Box Score ARCATA – Start quickly, finish strong. What happens in between can usually be overcome, Humboldt State proved Saturday in its Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener, a 42-17 win over Azusa Pacific.

Humboldt State improved its record to 2-0 overall and heads into Saturday's home game against Simon Fraser with a 1-0 GNAC start. Azusa Pacific dropped to 0-2 while losing its first-ever conference contest after 47 years as an NAIA independent.

The Jacks' sturdy running game and big play defense kept the Cougars from gaining momentum, though they staged a mini-comeback attempt in the third quarter when they outscored the Jacks, 10-7. But as the HSU offense stalled, the defense ignited, scoring points when strong safety Jerry Maluia stripped the ball from APU running back Terrell Watson and returned it 62 yards for the Jacks' only score of the period.

Along with Maluia, who also had an interception and 25-yard return, linebacker Colton Russi helped fuel the Jacks' defense. Russi, who was held out of the opener while waiting for eligibility clearance, finished with a team-high 15 tackles, including two for a loss, in his first game as a Lumberjack.

Another big play came from senior linebacker Chris Peterson, who forced a fumble, recovered the ball and returned it 36 yards on Azusa Pacific's first possession of the game. Last week's GNAC Defensive Player of the Week, defensive end Alex Markarian, made six tackles, including one solo and one assisted quarterback sack.

Early in the game, it was HSU's offense that quickly built a sizeable lead, the first touchdown coming on a 26-yard pass from quarterback Alex Rump to Victor Spencer. Maluia gave the ball back to the offense seven minutes when he picked off a pass by Azusa Pacific quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo, returning it 25 yards to set the Jacks up on the APU 28-yard line. 

From there, Nick Ricciardulli capped an 8-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown surge, moving Humboldt State ahead, 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Ricciardulli continued his early-season success, rushing for more than 100 yards for the second straight week after earning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against Colorado Mesa in the season-opener. On Saturday, he carried the ball 28 times, gaining 108 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

Daniel Wyatt, who ripped off a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter, and Bryson Hodges, who started the Lumberjacks' final drive with runs of 15 and 10 yards, also contributed to the Jacks' total of 212 yards rushing.

"It's nice to keep the game in your control, and we did that by rushing for over 200 yards," HSU head coach Rob Smith said. "We know we have three very good running backs. Daniel and Nick come at you with speed, and Bryson brings thump to the play."

Humboldt State was firmly in control after scoring the game's first 28 points, which included Wyatt's score and an 8-yard touchdown rush by Ricciardulli. But the Cougars didn't fold, gaining good field position after their defense forced the Jacks to go three and out to set up a drive that started at the HSU 29.

Watson's 17-yard run highlighted the short drive and APU put points on the board when Tuiasosopo pushed into the endzone from one yard out. That score left that Cougars trailing, 28-7 at halftime.

What happened in the first half was quickly forgotten by the Cougars, who maintained possession of the ball for nearly 11 of the third quarter's 15 minutes. They moved crisply down the field on an 8-play, 63-yard drive that included Ronald Douglas' 44-yard run, finishing the effort with Jamie Cacciatore's 29-yard field goal.

After forcing Humboldt State to punt, the Cougars methodically moved the ball down field and took advantage of a Lumberjack personal foul penalty to further their efforts. Watson scored on a 5-yard rush up the middle to cut the Jacks' lead to 35-17 as the third quarter ended.

"Our offense was out of sync in the third quarter," Smith said. "(The Cougars) were packing six or seven bodies in the middle to stop our running game, and we helped by making concentration mistakes. Maluia's big fumble recovery and touchdown return allowed us to come out of the period with some points."

The teams traded punts for most of the fourth quarter, and Azusa Pacific held off the Jacks first scoring opportunity of the period when Silas Goma blocked Matt Bruder's 28-yard field goal attempt. Humboldt State finished the scoring with a six-yard touchdown pass from Rump to tight end Alex Hiebert with 44 seconds left in the game.

Rump ended the evening with 11 completions in 22 passing attempts for 116 yards via the air. He passed for two touchdowns and didn't throw an interception or suffer a sack.

Watson was the Cougars' best offensive weapon, netting 76 yards rushing on 13 carries. Tuiasosopo was 13-28 passing for 132 yards, and was intercepted twice and sacked three times.

Both teams were guilty of costly personal fouls, Azusa Pacific totaling 11 penalties and Humboldt State nine.

"Those personal fouls are unacceptable," Smith said. "We need to continue to improve in that area and many others, but gaining the win supersedes everything else. We have many goals, but the primary one is to win, and we did that for the second week in a row."