BOX SCORE (PDF)

ARCATA, Calif. – A crowd of 3,622 at Redwood Bowl was treated to a unique international exhibition Saturday night, as CETYS University of Tijuana and Mexicali in Mexico came to Arcata. Humboldt State unleashed some first-half fireworks, highlighted by Ja'Quan Gardner's 94-yard kickoff return touchdown to start the game, as the Lumberjacks won by a final of 83-14.

"It was a great night in the sense that we got a chance to play every possible player we could and really from the mid-second quarter on that was the case," said HSU Head Coach Rob Smith. "CETYS kept battling, and what a show after the game where you have both teams congratulating each other and taking a group picture, with a lot of smiles. It was great to see."

Gardner scored twice more in the first quarter, on a 58-yard run and a 1-yard plunge, and Malcolm Hale had touchdown catches of 65 yards from Robert Webber to close the first quarter and 92 yards from Adam Wood with 11:34 left in the second. HSU seized a 28-0 lead after the first quarter and had a 56-0 edge on the strength of Jabar Byrd's 88-yard scoring run late in the second. CETYS was able to run a successful two-minute drill to get into the end zone before the first half ended, with Mora Armenta catching a two-yard touchdown pass from Montano Espino.

HSU accumulated 637 yards of total offense, while limiting CETYS to 206 and averaging a stellar 12.7 yards per play. CETYS, however, held their own in the first-down department, with 17 to the Jacks' 18. It was the Lumberjacks' dynamic, big-play offense that proved to be the downfall of the visitors, with Deshaun Patacsil contributing a 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter from Joey Sweeney. Ryan McKenzie even got into the scoring act on defense, returning an interception 48 yards for the score in the fourth quarter. Along with Edwin Campbell's 35-yard interception return for a score earlier in the game, it gave the Jacks two defensive scores after they went all last season without one.

HSU will now travel to Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Azusa Pacific next Saturday, September 9 for its first conference contest. Head Coach Rob Smith now has the unenviable task of paring down his roster to the 54 players that he is allowed to take on the trip south. For the moment, Smith and the Jacks will cherish the display Saturday night of what he called "sportsmanship at the highest level, and mutual appreciation and admiration and respect."