ARCATA – Following up on a 9-1 season that goes down as the third best in 78 years of Humboldt State football history is the formidable challenge the 2007 Lumberjacks will be attempting this fall. Making that quest even more difficult is the loss of 23 seniors who played prominent roles in last year's success.

But overcoming a lack of experience within the Jacks' system is an ambition the HSU coaching staff retains heading into the fall campaign, which begins on Aug. 23 at the University of North Dakota. Head Coach Doug Adkins and his assistants will get a better notion of how high their hopes should be when they preview his year's Jacks on Thursday at the annual Green & Gold Scrimmage, scheduled for 6 p.m. in Redwood Bowl.

"We're a little behind where we'd like to be because its takes awhile for so many new players to learn the plays and the system," Adkins said. "But we're getting close to making a final evaluation."

Since the Lumberjacks first came to preseason camp on Aug. 1, they've been steadily increasing the intensity of workouts. A rash of minor injuries, however, has somewhat hindered progress, Adkins said.

"Many of the new players didn't come prepared for this level of football, conditioning-wise, so we've seen quite a few injuries of that nature," Adkins said. "The influx of players has also made for some inconsistency. One day we look like the best team in the nation, and the next we look like the worst."

Following is an assessment of the Lumberjacks' personnel heading into this week's scrimmage.

Offense
Quarterback
The graduation of Blake Moorman, who passed for 2,388 yards in 2006, leaves a significant vacancy to fill.  But with Moorman watching from the sidelines as an assistant coach this fall, several talented players will try to earn the right to be his successor.

As the lone Jack with game experience, junior J.D. Hellinger has an advantage of familiarity with the offense. But Adkins expects transfers Garrett Hubrich and Brian Hildebrand to join Hellinger in a tight battle for starting honors.

"We were very uncertain about quarterback before the fall, but then Brian received a health clearance and Garrett came in looking good," Adkins said. "J.D. is also healthy. With all of them battling, we're not prepared to make a decision on our No. 1 at this point."

Hubrich has looked solid in his bid for a starting assignment after passing for 1,731 yards and 15 touchdowns at Shasta JC in 2006. Hildebrand, who last took the field in 2005 for Mt. SAC JC, has impressive credentials that led him to being the expected starter at powerhouse Nebraska last year before health concerns kept him off the field.

Running Backs
Both Marcus Cox and Joevany Cueva return for HSU after stellar contributions in 2006. Cox added eight touchdowns and and an average 5.2 yards per carry in only seven games, while Cueva averaged 34.0 yards per game with seven touchdowns in nine games.

Neither Cox nor Cueva are guaranteed the bulk of the carries this fall, however, as an influx of highly-regarded newcomers has in the very least increased the depth in this area. Corey Stollmeyer, out of Allan Hancock JC, and Cornell Canidate, a transfer from Arizona State, are the most prominent newcomers.

Stollmeyer averaged 7.9 yards per carry, totaling 542 yards in only eight games at Allan Hancock in 2006.  Canidate's bright career at ASU and in the Pac-10 began with a sensational freshman season, but he has battled health issues that have kept him off the field the past two seasons.

Receivers
Edwin Henry, who averaged 21.1 yards per catch last year, will be filling the slot left by last year's top receiver, Joey Stein, as will returner Richard Perkins.  In 2006 Perkins averaged 14.4 yards per catch while scoring four touchdowns.

A wild card in the Jacks' mix is returner Darren Ross, who has seen action in only three games in two seasons at HSU because of injuries. Ross had 11 catches in his Jacks' debut performance in 2005, but missed the rest of the year with a hand injury. In 2006 he lasted two games, catching six passes for 62 yards before another injury knocked him out of action.

New to the mix are Anthony Fletcher, a junior transfer from Sacramento City College, and Corey Anderson, who previously played for UNLV. Both had success at their previous schools, and have also looked good in early practices.

At tight end, Matt Devlin, who redshirted last season, is a potential impact player. He joins returners Travis Gibb and Matt Rose, both of whom saw time in the Jacks' lineup last year.
 
Offensive Line
Veteran leadership provided by four returning starters makes the offensive interior one of HSU's strengths this season. Seniors Adam Maser and Richard Torrence, and juniors Bryant Kendall and Adam Fountain all were consistent starters for the Lumberjacks in 2006. Another player who saw significant time was senior Avery Bustamante, who moves over into the center position this season.

"They're a little bigger, a little faster, and a little stronger, so there are plenty of reasons to believe our offensive line will be a strength of this team," Adkins said.
 
Defense
Defensive Line
In an area particularly lean on returning players, Lucius Mills at end and Jacob Accetta at tackle lead the way on the defensive line.  Mills had 10 tackles and four sacks in 2006, while Accetta only played in two games before an injury ended his season. Also at the defensive end spot will be Johnny Terrell, who previously was a standout linebacker for HSU in 2005.

Newcomers Aaron Hernandez, out of Ventura College, Brad Hunkins, from American River JC, and Mitch Solano, out of Feather River JC, should contain on the outside of the line. On the interior, tackles Lorenzo Arenas, from College of the Siskiyous, and Shadeed Hasan, from Contra Costa CC, are expected to contribute, as is Desmond Maxwell, a former Lumberjack who returns to the fold after a stint at Alcorn State.
 
Linebackers
One of the team's strengths is expected to be this position, solidified by the return of Allen Brunner, who sat out last year and is back for his junior season. Also returning is Brian Iriye, who played for the Jacks in 2005 and ranked third on the team in tackles with 81. Also back is another experienced Lumberjack, David Demarco, who was out with an injury last year, and Michael Moore, who saw limited time last season.

Transfers further strengthen this area. Among them are Justin Calcote, who led the West Los Angeles JC team with 54 tackles despite playing only seven games in 2006, and Eric Peevey, who was the No. 2 tackler at Santa Ana JC last year with 59. Troubled with injuries during preseason is another contender, Calvin Robinson, who joins the Jacks as a sophomore after one season at Sacramento State.
 
Secondary
With a couple of key players to replace - most notably All-American Kyle Killingsworth - the Lumberjacks will turn to solid returners Nate Turner and Derrick Andrews, along with a group of impressive newcomers.   Turner saw the field in a backup role at free safety last fall, and Andrews worked into a starter's role at cornerback.

Instant effectiveness for the Jacks' backfield will come from two Division I transfers, Mombroso Washington and Elijah Bonner. Washington was with the University of Utah in 2006 after starring for two years at San Bernardino Valley JC, and Bonner comes to HSU after redshirting one year and playing another at Utah State.

Also seeking playing time are Adam Diaz, who earned Scholar-Athlete and all-conference honors at College of the Siskiyous, and Barry Davis, a junior from Los Angeles Southwest JC. Caleb Flores, from Citrus College, Martin Henderson, from Miramar JC, and Justin Price, out of College of the Canyons are all talented players that should see the field.

Kicking Game
Battling to be the Jacks' primary placekicker is returner Nicholas Nelson, and transfers Enrique Leyva and Kyle Schierholt. Nelson was primarily used for kickoffs last year, but will also contend for field goal and extra point duty this fall.

Leyva, a junior, comes to the Jacks from the University of Utah, where he sat out last season. He previously attended Palomar JC, where he was a perfect 20-of-20 in extra points and 9-of-16 in field goals in 2004.

Schierholt is a sophomore who transfered to Humboldt State from Northern State, where he was the primary kicker last year for the Aberdeen, S.D. school. He'll also try to assume the Jacks' punting chores, where he'll contend along with Leyva and returning sophomore Shea Lemos.