Box Score ARCATA — Ignore the win-loss records when Central Washington and Humboldt State match up on the football field. The rivalry that has developed between the two Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams virtually assures a entertaining game with an exciting finish.
Saturday's contest was no exception, going down to the final play of HSU's last possession before Central Washington's 21-13 victory was sealed. The Wildcats improved to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the GNAC, while Humboldt State fell to 0-5 and 0-4.
One touchdown and a two-point conversion away from tying the contest, the Jacks put together their most impressive drive of the evening, moving the ball from their own 24 to the CWU 28-yard line with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining in the game.
Quarterback
Casey Mintz, who subbed in for starter
Kyle Morris for most of the second half, failed to connect on three passes into the endzone, including the final that was inches away from the outstretched arms of
Kelechi Nwadibia. The Wildcats took over, and with HSU having used up its timeouts, took a knee until the horn sounded.
"We put up a great fight tonight, and played with great passion," HSU head coach
Rob Smith said. "We had opportunities at the end, but didn't get it done."
Central Washington rode the efforts of running back Jordan Todd, who carried the ball 30 times for 127 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown sprint. Quarterback Jake Nelson completed 10 of 24 passes for 129 yards, 59 of them coming on a touchdown pass to Jesse Zalk that tied the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Humboldt State had opened the scoring with a 25-yard pass connection from Morris to
Chase Krivashei, who put on another dazzling display that provided HSU with a bright spot. Krivashei, a freshman from Corona, finished the game with 14 catches, one short of the school's single-game record achieved by HSU Hall of Famer Dustin Creager in 2004.
The first of four Lumberjack turnovers broke the tie when Morris and running back
Daniel Wyatt failed to connect on a hand-off, leaving the ball on the turf. Wildcat strong safety, blitzing on the play, scooped up the ball and raced 40 yards untouched into the endzone.
Placekicker
Matt Bruder, another bright spot for HSU the entire season, connected on a 44-yard field goal near the end of the half to cut Central Washington's lead to 10-7 at the break. Bruder added a 37-yarder in the third quarter that provided HSU with its final points.
Central Washington needed only a single score in the second half to hold the Lumberjacks off, accounting for the final margin of victory when Todd broke lose on a 40-yard touchdown run.
True the tight nature of the contest, the teams were nearly even in total yardage, Humboldt State accumulating 259 yards of offense to Central Washington's 250. Two interceptions thrown by Morris and one by Mintz – all picked off by right cornerback Isaiah Davis – provided solid field position for the Wildcats and cut short HSU drives.
Decimated by injuries this season, Smith has been forced to activate freshman who he had intended to redshirt while also counting on other young players to step up into important roles. One of those freshman,
Miquan Johnson, played hist first game as a Lumberjack Saturday, finishing with a team-high eight tackles, including one for a loss.
"We started three true freshman on offense tonight, and another on defense," Smith said. "Krivashei who has been playing so well all year, and then
Miquan Johnson came in and showed that he is going to be a top-notch player for us. Those were real positives, but it doesn't make it any easier to sit here in defeat."
Humboldt State continues its search for a win when the Jacks travel to face Western Oregon on Saturday.
