Aug. 28, 2006
Complete Release
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BELLINGHAM, WA - The Western Washington University Vikings (0-0) travel to Arcata, Calif., to open the 2006 season vs. the Humboldt State University Lumberjacks (0-0) in a non-conference contest on Thu., Aug. 31 (6:30 p.m.) at the Redwood Bowl (7,000 cap., grass) in Arcata, Calif. Western, under new head coach Robin Ross, returns 13 starters and 32 letter winners from last season's 4-6 squad.
The Vikings, who will be making their North Central Conference debut this fall, placed second (3-3) last season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western has won league titles four of the last six years and six crowns in 10 seasons, but is picked to finish last in the NCC by the league's coaches.
After winning its 2005 opener, 49-20 over Mesa State CO, Western lost three in a row, all to top 25-ranked teams. The Vikings rebounded with three straight wins, two over Humboldt State, before ending the campaign with a pair of losses.
Humboldt State posted a 5-6 record in 2005 and placed fourth (1-5) in the GNAC standings. The Lumberjacks, who are competing as an independent this year, won their first three games last fall and four of their first six before losing four of their last five contests, ending the season with a win over NAIA-affiliate Southern Oregon.
SERIES HISTORY
Western leads the series, 10-4. The Vikings have won the last three meetings, including two in 2005 - 28-24 on Oct. 22 at Arcata and 21-16 on Oct. 1 at Bellingham. Western's previous wins were 55-20 at Arcata in 2004, 34-20 at Arcata in 2003, 27-7 at Bellingham in 2002, 41-7 at Arcata in 2001, 42-7 at Bellingham in 2000, 58-0 at Arcata in 1999, 36-17 at Bellingham in 1998, and 45-7 at Arcata in 1997. The schools had not met previously since 1962. The series began in 1956.
FOR OPENERS
Western, which has won its last two openers and three of the last four, has prevailed in 14 of its last 20 debuts. Last season, the Vikings won 49-20 at Mesa State CO. They prevailed at home 27-25 over Fort Lewis CO in 2004 and 24-16 at Central Oklahoma in 2002. The Vikings had a string of eight consecutive season-opening victories end in 1998, and lost 14 straight in 1972-85. They are looking to post three straight winning debuts for the first time since 1998.
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.
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.
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 of playing home football games at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The facility has undergone numerous renovations over the years. The Vikings have a 118-83-7 (.582) record there. Last year, Western was 1-3 at home, its first losing record at Civic Stadium since 1990 (2-3).
WESTERN REPORT
It's the start of a new era for the Western football team. The Vikings, who were 4-6 last year, enter the 2006 season with a new coach - Robin Ross - and in a new league - the North Central Conference, long considered one of the power conferences of NCAA Division II.
Neither are completely unfamiliar. Western has faced at least one NCC opponent in each of the last four seasons. And Ross, who has spent much of the last 30 years as an NCAA Division I-A assistant, most recently at Oregon State, was the Western defensive coordinator in 1994 and 1995, helping the Vikings be one of the top defensive teams in the NAIA.
There's a solid core of returnees - 13 starters are back among 32 letter winners, led on offense by senior quarterback James Monrean, who ranked 28th in total offense in NCAA II at 252.7 yards a game, and on defense by junior linebacker Shane Simmons, who had 66 tackles, with team-highs of 8.5 for loss and five sacks, and also added four forced
fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and an interception. Ross said there were three specific areas the Vikings need to show improvement. "The first is that we can't turn the ball over - and we need to get more turnovers forced, too, that was a glaring weakness last year. Second, we need to make great improvements on special teams. Third, we need to improve defensively, in particular, we have to stop the run."
Those improvements will have to come while facing a tough schedule that includes four 2005 NCAA II national playoff teams in a fourgame stretch of September. The positive side is three of those games are at home.
WESTERN INJURY REPORT
Western wide receiver Travis McKee suffered a seperated shoulder in practice, but is expected to play in the season opener at Humboldt State.
HUMBOLDT STATE REPORT
Football fortunes are looking up at Humboldt State, with a solid group of returning players, the addition of several key newcomers and an infusion of fresh ideas contributing to the promise of a successful 2006 season. Coach Doug Adkins begins his seventh year guiding the Lumberjack program, with fourth-year offensive line coach Jason White also adding consistency. Joining that pair to form the HSU brain trust are first-year coaches Brian Harris, as offensive coordinator, and Shay McClure, as defensive assistant.
Returning to guide the Jacks' offense is senior quarterback Blake Moorman, while senior safety Kyle Killingsworth, a preseason All-American, is counted on to lead the defense. Humboldt State's goal will be to improve upon last year's 5-6 record, with an extremely tough schedule to overcome. This season marks HSU's first as a true independent, following the dissolution of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's football affiliation.
NEXT GAME
The Vikings play host to defending Mid-America Intercollegiate champion Washburn University KS in a non-conference contest on Saturday, Sept. 9, [1 p.m.] at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The contest will be the first of four straight against top 25-ranked teams.
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.
