ARCATA, Calif. – A 63-yard pick six by Taliuaki Suliafu with 1:19 left to play sealed No. 13 Humboldt State football's 38-27 loss to No. 24-ranked Azusa Pacific in front of a sell-out crowd Saturday night in Redwood Bowl.
 
The lead changed hands six times in the home opener as the Lumberjacks slipped to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Saturday's loss snapped a 10-game home winning streak for the Green and Gold that began in 2014.
 
"This is going to be a dog fight in our conference this year," said Head Coach Rob Smith. "You look at today, you had road teams, Central Washington at Western Oregon and Azusa Pacific, win those games. I don't think you're going to have a team go through the schedule unscathed. There is just too much parity. Our conference has so many good football teams, and we ran up against one tonight."
 
A Cameron Southward field goal and a 40-yard touchdown pass to John Todd helped HSU limit the damage in the first quarter. Cougars' quarterback Andrew Elffers scrambled four yards into the end zone with 1:10 left to give Azusa Pacific a 14-10 advantage.
 
The second quarter was a tight battle between the nationally ranked programs. Azusa Pacific widened its margin with a touchdown reception by Jonathan Thropay, and, despite a touchdown run by Ja'Quan Gardner, it carried a four-point lead at the break.
 
HSU's offense turned to Gardner again in the third quarter, and it paid dividends. The junior from Ceres, Calif., carried the ball 13 times for 71 yards and a touchdown with nine seconds on the clock. He finished the game with 159 yards on 27 attempts, but broke a long-standing record in the process. Gardner became the Jacks all-time leading rusher late in the third quarter of Saturday's loss. He broke the mark (3,146 yards) held by Percy McGee, who played for the Green and Gold from 1993-96.
 
A pair of interceptions including the Suliafu pick six, highlighted the final 15 minutes of action. With 3:07 left to play and an opportunity to regain the lead, quarterback Robert Webber directed an eight-play, 42-yard drive into Cougar territory that ended in Suliafu's interception.
 
Webber, the GNAC's reigning Offensive Player of the Week, finished with three interceptions. He completed 18-of-31 pass attempts for 281 yards and a touchdown. He felt the pressure from Azusa Pacific's defense throughout the night and was sacked three times.
 
The Jacks amassed 456 yards of total offense, but committed four costly turnovers in the loss. HSU finished the game 6-of-13 on third down opportunities and 1-for-2 on fourth down.
 
Linebackers Jeff Shott and Cameron Buell led the North Coast squad with eight tackles apiece. Newcomer Anthony Boykin flashed his ability to disrupt an opposing offense and tallied 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
 
"We'll learn from this loss," said Smith. "That's the great thing; we will be better through these tough games, and there is a ton of football still to be played. We are going to be in every game we play, I promise everyone that. We have to find a way at the end of these close games to make plays. Last week we did, this week we weren't as fortunate. It stings and it hurts, but we will come back."
 
HSU travels to face Simon Fraser on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT.