ARCATA, Calif. -- The Humboldt State football team capitalized on big plays and dominated defensively as it took down visiting Western Oregon, 34-16, Saturday at the Redwood Bowl.
 
"We got playmakers out there and were able to respond when we needed to," said Head Coach Rob Smith. "This was a very important win for us. With our lack of success (historically) against Western Oregon we are going to enjoy this win."
 
For the third straight game, HSU kept the opponent off the board in the first quarter and put the game's first points on the board. Freshman quarterback Robert Webber fired a 13-yard pass to receiver Brandon Kakitsuka for a touchdown to give the Jacks (4-0) the early lead. The passing touchdown finished a nine-play, 41-yard drive and the Green and Gold have now outscored opponents 38-0 in the opening quarter over the last three games.
 
A 20-yard chip shot from kicker Matt Bruder extended the HSU advantage to 10-0 less than three minutes into the second quarter. Bruder connected on two field goals in the game, including a 44-yard attempt near the end of the third quarter. The Jamul, Calif., native's nine points Saturday moved him to second in the Lumberjack all-time scoring category. Bruder passed John Burman (1967-68) and is now just five points shy of Hall of Famer Dustin Creager's (2001-04) 210 points.
 
The Wolves (2-2) connected on a 38-yard field goal to make the score 10-3 at halftime. In WOU's first four drives, the Wolves accumulated 40 total yards on 15 plays. HSU controlled the time of possession 11:21-3:39 in the opening quarter and 18:57-11:03 in the first half.
 
WOU turned things around after halftime and scored two quick touchdowns on consecutive drives to make the score 17-16 following a failed extra point attempt. Senior quarterback Ryan Bergman passed for both of WOU's third quarter scores. He completed a 32-yard pass to wideout Paul Revis to tie the game at 10-10 with 9:11 left in the third quarter. Following a two-yard touchdown from running back Ja'Quan Gardner, Bergman led the Wolves on a three-play, 75-yard drive that almost knotted the game at 17 apiece.
 
Kicker Jesse Corea's failed point after attempt opened the door for the Jacks to pull away from the Wolves late in the game. Webber launched his season-long 73-yard touchdown pass caught by a speeding Cass White to put HSU ahead again. Webber finished the game 20-for-28 passing (71.4 percent) for 278 yards and two touchdowns. White's touchdown grab was one of four receptions for the game-breaking wide receiver. He compiled 122 receiving yards in the win.
 
Leading 27-16 entering the final quarter of play, the Jacks returned to the ground game to close out the victory. HSU racked up 165 total rushing yards Saturday and senior Nick Ricciardulli carried the ball 26 times for 111 yards (4.3 yards per carry). Gardner raced into the end zone twice during the win and averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 11 attempts.
 
"The Wolves are very physical up front," said Smith. "We were able to run the football effectively for almost 200 yards. What I really liked was that in the second half we were able to control things by running the football."
 
Gardner added his second rushing touchdown with 12:06 remaining in the game. The Ceres, Calif., native burst through several would-be tacklers and dragged several Wolves into the end zone from 17 yards out.
 
The Western Oregon offense with a high-powered passing game presented a unique challenge for an HSU defense ranked amongst the best in the nation, but the Jacks rose to the occasion. The Green and Gold secondary surrendered 358 passing yards, but tallied nine pass breakups and accounted for an interception late in the third quarter. HSU's defensive line put up staggering statistics of its own. The Jacks sacked WOU quarterbacks 10 times for a loss of 53 yards and constantly pressured the Wolves' signal callers. WOU rushed for a total of -22 yards in the loss and its running backs carried the ball for 31 net rushing yards.
 
"Give great credit to our defensive front and defensive coaches. He (Bergman) was never able to get comfortable in the pocket," said Smith. "We did not allow him to extend plays with his feet and applied pressure to him. Ten sacks is unheard of and our defense deserves credit."
 
Jamal Jones led HSU defensive backs with three pass break ups and Cameron Buell led the team with six tackles. Linebacker Taylor Mitchell was responsible for the Jacks only interception and also tallied a pair of tackles.
 
Bergman played limited minutes in the fourth quarter and was sacked seven times in the loss. He completed 19-of-37 passes for 339 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
 
The Jacks host South Dakota School of Mines and Technology next Saturday. The game is part of HSU's Homecoming Weekend celebration and kicks off at 6 p.m. The 2014 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at halftime.
 
"We don't know much about them (the Hardrockers)," said Smith. "They have a talented transfer quarterback out of Montana, but we are going to enjoy this win over Western Oregon tonight."