Oct. 10, 2006

Complete Release

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Western Washington University Vikings (2-4, 1-3 - tied for sixth) welcome the University of South Dakota Coyotes (5-1, 3-0 - tied for second) in a North Central Conference contest Saturday, Oct. 14 (1 p.m.) at Civic Stadium (3,500 cap., FieldTurf) in Bellingham, Wash.

The Vikings rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final 5:07 to defeat St. Cloud State, 24-17, last Saturday. It was their first NCC victory since becoming an affiliate member of that league in football only. Western is 1-2 at home this season, losing 20-10 to Minnesota Duluth two weeks ago at Civic Stadium. That ended a string of four games against 2005 NCAA Division II playoff teams.

During that stretch, the Vikings nearly upset No.4 North Dakota, leading 20-13 at halftime and having the ball inside the Fighting Sioux 40-yard line with less than a minute to play in a 26-20 loss. Prior to that, they split a pair of home games, losing 38-10 to No.20 Nebraska-Omaha in their NCC debut after upsetting No.15 Washburn, 16-13.

Western opened its season with a 28-23 loss at Humboldt State. The combined record to date of the Vikings' first five opponents stands at 22-6.

South Dakota, ranked No.14 in the latest American Football Coaches Association Top 25 (highest rating this season is No.8), has won five of its first six games, four of them at home (17-game winning streak at Dakota Dome and 107-52 overall).

Last week, the Coyotes defeated Central Washington, 10-7, at the Dakota Dome, scoring the winning touchdown with 14.6 seconds to play. They opened the season with three home victories, 59-0 over Quincy, 66-6 over Minnesota-Crookston and 27-14 over Minnesota Duluth. South Dakota then split a pair of road contests, defeating St. Cloud State, 20-10, before falling 24-0 to NCAA I-AA Central Arkansas.

SERIES HISTORY

First meeting.

RADIO

KBAI (930 AM-Bellingham) is broadcasting all Western football games live this season with sports director Doug Lange handling the play-by-play duties for the 11th consecutive season. Providing the color commentary for the ninth straight year is former Viking quarterback Jason Stiles. The pre-game show with host Mark Scholten begins at 6:05 p.m.

The game also will be aired on the Coyote Sports Network. The voice of the South Dakota Coyotes is Kevin Culhane and the color analysts are Jeff Culhane and Max Hawk.

WEBCAST

Viking football is back on the Internet for 2006. To listen to the live broadcast via the web, go to www.wwuvikings.com and follow the links. The web provides streaming audio of the KBAI 930 AM radio broadcast of WWU Vikings athletic events. The audio stream is only available during event broadcast times.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Viking football cost $12 for reserved seating, 8 for general admission adults, $6 for students and seniors and $5 for Western students. For ticket information, contact the WWU Athletic Department at 360-650-2583 (BLUE).

CIVIC STADIUM

Western is in its 45th year of playing home games at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The facility, built in 1961, has undergone a number of renovations over the years. The Vikings have a 119-85-7 (.583) record there. Last year, Western was 1-3 at home, its first losing record at Civic Stadium since 1990 (2-3). The Vikings are 1-2 at home this season.

2005 RESULTS

Western finished 4-6 and tied for second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at 3-3. South Dakota finished 9-2 overall and was in a four-way tie for first in the NCC at 4-2.

NCC PRESEASON POLL

Western was picked to finish eighth among nine teams in the 2006 preseason NCC coaches poll and last in the media poll. North Dakota was the first-place pick in both polls.

WESTERN REPORT

Western is coming off a dramatic victory in which the special teams proved to be the difference, Nick Warren and Brandon Elliott each blocking punts in the final 3:09 to set up the tying and winning touchdowns against St. Cloud State.

The Viking defense allowed a season-low 269 yards last week, and did so without junior linebacker Shane Simmons, who missed the contest with a shoulder/neck injury. The status of Simmons, the NCC leader in tackles (55) and the NCAA II leader in solo tackles (49), remains indefinite.

Key in the defensive effort was a great performance by the defensive line. The unit had all four of Western's sacks, and junior end Ryan Conwell had 3.5 tackles for loss. Conwell leads the NCC in tackles for loss with 9.5, and in sacks with three, among his 22 stops.

Senior end Matt Overton has two sacks among his 12 tackles, and leads Western in passes broken up with four.

In the secondary, senior free safety Todd McClellan is second on the team in tackles with 38 and also has an interception, and junior strong safety Steve Davis has 33 stops, and scored the winning touchdown against St. Cloud State, running a blocked punt into the end zone.

The Vikings were also helped last week by the return of sophomore cornerback Maurice Jones, who was playing for the first time since the early moments of the season opener.

On offense, junior running back Calvin Mc

Carty has been a major force. He has rushed for 455 yards and five touchdowns on 123 carries, and also has 23 receptions for 231 yards.

He shares the team lead in receptions with sophomore wide receiver Travis McKee, who has 23 grabs for a team-high 314 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Kellen Alley has a team-high three touchdown grabs among his 12 receptions.

At quarterback, senior James Monrean has completed 90-of-146 passes for 1,019 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions (had string of 107 passes without throwing interception earlier this season).

The offensive line, led by senior tackle Brandon Torrey, a first-team all-GNAC pick last season, has started the same group in five of six games this season.

On special teams, sophomore Robby Smith, who tied the school record for longest field goal with a 54-yarder last week, has made an immediate impact.

He is a NCC-leading 9-of-13 on field goals (ranks second nationally at 1.5 per game), with all the misses being from 43 yards or more, and had the game winner against Washburn. He has also made all 10 extra-point attempts, and has sent six kickoffs for touchbacks.

Freshman Craig Garner is averaging 22.2 yards on 16 kickoff returns.

WESTERN INJURY REPORT

The status of middle linebacker Shane Simmons, who was leading the NCC in tackles and NCAA II nationally in solo stops through five games, is indefinite. He missed last week's game with a shoulder/neck injury.

SOUTH DAKOTA REPORT

Like the Vikings, the nationally ranked Coyotes won in dramatic fashion last week, scoring the winning touchdown against Central Washington with just 14.6 seconds left for their 17th consecutive home victory.

South Dakota has outscored its opponents, 182-61, averaging 30.3 points a game and allowing just 10.2. The Coyotes have given up just 24 points after halftime.

Leading the way for the Coyotes, who rank fourth nationally in rushing offense (266.5), is senior running back Stefan Logan, a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate who last week became just the 11th player in NCAA II history to surpass 5,000 yards (5,035) in career rushing and 6,000 yards (6,422) in all-purpose yardage.

Logan, who has 21 100-yard rushing performances in his last 23 games (holds school career record of 29), has rushed for 784 yards (ranks 10th nationally, looking for fourth straight 1,000-yard season) and four touchdowns on 109 carries this season, and also has a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 94-yard kickoff return for a score.

Logan holds the NCAA record for rushing yards in one quarter with 184 versus Truman State last season, and had a career-best 284 yards against Minnesota Duluth in 2005.

Junior Carter Black and redshirt freshman Noah Sheppard split the quarterbacking duties for an offense that relies more on the run than the pass, ranking among the leaders in NCAA II with 266.5 rushing yards a contest.

Black has started five of six games, throwing for 280 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing for 158 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Sheppard has thrown for 519 yards, with six touchdowns and three interceptions, and has rushed for 111 yards on 20 carries. Sheppard directed the game-winning drive last week, rushing three times for 42 yards and completing 3-of-3 passes for 21 yards and the winning touchdown.

The top receiver is junior Brooks Little, who has 19 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown, with the score being the game-winner against Central Washington. Little ranks fifth in USD history in career receptions with 91.

Senior Desmond Allison, a former starter for the basketball team at the University of Kentucky, has 15 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns.

The Coyote defense has been stellar throughout the season, and currently ranks third nationally in both rushing defense (42.8) and total defense (212.5) and fourth in scoring defense (10.2). USD hasn't allowed more than 85 rushing yards to any opponent this season.

Sophomore linebacker Blake Hojer leads the team in tackles with 33, and shares the team lead in both sacks (3) and overall tackles for loss (5.5). Senior end John Barker also has three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.

Senior cornerback Jordan Davis, a preseason All-America selection, has two interceptions and has broken up five other passes. Sophomore T.J. Simmons also has two interceptions.

COYOTE HEAD COACH ED MEIERKORT

Ed Meierkort (Dakota Wesleyan, 1982) is 23-5 in his third season at South Dakota and 78-60 in 13 years overall. A year ago, he directed the Coyotes to an NCC title (shared with three other teams), which was South Dakota's first league crown since 1978.

Meierkort had led South Dakota to back-to-back 9-2 seasons (placed second in NCC in 2004) and has a 16-0 record at the Dakota Dome.

SMITH GETTING HIS KICKS

Robby Smith, the first player signed by Coach Robin Ross, ranks second nationally in field goals per game at 1.5. He had a string of successful field goals stopped at seven against Minnesota Duluth on Sept. 30, one short of the school record.

But Smith bounced back, tying the school record with a 54-yarder versus St. Cloud State on Oct. 7. His three field goals against Washburn on Sept. 9 were the most in a game by a Viking since Michael Koenen booted four on Nov. 3, 2001 in a 46-14 win over Western Oregon.

Koenen now plays for the NFL Atlanta Falcons. Smith leads the NCC in field goal kicking, converting 9-of-13.

VIKING NOTES

Brandon Elliott was named NCC Special Teams co-Player of the Week for his role in Western's win over St. Cloud State.

Saturday's game marked the first time in at least 40 years that the Vikings had come back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to win .

Western leads the NCC in red zone offense (94.1, 16-of-17) and is third in time of possession (30:31).

The Vikings' only game outside Bellingham among its next four is the Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup versus arch-rival Central Washington on Oct. 21 at Qwest Field.

Western had a three-game streak of no turnovers snapped against Minnesota Duluth.

Placekicker Robby Smith was named Don Hansen's Football Gazette Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Vikings' 16-13 upset of No.15 Washburn. He and linebacker Shane Simmons were named NCC Special Teams and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.

Prior to the Washburn upset, the last time Western had defeated a top 15-ranked opponent was on Oct. 23, 1999 in a 26-14 win over Chadron State at Bellingham.

Running back Calvin McCarty's three rushing touchdowns versus Humboldt State were the most by a Western player since 2002.

Sophomore defensive tackle Junior Aumavae was a first-team all-GNAC pick last year, and quarterback James Monrean was a second-team all-GNAC selection.

The Vikings, who are making their NCC debut this fall, have won league titles in four of the last six years and six crowns in the last 10 seasons.

FOOTBALL-ONLY NCC MEMBER

Western is a football-only member of the North Central Conference, one of the nation's most prestigious NCAA II alignments. The Vikings, along with arch-rival Central Washington, begin playing a full slate of eight NCC games this fall. The two schools had been competing as part of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The NCC, founded in 1921, currently has nine members in all, the others being Augustana SD, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State Mankato, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State MN and South Dakota.

Over the past three years, the NCC has had three of its member institutions leave to move up to NCAA Division I. North Dakota State and South Dakota State left after the 2003-04 academic year, and Northern Colorado left after 2002-03.

In 2005, there was a four-way tie for the NCC title between Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota Duluth.

North Dakota played in the NCAA II national championship game in 2003 and won a national title in 2001.

The Vikings have played eight games (2-6) with NCC foes over the previous four seasons, splitting with Nebraska-Omaha and South Dakota State, losing three times to St. Cloud State and once to North Dakota.

LAST WEEK VS. SCSU

Oct. 7, 2006 - W. Washington 24, St. Cloud State 17

(Husky Stadium - St. Cloud, Minn.)

Western staged a wild fourth-quarter rally, using a pair of blocked punts to score three touchdowns in the final 5:07 to defeat St. Cloud State, 24-17, in a NCC game at Husky Stadium.

It was the first NCC victory for the Vikings, who are in their first year in the conference as an affiliate member in football only. Western snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the NCC.

St. Cloud State, which had defeated Western in three previous meetings, fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the NCC.

Steve Davis scored the winning touchdown for Western with 43 seconds left, picking up a punt blocked by Brandon Elliott and running into the end zone from two yards out.

Nick Warren blocked a punt on the previous series with 3:09 to go, setting up the tying score, a 1-yard touchdown plunge by running back Calvin McCarty on a fourth-and-1 play with 1:36 left.

Western was down, 17-3, in the fourth quarter, having reached the scoreboard only on a school-record tying 54-yard field goal by Robby Smith on the final play of the first half. But following a fumble recovery by linebacker James Day, the Vikings moved 68 yards in 10 plays behind backup quarterback Adam Perry, who had just entered the game, narrowing the margin to 17-10 on a 10-yard pass from Perry to wide receiver Kellen Alley with 5:09 to play.

The Viking defense held on the next two possessions, forcing the punts blocked by Warren and Elliott.

SCSU nearly forced the game into overtime, as quarterback Jon Quesnel completed four passes to reach the Western 26 with 4.4 seconds left. On the final play of the game, Quesnel threw to the end zone, but safety Mike Schmit knocked the pass down.

Western won despite having a 269-182 deficit in total offense. Both marks were season-lows.

Western's defense held SCSU without a first down in the opening quarter, and the Vikings also had the first sustained drive of the game, reaching the Husky 24 early in the second quarter before Smith missed a 43-yard field goal.

SCSU then scored on its next two possessions. First, the Huskies went 74 yards in seven plays, with Quesnel getting a 17-yard completion to Tyler McKee on a third-and-16 play and then scrambling for a 33-yard gain before finishing the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.

On the next series, SCSU converted on a fourth-and-two from the Western 20 with a 7-yard pass from Quesnel to tight end Anders Johnson, then on the following play, Quesnel threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zach Stover, giving the Huskies a 14-0 lead with 1:05 left in the first half.

Quesnel completed 14-of-24 passes for 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

SCSU had the ball in Western territory with the wind at their back for much of the third quarter, but ended up scoring only a 42-yard field goal by Jon Gutierrez that made the score 17-3 six minutes into the second half.

Western was playing without middle linebacker Shane Simmons, the NCC's leading tackler and the national leader in solo tackles, who did not play because of a shoulder injury.

Safety Todd McClellan had 10 stops for the Vikings, who notched four quarterback sacks. Besides a blocked punt, Warren also had seven tackles and a pass interception.

LAST GAME VS. SOUTH DAKOTA

None.

NEXT GAME

The Vikings play arch-rival Central Washington in the fourth annual Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup on Oct. 21 (6 p.m.) at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The Wildcats, who entertain Western Oregon on Saturday, are 3-3 overall and 1-3 in league play. They lost 10-7 at No.14 South Dakota last week.

BATTLE IN SEATTLE

The fourth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup, presented by Comcast, takes place Sat., Oct 21 (6 p.m.) at Qwest Field in Seattle between arch-rivals Western and Central Washington University.

Tickets will be priced at $35 reserved with Club access, $25 reserved and $15 general admission. They can be purchased through Ticketmaster, the Western Box Office or at the Qwest Field Box Office.

This is the first time that the contest will be the only meeting of the season between the two schools. Central won the first BIS in 2003, defeating the Vikings 29-20 before 16,392 fans, a record for a non-NCAA Division I collegiate football game in the state of Washington.

Western won the 2004 meeting, 28-21, with 11,458 in attendance, but the Wildcats bounced back for a 37-17 victory in 2006 with a crowd of 11,312.

WEBSITE

For the latest results, statistics and updates, including reports on all Western athletic events, visit the Vikings website at wwuvikings.com.