ARCATA, Calif. – A six-touchdown performance from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's all-time rushing leader Ja'Quan Gardner led Humboldt State football to a 52-49 comeback victory over Azusa Pacific.

Redwood Bowl was energized with 5,628 fans in attendance for a showdown of California's only Division II football programs. HSU improved to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, while Azusa Pacific slipped to 4-3 and 2-3 in GNAC action.

The Lumberjacks trailed 14-0 after one quarter of play before a Chase Krivashei touchdown catch halted the Kurt Scoby-led Cougars offense.

Scoby scored two more touchdowns to put Azusa up 28-7 with 6:07 left in the half and things looked grim for the Green and Gold. The junior running back from Duarte, Calif., finished the first half with 102 rushing yards on 15 carries to go with three rushing touchdowns.

Trailing by 21, Gardner was the spark HSU needed to propel it to a comeback win. He had an 18-yard touchdown carry that capped a seven-play, 72-yard drive to pull HSU within 14, and the senior from Ceres, Calif., broke a 92-yard kickoff return for a score with 24 seconds left in the half to electrify fans heading into intermission.

Gardner had plenty left in the tank as he went to work in the second half. He had a pair of runs finish in the endzone and he helped HSU get within a touchdown 42-35 as the third quarter expired.


HSU evened the score with its longest drive of the game, a 90-yard, 13-play effort, with a touchdown run by Gardner to open the final 15 minutes of action. The drive began with an interception by Jacks defensive back Davaeon Johnson.

Andrew Ellfers tossed his second interception in a row on the ensuing drive, and the Jacks struck again. Gardner took the handoff from Robert Webber eight yards to put HSU ahead for the first time, 49-42, with a little more than 8 minutes to go.

Azusa used a pair of big pass plays from Ellfers to Adams to set up a game-tying touchdown. The equalizer was a run by Scoby and a fumble into the end zone, which was recovered by tight end Lucas Widmer.

Knotted at 49-all the Green and Gold moved methodically down the field and ran the game clock in the process. Long runs by Gardner and Webber helped put the Jacks in position for a go-ahead field goal. Jose Morales split the uprights on a 47-yard attempt, with leg to spare, and put HSU back in front for good, 52-49.

Gardner broke a number of GNAC records Saturday night. He broke the conference's all-time career records for touchdowns (67), scoring (402), all-purpose yards (6,366), rushing yards (5,124), and he tied former Azusa Pacific running back Terrell Watson with 63 rushing touchdowns. Watson held all of the previous conference career records broken by Gardner. The senior also set a new GNAC single-game mark with six touchdowns and 36 points and all-purpose yards with 446 (293 rushing, 3 receiving and 150 kick return).

HSU remains on the North Coast and hosts Western Oregon next Saturday in Redwood Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.