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ARCATA, Calif. – The Humboldt State football team aims to rebound after a bye week and a week one road loss at MSU Texas. The Lumberjacks travel to Yakima, Wash., to face conference rival Central Washington Saturday at 4 p.m.

HSU kicked off the 2018 season with a 55-12 loss to the Mustangs in Wichita Falls, Texas. The high-powered MSU Texas offense, talented defense and windy conditions proved to be too much for the young Green and Gold squad to overcome. The Mustangs put 42 points on the scoreboard in the first half, but the Jacks made adjustments to limit them to 13 in the final two quarters.

Head Coach Damaro Wheeler expects his team to improve following a week of rest and preparation.

"We used last week's bye to focus on the details," said Wheeler. "We sprinkled in a little bit of Central Washington, but we mostly focused on ourselves. We never got our feet settled until the second half of the last game. We started off slow on defense the first game."

Central Washington will be without its typical home field advantage as the home team hosts the Jacks in Zaepfel Stadium. Tomlinson Stadium has undergone renovations and will open its gates for the first time on Sept. 29 versus West Texas A&M.

The Wildcats are off to a 1-1 start after losing their season opener to Division I FCS Eastern Washington and bouncing back with a 50-17 victory against Western Oregon in Monmouth. Head Coach Ian Shoemaker's team is led by the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year, quarterback Reilly Hennessey. Hennessey capped the Wildcats' 2017 campaign with a 42-28 win against the Jacks in Redwood Bowl. He completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 275 yards and a touchdown last weekend.

"They are going to be a tough opponent, like they are each year," said Wheeler. "They are true to what they are; they aren't trying to reinvent the wheel on offense, special teams are attacking and they play fundamentally sound defense."

Central Washington leads the all-time series with a 24-11-1 record. The Wildcats have won four of the last five meetings against the Jacks.