Box Score ARCATA — From the first snap of the 2013 season to the final tackle, week-in and week-out, Humboldt State football put a team of determined athletes on the football field. Effort couldn't overcome adversity, however, the major factor in a winless season that ended with Saturday's 26-14 loss to Western Oregon.

HSU finished its campaign 0-11 overall and 0-10 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Oregon completed 2013 with a 7-4 record in all games and 7-3 in league.

The Lumberjacks endured the program's first season without a victory since the 0-10 record of 1984. But glimpses of a bright future came in the form of outstanding performances by underclassmen, the most noteworthy being freshman Chase Krivashei's record-setting achievement.

Krivashei, a wide receiver from Corona, had 10 pass receptions Saturday, giving him 96 for the season. That total surpasses Dustin Creager for the most catches by a Lumberjack in a single season, the HSU Hall-of-Famer's total of 88 achieved in 1984. Krivashei's mark also eclipses the previous GNAC record of 91 set by Central Washington's Johnny Spevak in 2008 and tied by Simon Fraser's Lemar Durant last year.

"Chase showed us time and again what he is all about, and it's fun to think about what he's going to be," HSU head coach Rob Smith said. "He was one of the freshman who came in and contributed significantly under very difficult circumstances."

The circumstances Smith alluded to – a season of injuries and other issues that left the Lumberjacks with a severely depleted roster – were evident again in Saturday's loss to WOU. Quarterbacks Casey Mintz and Spencer Phillips, both still hampered by the effects of recent injuries and subbing in for original starter Kyle Morris, did their best to lead an HSU comeback that fell short.

With his team trailing 17-0 as the first half wound down, Mintz engineered a 6-play, 65-yard drive that took only 34 seconds. He connected on big passes to Aaron Dhuyvetter and Krivashei before finding Kelechi Nwadibia, who made a leaping grab between two Wolves defenders in the endzone that cut the WOU lead to 17-7 at halftime.

Western Oregon reclaimed a measure of momentum midway through the third quarter, moving the ball 41 yards in 11 plays to set up Jesse Correa's 39-yard field goal that increased the lead to 20-7. But it was the Jacks' turn for a big play that nearly turned the game around early in the fourth quarter.

Humboldt State's defense – a unit that stopped the Wolves in their tracks all day, only to get burned by big-gainers – forced Western Oregon to punt from deep in its own territory with consecutive sacks of quarterback Ryan Bergman, first by Andrew Feaster and then by Alex Markarian. Feaster broke through the WOU line to block Alexander Bradt's punt, and teammate Brandon Kakitsuka recovered the ball on the Western Oregon 19-yard line.

On the very next play, MIntz hit wide receiver Nick Williams with a 19-yard touchdown pass that drew the Jacks within a single score, trailing 20-14 with 11 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the game.

Western Oregon answered on its ensuing possession with a 9-play, 67-yard march that concluded when James DePew carried the ball six yards for a touchdown. The Jacks managed to get the ball into WOU territory one more time, but fell short in their comeback effort.

DePew was a solid performer all day for the Wolves, finishing with 108 yards rushing on 20 carries. He added another touchdown when he grabbed a 3-yard pass from Bergman that gave Western Oregon its 17-0 lead late in the second quarter.

Bergman more than balanced the Wolves' ground gain by completing 29 of 48 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown, surrendering one interception. His primary receiver was Antoinne Wafer, who finished with nine catches for 109 yards.

Mintz was 12-32 for 133 yards, but gave away three interceptions. Phillips, who started the game for HSU before leaving with an injury, was 9-14 for 61 yards.

Ryan Moreno, Cameron Buell and Taylor Mitchell, along with Feaster, provided defensive highlights for the Jacks. Moreno had 11 tackles, Buell 10, Mitchell nine and Feaster eight, the group combining for four sacks and seven tackles for a loss. All four will be back on the field next fall.

HSU's season of misfortune actually began before fall practice when the coaching staff learned that All-American candidate Jerry Maluia would have to miss the season to allow healing of a variety of injuries. Running back Nick Riccardulli – the 2012 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year – suffered a knee injury in the first series of the very first game, and after a brief comeback attempt was shelved for the year and will require surgery.

The list of injuries piled up weekly, many of them season-ending, forcing Smith to dig deep into his player pool, pulling Miquan Johnson out of a planned redshirt season and relying on several freshmen in starting roles.

"I've never experienced anything like this in my coaching career," Smith said. "We can can bounce back to where we were two years ago (9-1 GNAC championships season), but everyone will have to be involved. We'll need the support of the community, alumni base and others to get us back to the special seasons we enjoyed."