbles-Lost..................      4-1      2-2
Penalties-Yards...............    12-87    10-67
Possession Time...............    32:50    26:02
Third-Down Conversions........  6 of 18  5 of 14
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   0 of 1   0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      1-2      1-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards........      0-0     6-29
RUSHING: Colorado Mesa-J. Cimolino 17-125; D. Cisco 23-76; T. Sua 6-21;
Trent deBraga 1-6; D. Hubbard 1-4; A. Fales 1-minus 3; D. Geubelle 1-minus 13.
Humboldt State-Ricciardulli 24-159; Wyatt 8-28; Hodges 4-3; Rump 1-2.

PASSING: Colorado Mesa-D. Cisco 10-21-1-96; A. Fales 3-7-1-17. Humboldt
State-Rump 16-23-0-168.

RECEIVING: Colorado Mesa-J. Cimolino 6-64; A. Zemezonak 2-15; T. Sua
2-14; D. Geubelle 1-10; A. Rodriguez 1-6; R. Felberg 1-4. Humboldt State-Spencer
7-96; Deadwiler 3-54; Darcey 3-15; Ricciardulli 3-3.

INTERCEPTIONS: Colorado Mesa-None. Humboldt State-Cooper 1-24; Sharpe
1-22.

FUMBLES: Colorado Mesa-J. Cimolino 1-0; Trent deBraga 1-1; V. Gray 1-0;
D. Cisco 1-0. Humboldt State-Spencer 2-2.

Stadium: Redwood Bowl          Attendance: 4198
Kickoff time: 6 p.m.    End of Game: 8:54      Total elapsed time: 2:54
Officials: Referee: Scott Root; Umpire: Craig Lemster; Linesman: Walter Keatley;
Line judge: John Braun; Back judge: Michael Baker; Field judge: Kent Condie;
Side judge: Mary Podesta; Scorer: Dan Pambianco;
Temperature: 54        Wind: 8 mph     Weather: Partly Cloudy