Box Score ARCATA — Overcoming a pile of penalties and a steadfast Simon Fraser squad, Humboldt State utilized its offensive assault to defeat the Clan, 41-21, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference football game Saturday.

No. 11 nationally ranked Humboldt State improved its record to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the GNAC after opening the season with three straight home games. Simon Fraser fell to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in league play.

"If you're a fan of offensive football, you liked this game," Humboldt State head coach Rob Smith said. "We needed a game like this. The lessons we're trying to teach about discipline and making good decisions will hopefully hit home."

Repeated personal fouls and pass interference penalties figure prominently into the lessons Smith plans to address. The Lumberjacks produced 569 yards of offense, but hurt themselves by committing 16 penalties for 163 yards.

Simon Fraser limited its mistakes to only three penalties, and sophomore quarterback Trey Wheeler connected on 34 of 57 passes for 310 of the Clan's total of 427 yards. But after avoiding interceptions during his first two games of the season, Wheeler was picked off four times by the Lumberjacks, including twice deep inside HSU terrritory.

Nick Ricciardulli again led a formidable HSU running game, rushing for 204 yards on 33 carries, the first 200-plus effort of his Lumberjack career. Bryson Hodges came off the bench to supplement Ricciardulli's attack, carrying tacklers on his back and eluding others on his way to 51 yards on nine carries and a touchdown.

"I keep saying we have to watch (Ricciardulli's) carries to keep him fresh, then we go out and give him more," Smith said. "He runs hard, he has that forward lean. He's the horse and we're riding him as much as we can."

Quarterback Alex Rump engineered an efficient HSU offense, completing 19 passes in 28 attempts for 296 yards and three touchdowns. He distributed the ball between eight different receivers, Victor Spencer the most productive with six catches for 171 yards and a touchdown.

Humboldt put up the game's first points by moving 87 yards on 13 plays, and finishing the march with a 5-yard hook-up from Rump to tight end Alex Hiebert. Early in the second quarter, HSU put together another long drive, traveling 91 yards in only five plays, a 48-yard romp by Ricciardulli helping set up an 11-yard pass from Rump to Hodges.

Simon Fraser scored twice in the second quarter – once on a 6-yard pass from Wheeler to Jamal Kett, and another time on Bo Palmer's 2-yard touchdown run. In between the Clan's TDs, Ricciardulli capped a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, giving the Jacks a 21-14 lead at halftime.

"It never felt comfortable in this game," Smith said. "That Simon Fraser team is not the same team we've seen the last two years. They have a diversified attack, and a good offense at their skill positions."

Early in the third quarter, Hodges pushed the SFU defensive line backward for a 1-yard score. The junior transfer from College of the Sequoias carried the ball six times during the drive, accounting for the last 25 yards.

But another Lumberjack personal foul gave the Clan with good field position following the kickoff, and Wheeler connected on 6-of-7 passes on the way to a 6-yard touchdown connection with Tanner Davenport-Thuet.

Rump and Spencer provided a quick response following the ensuing kickoff, hooking up for a 75-yard scoring play that gave HSU a 34-21 lead.

"It was hard to fault anything that Alex Rump did out there tonight," Smith said. "He had an excellent game, and put the ball right on the money a couple of times when it was dropped that would have made his numbers even better."

Simon Fraser appeared to have solved the Lumberjack defense, putting together a 96-yard drive at the end of the third quarter, and 61-yard march early in the fourth. Both efforts were cut short of the goal line, however, the first on Kevin Cooper's interception in the endzone and the second on Tanner Webb's pickoff at the HSU 3-yard line.

Cooper didn't wait as long to stop the Clan's next possession, intercepting Wheeler's pass at the Simon Fraser 23-yard line and running it back for the game's final touchdown. Those points represented the third straight game in which the HSU defense has scored. Cooper and strong safety Jerry Maluia were HSU's top tacklers, each coming away with nine on the night.

The Lumberjacks go on the road for the first time next week, traveling to St. George, Utah, for a GNAC game against Dixie State.

Stadium: Redwood Bowl          Attendance: 4078
Kickoff time: 7 p.m.    End of Game: 9:05 p.m  Total elapsed time: 3:05
Officials: Referee: Bob Roser; Umpire: Kurt Renstron; Linesman: Brian Michelson;
Line judge: Larry Staab; Back judge: Mike Patton; Field judge: Cris Griffith;
Side judge: Craig Miers; Scorer: Dan Pambianco;