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ARCATA, Calif. -- The Humboldt State football team heads north to Canada for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Simon Fraser. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT. 

The Jacks (6-1, 2-1 GNAC) are coming off a 38-20 home win against the Central Washington Wildcats, and the Clan (2-6, 2-2 GNAC) lost 27-16 to the Wolves of Western Oregon last weekend.

BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN 
The Lumberjacks returned to their winning ways with a 38-20 home victory Saturday versus Central Washington. HSU played a complete game and the defense once again showed that it is one of the nation's top units. Central Washington's signal caller Jake Nelson suffered his worst outing of the season and was held to under 100 passing yards for the first time in 2014. The Jacks twice picked off the Wildcat quarterback, including a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior Nick Sharpe.

HSU unleashed its dominating running game in the win and it rolled up 284 rushing yards. Senior Nick Ricciardulli led the charge with 178 yards on 27 carries and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Sophomore Chase Krivashei aided the Jacks' aerial attack and finished the game with 82 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Despite the wet playing conditions, freshman quarterback Robert Webber passed for three touchdowns and 162 yards.

JACKS LEAD GNAC IN DEFENSE
HSU continues to lead the GNAC in many defensive categories. The Jacks lead the conference in total defense and have yielded an average of 282.7 yards of total offense per game this season. HSU has held opponents under 100 yards rushing in four of seven games, and is the top defense against the run in the GNAC (118.7 ypg). HSU also leads the GNAC in passing efficiency defense (89.5), scoring defense (16.9), first downs defense (102), fourth down conversion defense (.250) and third down conversion defense (.167). 

The Jacks are +6 in turnover margin and are tops in the conference in rushing and passing defense.

HSU'S DEFENSE IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION
The Lumberjacks still rank amongst the nation's best defensive units. HSU is first in the nation in third down percentage defense, first in team sacks, fourth in first downs defense and seventh in team passing efficiency defense.

GREEN AND GOLD EARN SPOT IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
Humboldt State football is ranked eighth in the first of three official NCAA Super Regional III polls released Monday. The Lumberjacks are one of only two Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams represented in the poll. Azusa Pacific was ranked fifth. 

Super Region III - 1. Minnesota Duluth (8-0); 2. Minnesota State Mankato (8-0); 3. Sioux Falls (8-0); 4. Ouachita Baptist (7-0); 5. Azusa Pacific (7-1); 6. Pittsburg State (7-1); 7. Northwest Missouri State (7-1); 8. Humboldt State (6-1); 9. Harding (6-1); 10. Henderson State (7-1).

JACKS EARN VOTES IN TOP 25 COACHES POLL
HSU slipped out of the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll with its week six loss to Azusa Pacific, but the Green and Gold were back to the No. 30 spot in the latest poll released Monday. The Jacks were also ranked 25th in Beyond Sports Network's Division 2 Power Rankings.

LUMBERJACK PLAYERS OF THE WEEK ANNOUNCED
The Lumberjack coaching staff tabbed its weekly Players of the Week. Lineman Lucas Govan and Krivashei were named the Offensive Players of the Week. Senior Alex Markarian, an Honorable Mention choice in the weekly GNAC awards, and defensive back Jamal Jones were selected as the Defensive Players of the Week. Junior Khaalid Abdullah was picked as the Special Teams Player of the Week.

SMITH HAS WINNING RECORD VERSUS CLAN
HSU Head Coach Rob Smith is 5-3 in his eight games against Simon Fraser. The Jacks have lost three of their last four meetings with the Clan, including a 41-27 loss to open last season and a 38-17 loss in week 10 of 2013.

CLAN EXPERIENCE GROWING PAINS
Simon Fraser came into the season picked to finished fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll under new Head Coach  Jacques Chapdelaine. Chapdelaine served as offensive coordinator for the BC Lions from 2008-13. The Clan have just two wins so far, against SD Mines and Dixie State, and lost its season opener to NAIA Menlo.

SIMON FRASER EDGED BY WESTERN OREGON
Despite leading 10-3 at the half, Simon Fraser yielded 13 fourth quarter points and lost to Western Oregon 27-16 Saturday. The Clan allowed Wolves' quarterback Ryan Bergman to toss four touchdowns in the loss, two in the final 15 minutes.

CLAN LAST IN TURNOVER MARGIN
Simon Fraser has struggled with turnovers in 2014 and has fumbled the football a conference-leading nine times. The Clan is tied for the GNAC's worst turnover margin of -7 with Hardrockers, one of the two teams the Clan has beaten in 2014.

STANFORD GUIDES CLAN AIR ATTACK
Clan quarterback Ryan Stanford has been one of the bright spots this season. He leads a passing attack that ranks third in the GNAC with 270.1 passing yards per game. Stanford's best game of the season came in the Clan's win over SD Mines. In the game against the Hardrockers, Stanford completed 28-of-36 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns (he earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the effort). He leads the team with 14 passing touchdowns. 

ANDERSON IS THE X FACTOR ON SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior Earl Anderson is the best return man in the GNAC. The Courtice, Ontario, native averages 19.3 yards per return and has accumulated 174 yards this season. His best game came against Dixie State when he tallied his first return for a touchdown and returned two punts for 92 yards.

HERDMAN LEADS CLAN TACKLERS
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Herdman leads the Clan and the GNAC in tackles. Herdman has a league-high 102 tackles and also has 10 tackles for loss. He compiled 10 tackles in Saturday's loss to Western Oregon and also had an interception, his first of the season.

HOME SWEET HOME
Simon Fraser has played six of its first eight games on the road in 2014 and Saturday's game versus HSU will be its first of three straight home games. The Clan 's victory over the Hardrockers was at Swanguard Stadium, the team's home field this season.