ARCATA, Calif. – Over 4,000 Green and Gold fans cheered on the Humboldt State football team as it kicked off its home opener Saturday versus Western Oregon, but the Wolves proved to be too much for the Lumberjacks in the 38-13 loss.
 
"It's disappointing not winning, but we are still continuing to improve," said HSU Head Coach Damaro Wheeler. "We're improving even though the score may not always show it."
 
Both teams entered the game in search of their first victory and Western Oregon (1-3, 1-2 GNAC) proved it was ready to get a notch in the win column. The Wolves' recipe for success was equal parts passing by quarterback Ty Currie and a stout defense.
 
Currie guided the visitors down the field, and the junior finished the first half with three touchdowns – two passing and one on the ground. He connected twice with receiver Tyjuan Prince to give Western Oregon a 17-0 advantage and scampered from three yards out to put his team ahead 24-0 at halftime.
 
Andrew Tingstad made his first career start for the Jacks (0-3, 0-2 GNAC) and the change at quarterback made little difference in the first half. HSU was limited to just 82 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes.
 
Western Oregon added a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes from Currie to take a 38-0 lead, but the Green and Gold weren't ready to walk off the field quietly in defeat.
 
Tingstad engineered a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives for the offenses' first points of the season. The redshirt freshman orchestrated a 14-play, 96-yard scoring drive capped with a "Philly Special" touchdown pass from Gary O'Leary to the Jacks quarterback. Jose Morales converted the extra point attempt to make it 38-7.
 
HSU's defense forced a three-and-out on Western Oregon's ensuing drive and got excellent field position following a fumbled punt attempt. With the ball at the visitor's 25-yard-line, Tingstad moved the Jacks downfield and hit freshman running back Christian Quirarte for a 15-yard touchdown strike.
 
The Wolves finished the game with 453 yards of offense and their defense limited the Jacks to 266 yards. Western Oregon was also a perfect 4-for-4 capitalizing on red-zone scoring opportunities.
 
HSU's defense was led by standout freshman Moses Finau who seemed to be in on every play. Finau recorded a team-leading 14 tackles, including four solo stops. Isaiah Sires-Wils was a disruptive force for the Green and Gold and collected a pair of sacks to go with three tackles.
 
"I told the kids it starts with us as a staff, just making sure we're putting them in the best situation to be successful," said Wheeler. "We have to do a better job of getting them prepared to overcome adversity on the field."
 
The Jacks travel to face Azusa Pacific in Citrus Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.