Humbolt State Scores 17 Unanswered Points to Beat Western Oregon
The Lumberjacks (4-0) remained unbeaten, and continue their phenomenal start to the season after going 0-11 last year.
(ARCATA, Calif. ) — The Humboldt State University football team used 17 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from Western Oregon University Saturday, 34-16.
The Lumberjacks (4-0) remained unbeaten, and continue their phenomenal start to the season after going 0-11 last year. HSU snapped a four-game skid to the Wolves. Saturday's matchup was a non-conference game, while the second game between the programs later this season in Monmouth will be a Great Northwest Athletic Conference counter.
Western Oregon was held to -22 yards on the ground and just 3-of-14 on third down conversions. The Wolves never made it into the red zone, and had the ball 13 minutes less than Humboldt State. The Lumberjack defense finished with 10 sacks on the WOU quarterbacks.
Humboldt State finished with 443 yards of offense, while the Wolves had 336. HSU had 165 rushing yards on 47 carries.
Robert Webber completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 278 yards for the Lumberjacks. Nick Ricciardulli carried the ball 26 times for 111 yards. Cass White totaled 122 yards on four receptions. Chase Krivashei added 96 receiving yards on nine catches.
In the first quarter, Humboldt State had the ball for 11:21, compared to Western Oregon's 3:39. The Lumberjacks held their opponents scoreless in the opening period for the third straight game. A Webber to Brandon Kakitsuka 13-yard pass connection was the lone score in the first quarter at the 6:32 mark. The teams exchanged field goals in the second quarter.
After the teams combined for 13 points in the first half, the top two teams in the GNAC totaled 28 points over a four-minute span in the third quarter.
Western Oregon (2-2) tied the score at 10 on a 32-yard pass and catch from Ryan Bergman to Paul Revis with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter. Less than two minutes later, HSU countered with a two-yard touchdown run by Ja'Quan Gardner.
Revis and Bergman connected again 48 seconds later on a 60-yard score. White and Webber then topped that long play with a 73-yard touchdown pass. A Lumberjack field goal completed a 31-point third quarter.
Humboldt State completed the scoring with a 17-yard run from Gardner with 12:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. The freshman entered the game as the leader rusher in the conference.
Bergman was 19-of-37 for 339 yards with an interception. His two touchdown passes brings his career total to 45, two shy of second place on the WOU all-time list. The senior's 13 touchdown passes through four games this season is second in NCAA Div. II.
Revis caught six passes for 171 yards. The redshirt freshman returned five kickoffs for 101 yards and three punts for 31 yards. He became only the fourth player in GNAC history to gain 300 all-purpose yards in a single game. It was the highest total for WOU in the past 15 years. Revis entered the game 10th in the country in all-purpose yards per game.
Tyler Johnson led all players with 10 tackles. Kraig Akins had two tackles for loss, totaling 16 yards.
Western Oregon closes its non-conference schedule at No. 5 North Alabama (3-0) next Saturday.
It will be the first meeting all-time between the programs. Live video and stats will be available on www.WOUWolves.com.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Central Time.
Source: www.WOUWolves.com.
